《Victim/Villain》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    What is a crow doing this deep in the woods? They are pretty rare around these parts. Or is that a raven? I can¡¯t quite tell at this distance. Oh well, either way I can sell its feathers.


    It would take more than an oddly located crow or raven to discourage Shuka. She knocked an arrow into her bow and pulled back the string. The young huntress aimed at the black feathered bird, held her breath for a moment, and fired. As the arrow flew through the air towards its target, Shuka had a rather ominous thought.


    Is that really a normal crow?


    Just for an instant Shuka felt an unnatural fear course through her body. From the moment she fired the arrow she hoped it would miss the obsidian-coloured bird for reasons she couldn¡¯t explain. Of course, the arrow cared little for her wish¡¯s and buried itself inside the crow with little fanfare. It let out a pained caw and fell out of the tree it was perched in and hit the ground with a dull thump.


    All was quiet and for a moment Shuka allowed herself to relax. But her relief was short lived. The forest darkened as its shadows seemed to close in around the hunter in its midst. Shuka shivered in the now cold air as the crow she shot stood up from the spot it had fallen, arrow still sticking out of it. Even at a distance she knew its head turned to stare directly into her eyes. Ever so slowly, it opened its beak and let out a sharp CAW that echoed of the surrounding trees. But then the echoes grew louder and more numerous as Shuka was surrounded by numerous dark crows, creating a cacophony around her. Shuka wanted to run, but a ring of malevolent birds blocked her path and kept her trapped. It was all too much for the poor girl and she closed her eyes and covered her ears, hoping it would all go away. The sound only grew louder as it reverberated inside her head and turned into a cackling laughter. Then there was another sound, a voice from directly in front of her.


    ¡°Hark ye wretch.¡±


    Shuka opened her eyes in shock and quickly wished she didn¡¯t. A crow stared into her eyes, its own a deep crimson. It was perched on a branch that was not there before and was close enough for Shuka to see that it was not breathing. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out why, there was an arrow piercing its lungs. The very same arrow that Shuka had fired into it. The dead crow opened its beak once again, and an old voice that dripped with malice came out of it.


    ¡°Ye who dares harm my familiar shall know the wrath of the wrathful. Feel fear in thy heart, for this one¡¯s punishment shall be a curse of the highest degree. May the eyes of others ever see in ye naught but ill intentions. From now till forevermore shall this be true, for a true witch¡¯s curse is unbreakable. Grovel and beg wretch, it shall do ye no good.¡±


    As it spoke, Shuka felt the darkened shadows of the forest wrap around the very core of her being, grasping at her soul until she could barely breathe. And when the crows final word left its onyx beak, the grip tightened and then disappeared. The crow was gone too, along with all of its friends who were encircling her. There was no sign at all of what had just transpired, as if it was all just a dream. But Shuka knew it wasn¡¯t a dream. It was a nightmare come to life.


    *


    Shuka was pacing outside of a lone tower on the outskirts of Rainsburg, her hometown. The tower was the home of one of the few spellcasters in the area and he had been teaching her magic for almost a year now. She had already knocked on the door and was now waiting for him to answer it anxiously.


    What if he¡¯s not home? Or what if he can¡¯t help me? Ralisdor is the best mage for miles, if he can¡¯t do anything about this curse, then who knows how far I will have to travel to find someone who can?


    Shuka stopped pacing and knocked on the door again, more insistently this time. It had only been two dozen seconds since she first knocked on the door, but it had felt like much longer.


    I¡¯m going to go crazy if I keep thinking like this, I have to try to be more positive. What if I¡¯m not cursed at all, and this is all just some silly prank? Ralisdor¡¯s not one for pranks, but he is an illusionist so I bet he could pull it off. I bet he¡¯s gonna burst through that door yelling ¡®Gotcha!¡¯ and then we can both have a good laugh about it.


    Ralisdor, the mage living in the tower, didn¡¯t burst through the door. Instead, he just opened it normally, like a normal person would. In fact, he opened the door so normally, that Shuka didn¡¯t even notice that it was open. She had returned to her frantic pacing and was quite distracted.


    ¡°What are you doing here Shuka? We already finished your lessons for the day.¡±


    Shuka looked back to the tower and saw her mentor standing in the doorway. Ralisdor was a tall, pale skinned man with swept back black hair. Shuka knew he was in his early forties, but he looked a decade younger. He was wearing deep blue clothing with purple accents making detailed designs all over his body. It was quite the flashy outfit, especially seeing as he lived on the outskirts of a small town in the middle of nowhere. Of course, the outfit was enchanted to be able to become a plain brown tunic fit for any nondescript peasant or mage looking to avoid attention. Shuka didn¡¯t care about any of that, she already knew it all. What she cared about was getting him to help her.


    ¡°Ralisdor, you have to help me. I was hunting in the forest and I shot a crow, and I think it might have been a witch¡¯s familiar or something because it got up and started talking to me. Well, it was really mad, and the forest got all dark and there was like, a hundred crows and then I think it cursed me.¡±


    Shuka was talking at a mile a minute, her words all panicked and messy, but Ralisdor managed to piece together what she was saying. That didn¡¯t mean he believed her though.


    ¡°Is this some sort of joke? I don¡¯t have time for this Shuka.¡±


    He closed the door and left Shuka shocked at the result. She didn¡¯t understand why he did that until she remembered the words left by the crow in the forest.


    May the eyes of others ever see in ye naught but ill intentions.


    Shit, the curse is already in effect! How am I going to convince him to help me when it¡¯s making him not believe me?


    She didn¡¯t have a good answer to that question, so she just tried knocking on the door again.


    ¡°Please, you have to help me, this isn¡¯t a prank. If you don¡¯t trust me then check with magic, but you have to believe me.¡±


    Ralisdor opened the door again, looking a bit more disgruntled than before.


    ¡°Fine, I will check for this so called ¡®curse¡¯ if it will stop you from making such a racket. But I swear, if you are lying, I will be very displeased.¡±


    It was good enough for Shuka, so she stopped what she was doing and stayed still while Ralisdor started casting his spell. It was a quick process, only requiring a second or two of concentration before his eyes were glowing blue with magic. Once he was done, Ralisdor looked over Shuka with his new magic detecting eyes. The look he got on his face was not an encouraging one to say the least.


    ¡°Well, it seems as if I was wrong, you really are cursed. And by a rather complex one too.¡±


    ¡°Can you remove it?¡±


    ¡°Sadly no, this is a bit out of my area of expertise. Perhaps if I knew more on the inner workings of curses I could be of more assistance, but as of right now there is nothing I can do.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Where the hell am I going to find a book on curses out here in the middle of nowhere!? Oh right, the Rainsburg library. I barely ever go there so I almost forgot it existed, but they have all sorts of obscure magical tomes there don¡¯t they?


    ¡°Do you think you could find what you need in the library?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps. It is possible one of my predecessors was proficient in that area and left his notes in what became the library. I haven¡¯t seen anything of that sort there before, but I do know they have a section that is blocked off from the public. It is worth a try at least.¡±


    Predecessors? Oh right, there used to be a lot more mages around here. They all came to research the ruins in the forest, but they left after they uncovered everything. Now all that¡¯s left is their spare books and copies of their notes that were donated to the library for those who come after them. Well, some of the books are just the personal collections of mages who didn¡¯t come back, but the end result is the same. I wish I could understand what was written in those notes, but it¡¯s all a little bit too advanced for me right now.


    ¡°Now why don¡¯t you explain what happened in a bit more detail on the way there. Your first explanation was a bit¡­ incoherent.¡±


    *


    Rainsburg was not a big town. It had less than a thousand people living there and only the occasional tourist or researcher coming through to look at the nearby ruins. That was why very few people are surprised to learn that it is, generally speaking, quite poor. The exception to that was its library. What was originally created as a communal study hall for inquisitive wizards, soon became a gathering place for books, notes, and references of the magical nature. Of course, centuries have passed since it¡¯s founding and the Rainsburg library now contained all manner of books. The building itself was made of stone, and although it was only one story tall, it was still the largest structure in Rainsburg by far. Many powerful mages had donated large sums of money to the library over the years and some had even contributed to its construction themselves. All of that added together to make the Rainsburg Library a grand sight indeed. Shuka was used to it though, having lived in Rainsburg her entire life.


    ¡°You should see if that Quanso friend of yours is working at the library today when we enter.¡± Ralisdor said as they walked up to the library door. ¡°I can find my way easily enough, but it can be quite hard to find what you are looking for if you don¡¯t visit frequently.¡±


    That makes sense. I don¡¯t even know where to start looking for a book on curses. And besides, I need to tell Xorvos about this at some point, might as well be now.


    Xorvos had been Shuka¡¯s friend since she was a kid. They were around the same age and had always got along pretty well but, he wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ magically inclined.


    Even if he can¡¯t help me with the curse, I would at least like someone to talk to about this. And he does work at the library, even if he only reshelves the books.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find him when Shuka finally entered the library. After all, he was the only person in the library who was seven feet tall and perpetually wore armour. Well gauntlets at least. The grey skin and long tail didn¡¯t exactly help either. Rainsburg was hardly a human only town, it had a handful of elves, dwarves, and halfling among its population, but even then Xorvos stood out. Even not counting his inhuman height and unnatural skin colour he still looked far different than anyone else in the town. His head was animalistic in shape, almost reminiscent of a rhino but without the horns and instead of hair he had a multitude of leathery flaps of skin on the ends of thick, hair like strands. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants that were specifically tailored for his size and tail. But what really stood out about his clothing was the two gauntlets made out of black metal that he always wore. It didn¡¯t matter if he was organizing books or buying groceries, he only took them off when he absolutely needed to. This might have all been a bit much for someone who had never met a Quanso before, but to Shuka he was just her friend.


    ¡°Hey Xorvos, I need your help.¡±


    He looked up from the pile of books he was looking through.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ is it important? I mean I am working right now so uh, can it wait?¡±


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t wait, this is serious.¡±


    Shuka was a bit hurt he didn¡¯t think it was important, but she got over it fast.


    ¡°I need to find a book on curses, do you know where I can find one? Or even where to look?¡±


    Xorvos frowned, obviously not happy with the request.


    ¡°Curses? Is that the kind of magic you are learning now? I will tell you right now nothing good will come from that kind of magic.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± Shuka spoke, slightly frustrated. ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn how to cast curses, I want to learn how to get rid of them. I was hunting in the forest when I accidentally hurt a witch¡¯s familiar, and she cursed me for it. Ralisdor is trying to help me, but he says he doesn¡¯t know enough about curses yet.¡±


    Xorvos looked at her with suspicion, but he eventually relented.


    ¡°All of the dangerous magic is kept in the restricted section, but I don¡¯t have access to it. I would have to talk to head librarian Sophia to get permission.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go and talk to her. The sooner I can get rid of this curse the better.¡±


    ¡°Now? I still have so many books to reorganize. Can¡¯t we do this after work?¡±


    Shuka gave him a look that said they absolutely could not. With a sigh, the big Quanso placed the book he was holding back onto the pile he got it from.


    ¡°All right then, lets go.¡±


    Why isn¡¯t he taking this seriously? Does he not believe me, or does he just think the curse isn¡¯t that big of a deal? The Xorvos I know wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do everything in his power to help me out.


    Xorvos led Shuka over to the head librarian¡¯s office and knocked on the door with his metal gauntlets. The loud sound of metal on wood echoed throughout the library and made Shuka wince. Several people were looking their way and she did not want all of the extra attention. From inside the office and old voice called out, muffled by the door.


    ¡°Come in Xorvos, and for Margaret¡¯s sake, knock a little quitter next time.¡±


    Xorvos opened the door, slightly embarrassed, and entered the office. It was a simple space, small too, with barely enough room for a desk and a small bookcase to one side. Behind the desk was Sophia, the head librarian. She was and old human lady with white hair streaked with brown tied into a bun.


    ¡°What do you want Xorvos? There is no way you finished reshelving all of those books already. And who is that you are bringing into my office?¡±


    ¡°This is Shuka, my friend. She has recently been cursed and I would like to request permission to go into the restricted section to look for a book that can help her.¡±


    The librarian looked Shuka up and down, staring into her as if she could see into her very soul. She couldn¡¯t, but she didn¡¯t like what she saw anyway.


    ¡°No. The restricted section is restricted for a reason, and that reason is preventing people like her getting their hands on the information inside.¡±


    The librarian was pointing at Shuka accusatorily, obviously not thinking very highly of her. Xorvos however, was quite shocked by her response.


    ¡°What do you mean? Shuka isn¡¯t a bad person, she just needs some help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, do you really believe she was actually cursed. It¡¯s obvious that was just a lie so she could get her hands on my books. You may be naive enough to fall for her deception, but I am not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± Shuka shouted in frustration. ¡°Why won¡¯t you believe me? Is it really that unbelievable?¡±


    The scowl Shuka received in response told her all she needed to know, but she got a verbal answer anyway.


    ¡°It is when spoken from lips as untrustworthy as yours.¡±


    Shuka had heard enough. Talking more wasn¡¯t going to get her anywhere and she wasn¡¯t all that interested in continuing the conversation anyway. Instead, she stormed out of the room without saying a word.


    I¡¯ve lived in Rainsburg my entire life and she thinks I¡¯m some sort of villain? We may not be friends, or even acquaintances, but I am sure she has seen me around town before. And yet the moment she thinks I might be up to something I¡¯m suddenly up to no good? That¡¯s bullshit!


    Shuka was fuming outside the library when Xorvos found her. He had just finished apologising to the head librarian and came out to talk to her. Shuka didn¡¯t have much to say though. She was sitting on the steps leading up to the library, curled up like a small ball of anger. Xorvos recoiled slightly when he saw her, sensing an unnatural feeling of danger from her. It was as if she was one wrong word away from going on a rage fueled murder spree. But Xorvos knew his friend better than that, so he ignored those intrusive thoughts and sat down next to her.


    ¡°Hey, you alright?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Shuka was mad. Maybe not as mad as she looked, but mad nonetheless.


    ¡°I feel betrayed. I never liked her, but I¡¯ve known Sophia since I was still in the orphanage. I guess I just thought she wouldn¡¯t assume the worst of me, but apparently I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve known her for that long? I had no idea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, she would just go to the orphanage to pray to Margaret sometimes. I never talked to her, but she would stick around and chat with the caretakers, so I feel like I know her by proximity at least. She probably didn¡¯t even notice me. If she didn¡¯t let me see the book I would understand, but for her to reject me so aggressively? She must hate me.¡±


    It was the weakest of bonds, but it still hurt. Xorvos didn¡¯t know what to say, but luckily, he didn¡¯t have to. The large double doors to the library flew open and a cloaked figure wearing a blank white mask and wielding a bow ran down the stairs. They were running so fast that by the time Shuka got up they had already gone around a corner out of sight. Shuka didn¡¯t know what to make of the situation so she was about to sit back down when she heard a voice from behind her.


    ¡°You! You thought you could trick me with some illusion? Well it¡¯s not going to work you little thief.¡±


    Sophia was there at the top of the stairs, looking down on her with a nasty scowl. Shuka knew what she was going to say next and did not like it one bit.


    ¡°Guards, arrest her!¡±

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    ¡°Wait miss Sophia!¡± Xorvos pleaded. ¡°She didn¡¯t do it I was here with her the whole time.¡±


    The irate librarian just wasn¡¯t having it and continued to point towards Shuka accusatorily.


    ¡°Maybe she just tricked you with her magic. Or maybe you are in on it too. You are her friend after all.¡±


    Xorvos was aghast at the suggestion that he had any part in recent wrongdoings. He had never been anything but law abiding, and he thought she would know better than to doubt that. Shuka on the other hand was absolutely terrified.


    What was it that the witch said again? Something about people seeing nothing but evil in me? If the guards get involved, it won¡¯t end well for me.


    Already she could see a few armoured figures in the streets approaching to investigate the disturbance. Although now that she is looking at them, Shuka noticed that one of those figures was not like the rest. Most of the men and woman she saw wore the town guards¡¯ uniform, a basic breastplate and a short spear. But there was one man who Shuka had never seen before who wore a full suit of armour minus the helmet.


    It was made of a shining steel that shone brightly in the sun. Engraved and painted on the front was a bleeding hand, grasping a four-pointed star. It was the holy symbol of Humanus, the god of ambition. At the man¡¯s hip was a sheathed longsword and a metal rimmed shield was strapped to his arm. Painted on the shield in a very similar manor to his chest piece, was a X made of rope with a sturdy knot in the middle. The holy symbol of Quansonax, the god of honor. The pale skinned man had blue eyes and flowing blond hair down to his shoulders. He made Shuka think of just about every storybook hero she could think of but for some reason she didn¡¯t feel very safe around him.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    Sophia and Xorvos stopped their argument upon hearing the man¡¯s voice. It was a commanding voice that attracted the attention of everyone who heard it.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing for you to worry about sir.¡± Xorvos told him ¡°Just a small misunderstanding between my friend and the librarian here.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?! This is no misunderstand, she robbed me and now you are trying to pretend it never happened!¡±


    Seeing two conflicting opinions the newcomer decided to try to mediate between them. Seeing as the librarian was the loudest, he decided to start with her.


    ¡°Could you please tell me what happened? From your perspective at least.¡±


    She was all too happy too.


    ¡°This little thief came into my library asking for a dangerous book that¡¯s not open to the public. When I told her, she couldn¡¯t have it she ran off in a fit. Not even ten minutes later and the I see her running out of my library holding a bag full of books after triggering the magical sensors set up in the restricted section. Now she is standing around here with the gall to say it wasn¡¯t her.¡±


    The man glanced at Shuka while he listened. It was a look that said he believed every word that was said. Even so he turned to her and had the curtesy to ask her the same question.


    ¡°And what is your side of the story miss?¡±


    Shit. He already believes her, I bet he will barely even listen to my side. I can¡¯t even say one wrong word right now.


    ¡°I did ask about a book but not for any bad reasons. And I didn¡¯t steal anything I have been here the entire time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve been here with her, and she hasn¡¯t left this spot since she left the librarians office.¡±


    The man looked between the two women and considered his answer. He looked almost certain of his answer before but hesitated when Xorvos spoke in Shuka¡¯s defense. Finally he looked back to the librarian and asked one last question.


    ¡°What was the book she was looking for?¡±


    ¡°A book on curses.¡±


    And just like that something clicked inside his head. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword and although he didn¡¯t draw it, he clearly looked ready to.


    ¡°I will have to ask you to come with me right now young lady.¡±


    While before he was polite, now he dropped even that pretense. Now he was looking at Shuka like she was a convicted murderer.


    ¡°W-wait, hold on. You¡¯re not an official guard right? I don¡¯t think you can arrest me. And besides, I¡¯m innocent and you don¡¯t have any evidence anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I am Validus Arcion, Grand Paladin of the Celestial Empire. I am granted the authority to punish and detain any evil doers I encounter by both Grand Priest Mervil and Emperor Rendalt.¡±


    Grand Paladin?! What the hell is such an important person doing here in the middle of nowhere? And why is he so interested in a few stolen books?


    ¡°Hold on, she isn¡¯t some kind of evil doer, this is just one big misunderstanding.¡±


    Xorvos tried to intervene, but Validus was having none of it He just pushed his way past the Quanso and approached Shuka with one hand still on his swords hilt.


    ¡°Come quietly and I won¡¯t have to draw my blade. Try to flee however, and I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±


    He didn¡¯t need the threat, Shuka was already frozen in fear. Any hope of escaping was quickly fading away with every step of the paladins¡¯ feet. Then, out of nowhere a hand fell on Shuka¡¯s shoulder from behind and pulled her backwards with a quick yank. As she was pulled, Validus drew his sword and slashed at the spot where Shuka had just been all in one motion. Looking behind herself to see who pulled her out of the swords path, Shuka saw nothing but an empty street. She did hear a voice though, whispering in her ear.


    ¡°Run back to your house.¡± Ralisdor told her ¡°I made you invisible, but it won¡¯t last forever. Pack up your things and I will meet you there.¡±


    Looking back at the paladin, Shuka saw that he was now looking around in confusion, rather than following through after his first attack. Seeing an opportunity, she wouldn¡¯t get again Shuka turned and began to run back to her house, and far away from the man who just tried to kill her.


    If Ralisdor was just a second too late I would be dead right now. How is that alright for him to do? Just kill someone because he thinks they might be bad. That¡¯s not right. Wait, shit, what about Xorvos? If I¡¯m gone won¡¯t that paladin go after him next? Crap, I just have to hope Ralisdor will help him too.  Then again, Xorvos is pretty tough, he¡¯s probably fine.


    *


    Xorvos was not fine. He had just seen a man he would normally revere try to murder his best friend not even ten minutes ago. Now he was hiding in the house he inherited from his father after Ralisdor helped him escape from Validus.


    Oh gods am I a criminal now? All I did was try and help my friend. What do I do now? Ralisdor told me to prepare to leave Rainsburg and meet him at the north gate, but I can¡¯t just run away, can I? Maybe I should just go back and explain myself.


    As he thought that, Xorvos recalled the look Validus gave Shuka as he tried to kill her and reconsidered.


    I might be able to convince the residents of Rainsburg, but not him. As long as he¡¯s around I don¡¯t really have a choice, do I? And whatever trouble I¡¯m going through it¡¯s gotta be worse for Shuka, I have to be there for her. Now where did I put my armour?


    It had been months since he had a reason to wear the rather simple set of armour that he got for his eighteenth birthday. It didn¡¯t help that each piece of the armour had somehow found itself in a different place in the house either. In the end he managed to find and put on all of his scattered pieces of armour. Other than his gauntlets which he rarely took off, he had a sturdy breastplate, on his chest and grieves on his feet. There were also several plates of metal covering his tail, from its base to around halfway down its length. He had no helmet and large parts of his arms and legs were protected by nothing but cloth. Compared to Validus who was covered in metal from the neck down, he was woefully under armoured.


    How was I okay with leaving so much of my body unprotected? I should at least have a chain shirt underneath this to protect my arms. Although I guess I never thought I would be getting in any fights where I might die. Would chainmail even help me if I went up against the Grand Paladin? He is supposed to be the most powerful Paladin in the Celestial Empire, all I am is some kid who enjoys sparring with his father. And it¡¯s been over a year since I¡¯ve done even that.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Xorvos started to panic again. He felt like he had picked the wrong path somewhere down the line and now all he could do was wait for everything to go wrong. He was too afraid to leave the house, but even more afraid of what would happen if he stayed. After all, most people in Rainsburg new where he lived as one of the towns few oddities, and it was only a matter of time before Validus asked them. But leaving was just as bad. It was a conundrum that left him paralyzed.


    If only I was still invisible. Maybe I should just run to the north gate, and hope Ralisdor can save me when I get there. But that only works if I actually get there safely. If I stay, I will be alone though. And even worse, I won¡¯t be able to protect Shuka. She has never needed more help in her life, and I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing because I¡¯m scared. If I don¡¯t help her, she might die, and that is not something I can let happen. I just wish it was a bit less dangerous.


    *


    It didn¡¯t take long for Shuka to reach her small hunting cabin on the outskirts of Rainsburg. After all, she was running as fast as she could and was fuelled by fear. Once she got there, she started to pack everything that she thought might be useful, and barely even noticed when the invisibility wore off halfway through. A handful of minutes later she had everything that she needed. Admittedly she didn¡¯t pack much, only some dried meat, her bow and some spare arrows, her bedroll, and a handful of silver coins. She already had her bow and hunting knife on her so that shortened the time it took to pack even further.


    Is there anything else I might need? Oh I should probably get my amulet of Vondoom too. That is sure too help wherever there are orphanages, and there are orphanages everywhere. Although I guess asking them to help clear my name might be a bit much.


    Shuka wasn¡¯t a worshipper of the demi-god of orphans, but every child who grew up in his orphanages is given the chain necklace with a silver V hanging off it. Even several years after leaving to live on her own, Shuka was sure she could find help as a Child of Vondoom, believer or not. She would need to amulet as proof outside of Rainsburg though. Shuka picked up the necklace and put it in her bag along with all of the rest of her gear right when she heard a knock at the door and a voice.


    ¡°Shuka, it¡¯s me.¡± Ralisdor called out. ¡°Are you ready to go? We have to leave right now.¡±


    Oh thank the gods it¡¯s Ralisdor. I almost thought that paladin had caught up to me already.


    Shuka opened the door and looked around nervously. All she saw was her mentor standing there with a travel bag of his own.


    ¡°What happened to Xorvos? Is he safe?¡±


    ¡°He is, I made sure he got away. I told him to meet us at the north gate. We should head there now too; I don¡¯t know how long it will take for them to catch up to us and there is only so much I can do.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    There were more question she wanted to ask, but they could be asked on the move, so she just grabbed her things and followed Ralisdor. As she was leaving, Shuka glanced back towards her home one last time. It wasn¡¯t a very impressive building, only big enough for one or two people to live in it, but for the last three years it had been the place Shuka had called home.


    How long am I going to be gone for? Where am I even going? Will this even be my home when I return? No, I can think about that later. I can¡¯t mess up now, so I have to focus on surviving, everything else can wait.


    Leaving her home behind her, Shuka followed Ralisdor into the forest surrounding Rainsburg.


    ¡°So¡­ what now? Are we going to chase down the thief to get the books back and prove my innocence?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, no we are not. He could be miles away by now for all we know, and even if we did catch him, I doubt it would prove your innocence with that curse on you.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t he have the book on curses? If we can get that from him then we can just remove the curse before handing him in.¡±


    ¡°That is only if he actually has the book we are looking for. We don¡¯t know what books specifically he stole and checking at the library is too dangerous at this point. Besides, I only said a book on curses would help, there is no guarantee that I would be able to successfully remove the spell with it¡¯s help.¡±


    Shit, he¡¯s right. But if I can¡¯t get that book then how am I going to remove the curse? Will I have to go find another mage to remove it? Or maybe I could find a powerful enough priest to help me. Ralisdor would know, he probably already has a plan.


    ¡°So if we aren¡¯t chasing after the thief, then what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Simple. We will travel to the city of Lancrin and find a suitable book or spellcaster there. It is the city of magic after all, if there isn¡¯t a sufficiently capable wizard or cleric there then there won¡¯t be one in the entire Celestial Empire.¡±


    Lancrin? But that¡¯s so far away. It¡¯s halfway across the Empire from where we are right now. And I don¡¯t own a horse either, so it will all be on foot too.


    ¡°But what about while we are traveling there? I can¡¯t keep running from people like that paladin.¡±


    Her voice was thick with fear and anxiety, but Ralisdor gave his reply as calmly as ever.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about that with me protecting you. I may not be a good enough fighter to beat that man in a duel but tricking him long enough for us to escape is well within my capabilities as an illusionist. With enough practice, I imagine you will be capable of the same.¡±


    How much practice is that going to take? A decade? I can hardly make any illusions at all let alone a good one.


    With nothing left to say, the two individuals quickly made their way through the rest of the woods in silence. It wasn¡¯t a long walk, Shuka didn¡¯t live that far away from the north gate which was where they were headed. But it felt like much longer to Shuka who couldn¡¯t go ten steps without looking over her shoulder or scanning the trees for people. Despite the paranoid hunter¡¯s worries, they reached their destination uneventfully. And there Shuka found Xorvos already waiting for them. She knew it was Xorvos because despite the large dark cloak covering most of his body, his long gray tail was sticking out the bottom.


    Well, that¡¯s not the most¡­ effective disguise I have ever seen, but at least he is trying. I just hope he didn¡¯t go down the main streets looking like that.


    Ralisdor had similar thoughts to Shuka but unlike her he didn¡¯t keep them to himself. The moment they were close enough to talk with each other Ralisdor let loose. Quietly of course.


    ¡°By the gods, do you want to get caught? That is by far the worst disguise I have ever encountered in all my life. Not only do you fail at hiding your identity, but you somehow managed to draw more attention to yourself with that giant cloak of yours. It is a perfectly warm and sunny day, and yet here you are covering every possible inch of your body like an absolute buffoon. The one blessing that is to be gained from your horrendous mistake is the knowledge that your newfound criminal status hasn¡¯t yet reach the entire town guard. You couldn¡¯t possibly have made it this far otherwise.¡±


    Holy shit, where did THAT come from? I don¡¯t think I have ever seen Ralisdor that angry before. I guess he¡¯s not as calm as he looks. It¡¯s almost reassuring, knowing he is taking this as seriously as I am. Still, he went a bit too far this time.


    ¡°Give him a break Ralisdor, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s used to this sort of thing. And he didn¡¯t get caught so it all ended up fine, right?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to agree, but Ralisdor kept silent at that. Xorvos wasn¡¯t too happy either, but he knew this wasn¡¯t the place to start an argument, so he let it go.


    ¡°So, what are we doing now? I¡¯m sure a man as smart and amazing as you has a plan, right Ralisdor?¡±


    ¡­so maybe he hadn¡¯t let it go completely. There was enough sarcasm in Xorvos¡¯ voice to tip off even the densest of people.


    ¡°Well, Xorvos, I do indeed have a plan. I¡¯m going to buy a few horses, as the only person here who isn¡¯t a wanted criminal, while you two sit here quietly and wait for me to return. Do you think you can do that, or is that a bit too complicated for you?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Shuka interjected. ¡°If you are going to fight do it later when we aren¡¯t in mortal danger.¡±


    They were still glaring at each other, but Ralisdor at least decided Shuka was right.


    ¡°Tch. Fine, I¡¯ll be back with the horses soon. Just try not to get in trouble.¡±


    And with that, Ralisdor left, going through the northern gate, back into Rainsburg. Shuka moved a bit away from the gate, and then sat down, leaning her back against the wall surrounding the small town. It was mostly for decoration at this point as all of the local monsters had long since been exterminated. There wasn¡¯t even any guards patrolling the wall anymore which Shuka was grateful for. Xorvos sat down next to her while stuffing his cloak into his travel bag, still looking a bit disgruntled.


    ¡°Hey, uh¡­ sorry about Ralisdor. He¡¯s not usually that mean, I think he¡¯s just stressed about the situation.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re ALL a bit stressed about the situation. I don¡¯t get why you like him so much; he¡¯s always been like this.¡±


    Since when did Xorvos and Ralisdor have such a bad relationship? How did I not notice? Actually, now that I think about it, I don¡¯t ever remember seeing them talk to each other. Xorvos works at the library and Ralisdor visits there fairly often, so they must see each other a lot, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been there for it. May something happened between them that I didn¡¯t see. I should probably just change the subject; I don¡¯t want to accidently make things worse.


    ¡°So¡­ that Validus guy from before. He said he was a Grand Paladin. It sounds pretty important, but do you know any specifics about that?¡±


    ¡°He is the Grand Paladin, not a Grand Paladin. There is only one, and it is a position granted to the most powerful Paladin in the Celestial Empire. Normally they go around solving any major problems that might pop up, so I don¡¯t know what he is doing down here. He is supposed to be a paragon of justice but¡­ I guess not.¡±


    All of the anger from before was gone, and now all that Shuka heard in her friend¡¯s voice was a sad disappointment.


    Validus must have been something like a hero for Xorvos. It must hurt to meet him like this.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not his fault this happened. Blame the witch for cursing me. Everyone gets tricked sometimes, that¡¯s why people play tricks in the first place. This was just a very bad trick played by a very bad person, and he got caught up in it, the same as us.¡±


    ¡°Would believing you stole a few books be enough to draw his blade on you? There is more to justice than death, but I guess that¡¯s all he knows how to do.¡±


    Shuka recalled the tip of his sword passing by her throat by inches and couldn¡¯t argue against that. He was trying to kill her. Luckily, she didn¡¯t need to continue the conversation, because she heard the distinctive ¡®clip clop¡¯ of hooves on ground approaching. Although, there was something wrong. Ralisdor was supposed to be buying horses for all three of them, yet she only heard one set of hooves. And by the sound of it, the horse was galloping at full speed.


    Shit, that¡¯s not Ralisdor is it? And even if it is, something has clearly gone wrong.


    ¡°Xorvos, we¡¯ve got to hide right now.¡±


    Shuka tried to get up and find somewhere out of sight she could go, but there wasn¡¯t anything close enough and she was out of time. Xorvos was only halfway up when Validus burst past the gates into Rainsburg riding on an armoured stallion, with his sword already drawn. Shuka hoped he wouldn¡¯t notice them and just ride onward away from Rainsburg. But those hopes were quickly dashed away as the Paladin pulled hard on his horse¡¯s reins and turned to face them. He looked at Shuka with cold eyes, and when he spoke, it was with enough conviction that Shuka knew he meant every word.


    ¡°Your evil stops here, and your life with it. Justice will not be delayed any longer.¡±

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    Validus rode through the town gates, determination etched onto his face. He found the witch and her servant there no doubt planning some manner of trap or ambush.


    ¡°Your evil stops here, and your life with it. Justice will not be delayed any longer.¡±


    The witch recoiled in fear as he spoke, obviously not expecting such quick retribution.


    Did she really expect to get away with her misdeeds forever? I¡¯ll put an end to her evil once and for all.


    Validus dismounted from his steed. Mounted combat would be difficult with his opponents staying so close to the wall. And a practised spellcaster like a witch could easily spook his horse with a spell. Of course, magic wasn¡¯t limited to those with ill intent, and Validus began casting a spell of his own. As he uttered prayers to Humanus under his breath, his sword was wreathed in pure white flames.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need more than petty tricks to stop me now, villain.¡±


    *


    Shuka was terrified. She could barely hold up her bow as the paladin approached her, and Xorvos wasn¡¯t much better. He was standing in front of her protectively and with his fists out, but she could see him shaking. Validus didn¡¯t seem to care though and readied his now flaming weapon to strike. And then just like that, quick as lighting the sword came down faster than Shuka could possibly react. She wasn¡¯t the one being attacked though and Xorvos was a much more used to combat than her and caught the sword between his armoured wrists. It didn¡¯t do him much good though as the paladin proved to be stronger by far. The enchanted blade broke through Xorvos¡¯ block and cut through his armour, burying itself deep into his shoulder only stopping at the bone. White flames emerged from the wound leaving pale burn marks on the flesh but stopped no blood from flowing out of it. The Quanso¡¯s face was distorted in pure agony as he stared at his shoulder in horror and shock.


    Shit, I have to help him, he¡¯s going to die if I don¡¯t.


    Shocked out of her fear, Shuka moved to the left to get a clear shot while knocking an arrow into her bow. By the time she was ready Validus had already removed his sword from her friends¡¯ shoulder and was staring down his next target. Her. She hesitated, afraid of the man before her. But then she saw her friend clutching his shoulder trying to keep the blood in and knew her fate if she did nothing. The arrow was fired but despite the despite situation, it shattered against the paladins shield without even leaving a mark.


    How did he block my arrow at this range? I may not be using a war bow, but it should still be strong enough to pierce a wooden shield that far away. It must be enchanted if I didn¡¯t even scratch the paint. I bet his armour is the same, not that I could do much against plate even if it wasn¡¯t. How am I even supposed to fight him?


    Validus didn¡¯t wait for her to figure it out. As soon as he knew a second arrow wasn¡¯t coming, he retaliated, swinging his sword in a wide arc through the air in front of him. Shuka only had a moment to wonder why he was swinging at nothing before the white flames on his sword came flying towards her in the same arc he had swung. Shuka jumped out of the way but was just a bit too slow and the edge of the flaming arc scorched her thigh. She was only in contact with the fire for a moment, but it was the most painful moment of her life. She had been burned before, but this was different. Normal fire produced heat, but holy flames produced nothing but pain. Shuka barely even noticed herself hitting the ground as the only thing she could focus on was the searing agony she felt. Much to the young hunter¡¯s relief, the pain faded quickly without continued contact with the holy fire and she could soon think clearly again. Of course, Validus used that opportunity to close the distance between them.


    Shit, shit, shit, what do I do? He¡¯s going to kill me. I just have to run, but how am I going to get away from him? Maybe if I went into the town, I could find Ralisdor, and he could save me. First, I have to get there though.


    Shuka decided on her plan of action just in time for her to hold up her hands pleadingly.


    ¡°Wait, please I don¡¯t want to fight. This is all just some misunderstanding.¡±


    Validus was directly over her by now, sword pointed at her neck. But he did stop, even if just for a moment.


    ¡°And why should I trust a word you say, witch.¡±


    Witch? Is that why he is trying so hard to kill me? he thinks I¡¯m a witch?


    ¡°You have the wrong person, I¡¯m just an ordinary hunter.¡±


    Shuka hoped for the best, but her words fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this. Be silent or taste my blade.¡±


    With no options left Shuka had to just wait for an opportunity to run, and hope Validus didn¡¯t do anything too drastic before then. Luckily for her, that opportunity came in the very next moment. Xorvos was still a bit woozy, but he had enough energy in him to charge the paladin when he saw his friend in danger. It might have been the blood loss, or the pain, or even just the fact that he didn¡¯t expect it, but Xorvos didn¡¯t even notice the paladin turn around until it was too late. Validus had heard his rather loud footsteps long before they reached him and charged his shield with a spell. As he did, he turned and then in the same motion slammed the metal rim of the shield into Xorvos¡¯ chest. The impact activated the spell and created a powerful shockwave that sent Xorvos flying through the air.


    Oh god, I hope he¡¯s still conscious after that, I don¡¯t think I will be able to carry him very far.


    Shuka was already scrambling to her feet the moment Validus turned his back on her and tried to get as much distance between them as possible. She didn¡¯t get very far before the paladin turned his attention back onto her, but it was enough that she had enough time to cast a spell. The problem was she could only reliably cast one spell, and it wasn¡¯t that great. It was all she had though, so the young mage started weaving magic into the palm of her hand as she ran, slowing down slightly to concentrate. A ball of purple flame coalesced before her eyes and stayed there for a moment before she threw it at the man pursuing her. He reacted instantly, stopping in his tracks and throwing up his shield to block it. He wasn¡¯t done though, and also created a shimmering shield of force emanating from his shield to protect himself.


    I can¡¯t believe he fell for it so hard, that was the simplest illusion there is. It doesn¡¯t have any sound, doesn¡¯t produce light or heat, and follows the exact same pattern over and over again. Did he overthink it because I made it purple? I just did that to make it seem a bit more dangerous, I guess it worked better than I expected.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Whatever the reason for her good fortune, Shuka took to opportunity to dismiss the illusion and sprint directly for Xorvos who was still lying on the ground. By the time she got to him, he was already starting to get up, although his eyes seemed unfocused.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Xorvos, we¡¯ve gotta go! He¡¯s going to kill us if we don¡¯t run.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t his friend¡¯s words that Xorvos out of whatever daze he was in, but instead something he saw behind her. The tip of a sword plunging through the air. He quickly grabbed Shuka and rolled to the side with her before they both got impaled by the paladin still chasing them. It only bought them a moments reprieve as the sword rose again for a second strike. But before the attack landed, something in Validus¡¯ eyes changed and he turned to face away from his quarry and swung his sword through the air. It didn¡¯t stop there either; next he was bracing himself to block an attack that didn¡¯t exist and then retaliated against nothing.


    What in the world is going on? What is he fighting? Whatever it is I will have to think about it later, for now I have to get out of here.


    Shuka dragged Xorvos up to his feet and saw that there were now two horse¡¯s standing by the city gate looking slightly panicked. She didn¡¯t see Ralisdor, but she knew he must have come back with the horses. He was probably also why Validus started acting so weird. The only problem was the other horse standing outside of Rainsburgs gates. It was Validus¡¯. It was also much larger and more impressive than the two rather mundane horses Ralisdor brought.


    I need to make sure that paladin can¡¯t follow us, or at least not quickly. I hate doing this, but I don¡¯t have much of a choice.


    ¡°Xorvos, do you think you can make it to the horses on your own? I need my hands back for a bit.¡±


    She was still holding onto her friend to help him walk but as he gave her a weak nod she let go. Xorvos staggered a bit at that, but he managed to stay on his feet and continue on his way to the horses. Shuka on the other hand had a different task, although it wasn¡¯t one she enjoyed. Shuka had put her bow away when she was scrambling away from Validus, but now she took it of her back again and drew an arrow. She didn¡¯t aim it at the paladin though, even if he was distracted, she doubted it would do anything, and instead aimed at his horse. It was wearing armour but not everywhere, and even a warhorse couldn¡¯t gallop with an arrow in its knee. The horse wasn¡¯t just going to stand there and get shot though, and soon enough it was rearing back in a attempt to avoid the arrow. Shuka still hit him, but not in the knee like she was planning. Instead, she got a glancing blow on its hind leg.


    Shit, that might slow it down a bit, but it can probably still gallop pretty fast. I will just have to hope its enough, I don¡¯t have any more time to spend shooting horses.


    The horse had started neighing and Validus, distracted as he was, heard it. Shuka saw him glare at her with murder in his eyes and started running. She wasn¡¯t far from her new mount but Validus was much faster than her even in his armour. She wouldn¡¯t have made it in time if he didn¡¯t have to stop every few seconds to block some invisible attack or kill an unseen foe. She reached her destination around the same time as Xorvos, and they both mounted their horses as quickly as they could. Neither were very experienced riders but they both at least knew the basics.


    Is Xorvos going to be okay with his shoulder like that? Wait a second¡­ he looks a lot better now. He¡¯s not nearly as pale and doesn¡¯t even seem to be in pain. What happened? Whatever, I can ask him later right now we just need to get out of here.


    Shuka kicked her horse into a gallop, which it was all too happy to obey with all of the chaos around it, and Xorvos was right behind her. And even farther behind her was a paladin chasing after them on foot not nearly fast enough. He wasn¡¯t completely useless though. At some point he had reignited his sword with those pure white flames that were so painful and now he launched them at Xorvos¡¯ horse. Right before they landed a shimmering blue barrier appear in its way causing the fire to splash harmlessly against it.


    I recognise that barrier, it¡¯s the one Ralisdor always uses. He must have put it on the horses before we got to them. I don¡¯t see a third horse anywhere though; did he decide to stay and fight Validus? I¡¯m a bit worried but if anyone can escape from a fight with him unharmed it would be Ralisdor. I just hope he has some way to catch up with us afterwards, this definitely doesn¡¯t seem like the trip I want to be taking without him.


    A few moments later and Shuka and Xorvos were far beyond Validus¡¯ range. They had escaped. The only question was, for how long?


    *


    Half an hour later and Shuka was still galloping down the well trodden path. She had long since lost sight of her pursuer but didn¡¯t dare slow down. The path she was on went deep into the forest and had plenty of twists and turns that stopped her from seeing too far behind her.


    How far ahead of him are we? I cant hear him at least so he cant be too close to us, but I doubt we can outrun him. Maybe I can try to get a lucky shot and cripple his horse once he gets close enough. I¡¯ve never shot from horseback before though, and dismounting would be too dangerous. And besides, all he needs is a lucky shot from the fire of his and I am done for. I don¡¯t know if Ralisdor¡¯s shield spell is still up even at this distance, and I don¡¯t want to risk it if it isn¡¯t.


    Shuka was so deep in thought that she didn¡¯t even notice when Ralisdor appeared next to her riding an ethereal blue and purple horse. In her defence, it made no sound and was almost entirely see through.


    ¡°Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Shit, Ralisdor, you scared me. where did you even come from?¡±


    Shuka nearly jumped out of her saddle, but she quickly regained her composure. This was not the first time Ralisdor snuck up on her, although it was usually in less tense situations.


    ¡°Sorry, I was invisible. I did not want that paladin to think I got to you before he did. Speaking of which, he is fast on our trail, and we need to hide.¡±


    ¡°Hide? The underbrush is too thick, we will leave too big of a trail with these horses. And covering up our tracks will take too long; he¡¯ll catch up before we finish.¡±


    The young hunter had already considered hiding, but she had long since decided it was too dangerous. She might have risked it if she was on her own, but with Xorvos and their two horses the trail they would leave would be far too big for her to hide easily. Ralisdor didn¡¯t seem too concerned though.


    ¡°I will hide us and our tracks with an illusion. We just need to get a sufficient enough distance away from the road, which I believe we will have enough time for.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±


    Shuka started slowing her horse down to stop, and Xorvos, who had been listening to her conversation did the same. Once they had come to a complete stop she quickly dismounted and began to lead her horse into the forest. Ralisdor had just slowed his illusionary mount down a bit and then dismissed the spell. He was quick to start casting another though. Shuka didn¡¯t recognise what it was at first, but then she understood when two sets of magical hooves appeared on the road. There was no horse attached to the hooves, but they still moved as if there was when they began to gallop down the road leaving hoofprints in their wake.


    ¡°There we go, that should throw him off our trail. Now to deal with our actual tracks.¡±


    Moving to the side of the road where Shuka and Xorvos were still moving through the underbrush, and he used another spell. It was an illusion this time, one that made it look like the horses never stopped and covered up all of their footprints to make the road look as normal as ever. Once Shuka and Xorvos finally made it through the bushes on the side of the road, he also extended the spell to cover that up too.


    ¡°Alright, just move a little further into the forest and I will modify my illusion to hide us. Quickly now, we don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    While Shuka was watching Ralisdor work his magic Xorvos had actually passed her. She realised she had been a bit distracted and went right back to leading the horse through the forest. Still, it didn¡¯t take long for them to get far enough for Ralisdor. Once they had all crouched as low to the ground as they could, Ralisdor added a few bushes and old stumps to his illusion over them. The biggest problem was making sure the horses stayed still, but Shuka managed to calm them down so they wouldn¡¯t cause problems.


    A few minutes later and she finally heard it. The ominous sounds of hooves coming closer. The illusion she was in wasn¡¯t a one-way illusion so she couldn¡¯t see him approach, but she knew he was coming all the same. Her heart started to pound louder and louder, as if to match the noise of the horse galloping towards her. Eventually the hoof steps became so loud they even drowned out her thunderous heartbeat. They just got louder and louder, but right when her fear peaked¡­ they started getting quieter instead. Fading away until the noise disappeared all together. Fear became relief as she realised what it all meant. He passed her by and didn¡¯t notice she was there. It was done and she had survived. It was the first good thing that had happened all day.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    It had been several hours since Shuka and her friends had escaped the paladin pursuing them and none of them were having fun. They were trekking through the woods, as the road was still too dangerous. No one but Shuka were very experienced in woodland hikes and the two horses they had to drag through the thick underbrush wasn¡¯t helping either. The young hunter was unhappy for an entirely different reason though. It mostly had to do with the fact that she almost died and was entirely helpless in stopping it. Admittedly, she wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way, but it still wasn¡¯t a nice thing to think about.


    Ralisdor left for two minutes and look what happened. Am I really that defenceless? Or maybe its just that my opponent was too strong. I mean, he took out Xorvos with one attack, what am I supposed to do against that?


    She kept thinking back to the fight she just barely survived and couldn¡¯t think of anything she could have done better. Every possibility she thought of just ended with the same result, or a worse one. There didn¡¯t seem to be much hope for a second encounter unless things changed significantly.


    I guess I better just stick to Ralisdor a bit closer from now on.  I don¡¯t like having to rely on him so much, but my life is more important than my pride. With any luck, we won¡¯t even have to deal with that paladin again anyway. I mean as soon as I get this curse removed, I can just explain everything and put this all behind us. Although I don¡¯t really know how long that¡¯s going to take.


    ¡°Hey Ralisdor.¡±


    ¡°Yes Shuka?¡±


    ¡°How long do you think it will take to get this curse removed?¡±


    Ralisdor took a moment to think about her question. It didn¡¯t take him long to find his answer though.


    ¡°Perhaps one or two months. Maybe longer.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem that long until you considered that every day might be as filled with danger as today. She had already had two near death experiences and that¡¯s not even including the encounter with the witch.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can survive two months of this. Is there any way to help me faster?¡±


    ¡°Not without increasing the danger we put you in. I do not have the expertise necessary to purge the curse from your body, so we must find someone who does. The closest place that would have a person who might help us is the city Lancrin, which is at least months travel away even on horseback. We could head back to Rainsburg to attempt to find the book we were looking for before, but I believe that to be a lost cause now.¡±


    I don¡¯t like it, but I have to agree on Rainsburg being a lost cause. Even if the book wasn¡¯t stolen by that thief, they must have increased their security by a lot. Its too big of a risk for something that might not even be there. But is Lancrin really the closest option? That¡¯s halfway up the Empire.


    ¡°What if we found another book somewhere else? I mean Rockmarsh is pretty close, why don¡¯t we check their library for something useful? It¡¯s a city just as big as Lancrin right?¡±


    ¡°You have been a bit spoiled by the library in Rainsburg, so I don¡¯t blame you for not knowing this, but books on magic are not common. Rockmarsh has a library, and it is even a large one, but it has far fewer magical tomes than you are used to. The few spellcasters that do reside in that city are diviners and geomancers, and they have little use for books on curses.¡±


    Is there really no chance of a useful book being there? I guess I¡¯ve never actually been there so I wouldn¡¯t know, but cities are supposed to have everything aren¡¯t they?


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Ralisdor started. ¡°We are passing through Rockmarsh anyway. I suppose it would not hurt to at least check their library. Just don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±


    It was a good enough answer for Shuka. She knew Rainsburg did most of its trading with the city so it shouldn¡¯t be too far away. At least not compared to somewhere like Lancrin.


    ¡°So how long until we reach Rockmarsh then?¡±


    ¡°About a week, give or take a few days.¡±


    Just one week huh? I wonder how much can go wrong in that much time.


    *


    They left the forest early the next day. By noon they reached a small farming village. It was a small place, much smaller than even Rainsburg. It was so small Xorvos doubted it even had a name. At the very least, neither him nor the rest of the group had ever heard of it before. It didn¡¯t take long to see that they weren¡¯t welcome. There wasn¡¯t very many buildings in the village, but almost all of them had suspicious eyes looking out the windows. What few people were in the streets didn¡¯t look all that happy either.


    Whats going on? Did they already hear about the incident at the library? Maybe it was a mistake to come here.


    Before long a man approached the group. He was a rough looking man with an even rougher scowl. He strode right up to Ralisdor, who was leading the group and spat onto the ground.


    ¡°What are a couple of outsiders doing in my town? You better give me a good reason quick or I will have you arrested for disturbing the peace.¡±


    ¡°Disturbing the peace? But we haven¡¯t even done anything.¡±


    The man glared at Xorvos at his words. The effect was slightly diminished since he had to look up, but it still made the Quanso nervous.


    ¡°You¡¯re disturbing the peace just by being here! We don¡¯t need any outsiders and we definitely don¡¯t need any non-humans around here, so just scram!¡±


    The man looked like he was about to burst with anger, but before he could do anything rash Ralisdor stepped in to calm him down.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Now why don¡¯t you just calm down a bit there we are only passing through. If you could just direct us to any sort of general store where we can restock our supplies and get directions to Rockmarsh we will be on our way. I swear we will be out of your town in half an hour or less.¡±


    Surprisingly enough it actually seemed to work. The more Ralisdor talked the more the man seemed to calm down and actually listen. By the end of it he was begrudgingly nodding his head. He still didn¡¯t seem happy, but at least he was hearing them out.


    ¡°Alright fine. The general store is on the other end of the town right next to the prison. Get what you need and then leave. If you are still here after thirty minutes then you will be spending the rest of your days staring at the store from out your cell window, got it?¡±


    ¡°Perfectly. I assure you all you will get from us is a bit of business.¡±


    What happened there? He looked ready to arrest us just for existing, but now he¡¯s just letting us go? Something seems a bit weird here.


    The man stepped aside to let them head to the general store, but never took his eyes off them. Still, they reached the general store without any problem. Being on the ¡®other end of town¡¯ didn¡¯t really mean much when it only took a few minutes to reach the other end. Ralisdor stopped at the door though.


    ¡°Perhaps it would be best if I went in alone. I do not mean to be rude and it is neither of your faults, but either of you entering may cause an incident.¡±


    As much as I hate to admit it, Ralisdor is right. Shuka is cursed and if the shopkeeper is anything like the man from before they probably won¡¯t like me much either.


    ¡°Go ahead, we will wait out here for you.¡±


    They had been walking for several hours before they reached the town, so Xorvos decided to wait for Ralisdor sitting down with his back against the store. None of the ground was paved so he was going to get a bit dirty, but he didn¡¯t mind. Shuka didn¡¯t either so she sat down next to him. She had a scowl on her face that seemed to rival that of the man from before. It looked like she was just barely holding inn the urge to kill someone. It was not a look Xorvos was used to seeing on her.


    I don¡¯t think I have ever seen her so mad before. What¡¯s got her so riled up? The people in this town aren¡¯t very pleasant, but it¡¯s nothing that bad.


    ¡°Hey Shuka. Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, I¡¯m fine. Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t look fine.¡±


    She looked almost confused at that. Like she really did think nothing was wrong.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯m a little mad at that guy from before, but I¡¯ll get over it. It¡¯s not like we are staying her for very long anyway.¡±


    That was exactly what Xorvos would expect Shuka to say given how well he knows her, and yet¡­ for some reason he didn¡¯t believe her. Everything she said sounded angry or bitterly sarcastic even if the words she was saying didn¡¯t match that.


    Is this all the curse? Or do I not know her as well as I thought I did? Maybe I should change the subject.


    ¡°So, uh¡­ that was pretty impressive. What Ralisdor did, I mean. I didn¡¯t think he would be able to convince him to let us go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think he used a spell. I didn¡¯t notice him casting anything though so it was pretty subtle.¡±


    ¡°A spell? You mean like one of those mind control spells? Those are illegal.¡±


    Xorvos was aghast at the thought of mind control and even more horrified at the casualness at which Shuka mentioned it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not mind control. I don¡¯t know what spell exactly he used but I don¡¯t think he would go that extreme. I think he just altered his emotions a little so he would calm down.¡±


    ¡°But how does he even know a spell like that? I thought he was a illusionist.¡±


    ¡°He is, but there are plenty of illusion spells that mess with the head so its not that surprising.¡±


    Xorvos thought back to the day before when Validus started swinging at nothing. Or more accurately, swinging at an illusion that only he could see. Knowing he had that power did not comfort him, despite it having saved his life.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid he¡¯s going to mess with your head or read your mind or something? It seems like a dangerous kind of magic for him to have.¡±


    ¡°Maybe from someone else, but I trust Ralisdor. And besides, I can¡¯t imagine him using it for anything worse than a prank or two.¡±


    The words were tame, but the tone was accusatory. It felt just ever so slightly wrong though, like there was a disconnect between what she was saying and what she meant. Xorvos clung to that disconnect like a lifeline to reassure him that she was still the same friend he¡¯s always had.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it, but¡­ if you trust him then I will too. Even if I don¡¯t like him all that much.¡±


    ¡°Really? He¡¯s not that bad. He even reminds me of Maryam sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Maryam? Now that I don¡¯t see at all.¡±


    The comparison shocked Xorvos as Maryam was a childhood friend with more energy in her than every other kid in Rainsburg combined. Ralisdor was¡­ not that.


    ¡°Yeah, he doesn¡¯t show it much, but sometimes he will go on these big, long rants on a topic, usually magic, and he becomes the spitting image of her. He may not share much with Maryam, but he definitely shares her love of magic. It¡¯s why I asked him for lessons in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can understand that. Maryam did love talking about magic. I remember she felt so bad for me when she learned Quanso couldn¡¯t use magic she spent a week trying to cheer me up. I wasn¡¯t even sad about it.¡±


    Shuka smiled at the memories and the bad feeling Xorvos had for her started to lessen. Not disappear completely, her smile still felt a bit malicious, but it was a lot better. But then the smile turned somber.


    ¡°You know, I never said goodbye to her properly when she got adopted. I regret that. We were having a childish dispute at the time, and I just wish I could have at least fixed things before she left. Now I don¡¯t even know where she is.¡±


    I remember that well. It was not a happy time. They were both orphans, and when the Orphanage tested their magical aptitudes, they found Maryam couldn¡¯t cast magic at all. She had some sort of condition or birth defect that made her worse at it than even Quanso. It was heartbreaking. And the fact that Shuka had no such problems only made it worse.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I ever told you this, but I actually took magic lessons at the Orphanage. Even without Maryam. It ruined my relationship with her, and I felt so guilty after she got adopted that I stopped. Maybe if we had a little more time together it would have all blown over, but instead she left hating me.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t now what to say. This was all old news, but new or old it was still sad. He did have one question though.


    ¡°So why did you start learning magic again after all this time?¡±


    ¡°When Ralisdor arrived in Rainsburg, I asked him why he decided to stay. I expected him to just say he wanted to study the ruins like everyone else like him, and he did start with that. But then we got off topic and he started talking about magic. He was a complete stranger at the time, but he was so passionate about it that we ended up talking for hours. Well, he ended up talking for hours, I didn¡¯t really have much to contribute to the conversation. But the point is he reignited the passion for magic that Maryam had given me so many years ago. I almost thought he was going to refuse when I asked to be his apprentice, but he ended up accepting. And now here we are.¡±


    Xorvos had never heard the full story before. As far as he knew she started learning magic on a whim. This made much more sense though. There was a moment of silence as they both contemplated their feelings when they were interrupted by Ralisdor leaving the store in a hurry.


    ¡°I have what we need, we are leaving now. Quickly before they decide to kick us out.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t need much convincing and he doubted Shuka did either, so he got up and started following the older mage. During the whole conversation he had with Shuka he kept on see people staring at them out of the corner of his eye, and he knew they weren¡¯t friendly stares. Luckily the store that they were at was close to the edge of the town, so they didn¡¯t need to walk far. In fact, there was only a single building between them and the grassy plains beyond. It was a large, imposing building. Only one floor, wide and made of stone.


    What did the man from before say this was? A prison? Well, it certainly looks like one.


    They were almost past the building and out of the town when Xorvos took one last look at the prison. There was a window. It had bars in it like any prison or dungeon would, but it also had a face looking out of it. An elven face, with long ears and a thin, gaunt face that only partly comes from his heritage. It was obvious he was starving even from just a glance. He looked Xorvos directly in the eyes and mouthed two words, his voice too weak to even be heard.


    ¡°Help me.¡±

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    They were riding their horses at a slow trot out of the town for the last ten minutes and Xorvos was fidgeting the entire way. Shuka had no idea why but they were out of earshot of the villagers now, so she decided to ask him.


    ¡°Hey Xorvos, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh well you know how that man said he would arrest us like the last traveller that came through here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°Well I think we passed their jail on the way out and I saw an elf in it. He asked me to help but the entire village was watching me, so I had to leave without helping him. I want to go back and get him out of there¡±


    Now that I think about it, I think we did pass by a building like that. I didn¡¯t manage to see if it was occupied though.


    ¡°That sounds pretty bad, but we¡¯re not exactly in a position to take big risks. And besides I¡¯m not even sure how we would start without getting caught immediately.¡±


    ¡°So, then what am I supposed to do? Nothing? This is an injustice I simply can¡¯t ignore.¡±


    Ralisdor, who was walking ahead of them, slowed down and turned to face them with a frown on his face.


    ¡°How do you even know it¡¯s an injustice? He could be an actual criminal who was arrested for very just reasons and does not deserve to be released. You know nothing about the situation and yet you want to charge in there with no plan and no preparation.¡±


    Xorvos looked away in embarrassment.


    I can tell he still believes the man is innocent, but I am not so sure. Still, from what little I saw of that town it certainly seems possible.


    ¡°Look, I wish I could help but how much can we risk helping someone who is only probably innocent. If we knew for sure he didn¡¯t do anything or if we had a foolproof plan to get him out I would be fine with helping you with this but as of right now I think we need to prioritise our own safety first.¡±


    ¡°Ralisdor, can¡¯t you just use invisibility to get us to the jail without getting caught? With your help it should be easy to get him out of there.¡±


    ¡°I could but there is still a risk I might get caught and seeing as I do not wish to even get involved it is not something I am willing to do. If you are truly set on this path, then I will lend my assistance, but I will not put myself in danger for a cause I don¡¯t believe in.¡±


    Ralisdor¡¯s words did nothing to calm Xorvos down. Instead, it merely infuriated the young Quanso leaving him even more determined to help the man.


    Oh shit, Xorvos looks mad. I can¡¯t remember the last time I saw him this pissed but I doubt it¡¯s going to make him think more rationally. I better stop him before he does something dumb


    ¡°Xorvos, we need to think this through. How are we going to free him and what will we do if he is not actually innocent? Please, before we do anything, figure out the answer to those two questions.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s plea was answered by a stare of anger and frustration. She thought she had failed at first but then her friends gaze slowly softened. If she was more practiced in the arcane Shuka might have noticed the subtle casting of a spell from a certain illusionist. Instead, all she heard was Xorvos¡¯ answer.


    ¡°Fine. I promise not to go without a plan.¡±


    *


    Deep into the night two figures stalked towards a stone building in a wooden village. They moved quietly but in the open, trusting the invisibility spell placed on them to keep them from sight. Ralisdor may not have agreed with their decision but he gave his assistance when he saw his companions would not back down. When they reached their target, they stayed close to the wall and found a window to look through. Shuka carefully peered through the bars of the window on the side of the jailhouse and took in what she saw. There were about five jail cells in the building and one guard sitting causally in a chair next to a lantern that was the only source of light in the relatively small building. Only one of the five cells had an occupant in the form of a thin and malnourished elf sitting in a corner with a threadbare blanket draped over him. Xorvos kept an eye out for passerby¡¯s who might cause problems when things went down. Luckily, the singular road that went through the village was empty this late at night. No one was around to take notice of their soon to be jailbreak and it¡¯s two soon to be jailbreakers. Once they were both confidant that there weren¡¯t any complications in their plan they hid behind the jail and waited for the signal from Ralisdor. Around ten minutes later they heard a load roar and could barely see some large shape moving around in the darkness on the other side of the town. Confidant that the apparent monster attack was coming from Ralisdor and that was the signal they were waiting for. The two companions bolted into action, taking their places by the door to the jailhouse and waited for the jailer to leave. Sure enough the man was soon outside looking for the source of the commotion. Once he saw the shadow of the great beast, he unsheathed his sword and went to help his fellow villagers. With him out of the way, Shuka and Xorvos snuck into the jail and started searching for the keys to the cell. After a few minutes of fruitless searching they decided to give up and Shuka went to inspect the jailcell door instead while Xorvos kept an eye out for the guard. The elf hadn¡¯t moved at all during all of this and with a closer look Shuka saw that he was asleep. She decided to wake him up later, no point in getting his hopes up if she can¡¯t get this door open. The young woman placed her knife into the keyhole and turned it remembering the advice that Ralisdor had given her. She then filled the lock with raw mana and used it to move the tumblers inside. Shuka carefully concentrated as she slowly moved each tumbler up and down until they slid into place. A few tense minutes later, all of the tumblers fell into place and the lock opened. Xorvos saw that the door was open and moved into the jailcell and picked up the prisoner inside, causing him to appear as if he was floating in the air. With their objective complete they retreated back into the night. The entire operation took less than half an hour and there wasn¡¯t a single word spoken during the entire thing. Partway into the journey to the meetup point the elf woke up and found himself suspended in the air moving through the plains surrounding the small village he was imprisoned in. Shuka and Xorvos could see an outline of each other due to them both being under the effects of the same spell, but the elf had no such help and understandably freaked out.


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    ¡°What the hell?! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Shhh! We¡¯re trying to save you. We broke you out of jail, but we are still close to the village. If you don¡¯t quite down, they are going to hear you.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s explanation didn¡¯t seem to calm him down and he only seemed to panic more.


    ¡°We? How many of you kidnappers are there? Unhand me you villains!¡±


    ¡°Okay fine. If I let you go will you quite down a bit?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want then yes.¡±


    With a sigh of relief Xorvos gently placed the elf down on his feet. Luckily, they were far enough away that it was unlikely he would be seen in the dark. Unluckily he immediately started running away from his ¡®captors¡¯ as fast as he could screaming at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°HELP! HELP! I¡¯M BEING KIDNAPPED!¡±


    Xorvos was so shocked that the elf got a good twenty feet away before he started chasing him while Shuka worriedly looked towards the town to see if they had noticed. They had. By the time Xorvos caught up the elf had already run halfway back to the town. At this point the villagers had formed a mob screams and were making their way towards them with torches and crude weapons. When the elf finally noticed them coming towards him his face paled in fear and he stopped in his tracks. He was about to turn and run away from both of his pursuers when Xorvos tackled him from behind. The elf struggled but stood no chance of getting away from Xorvos who was over a foot taller than him and wasn¡¯t terribly malnourished. Once Xorvos got the elf into a proper grapple, he started carrying him back towards Shuka who was approaching him rapidly. When they got close enough to speak Shuka addressed Xorvos in hushed but urgent tones.


    ¡°What do we do? The elf¡¯s going to get us caught and it looks like he doesn¡¯t even want to get rescued.¡±


    Xorvos nervously looked back at the approaching mob and then back to Shuka with worry on his face.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him alone can we? With how malnourished he won¡¯t be able to outrun the mob and he is not invisible like us so he wont be able to hide either. Without us he will die.¡±


    ¡°If we do help him it¡¯s a death sentence for all of us. We need to get out of here now and that¡¯s not going to be possible with him struggling and making noise the entire time. The best we can do is let him go and hope for the best.¡±


    While Xorvos was struggling to make a decision, the elf made one of his own. He bit down as hard as he could onto his captors¡¯ arm, his teeth going deep enough to draw blood. Xorvos did not expect the sudden savagery and loosened his grasp in shock. The elf took full advantage of this and quickly managed to break free and started running, this time away from the mob. Xorvos moved to pursue but was stopped when Shuka grabbed his wrist.


    ¡°The mob is almost on us, we need to leave. Every second we spend on him is another second they use to catch up to us and when they do we will die. Please, lets just go Xorvos.¡±


    There was enough fear and desperation in Shuka¡¯s voice to give Xorvos pause even through the curse and it dawned on him just how scared she was. Finally he relented and began to run, not towards the fleeing elf, but instead to their rendezvous point that they had decided upon beforehand. Shuka was close behind him but they didn¡¯t get very far before they heard the rhythmic thumping of hooves against dirt quickly approach them from behind


    Shit, do they have horses?


    When she turned to look, what she saw was not a wrathful villager but instead Ralisdor riding his spectral horse. He was keeping his distance from the villagers but was still moving directly towards them. Soon enough he passed them both and came to a stop a little ways ahead of them and dismissed his horse. Ralisdor then planted his feet firmly in the ground and started the casting of, from what Shuka could tell, a very large and complex spell. A few seconds later the spell was complete and it¡¯s effects were immediately obvious. A colossal wall of flame erupted from between her and the mob. The entire area was lit up and she could feel the heat emanating off of it warm her skin. Even the crackling of the fire was magnified to such a degree that she could not help but take a moment to take it all in.


    ¡°Hurry up and move! I¡¯m running low on mana and I don¡¯t know how long I can keep that wall up for. The longer we spend staring at it the more likely I will make a mistake and they will find out its fake. I will catch up with my horse later so just run. Don¡¯t worry about our meet up point just get as far away from here as possible.¡±


    The seriousness of Ralisdor¡¯s tone brought Shuka back to reality and she started running after Xorvos who had not stopped when the spell had appeared. She focused all her energy into making it as far away from the mob as possible while the illusion still held. Although she could hardly believe the wall was an illusion in the first place.


    It had felt so real but what else could it be? Ralisdor had said they might find out its fake and he isn¡¯t a fan of the kind of magic that can produce actual walls of fire so it must be an illusion. Definitely a far cry the petty tricks I am capable of.


    Rather belatedly Shuka noticed that her invisibility had disappeared, and a quick glance in front of her told her that Xorvos¡¯ had too.


    Ralisdor told me that he could focus on two spells at once, but I guess that doesn¡¯t apply to spells as big as that wall. Well hopefully it will buy us enough time that we won¡¯t need to be invisible.


    She ran for what felt like forever with the bright flames shining in the distance behind her. Eventually that light went out and Shuka was left running in the dark with nothing to guide her but the sound of Xorvos running in front of her. Soon after Ralisdor caught up on his horse as he said he would and started to lead the two tired friends to a good hiding spot. The dark didn¡¯t hinder his magic aided sight and they were soon nestled on the other side of a small hill.


    ¡°I will keep watch but you two look exhausted. Get some rest and I will wake you if we need to run.¡±


    It had been a long night so Shuka didn¡¯t have the strength to argue with Ralisdor¡¯s suggestion. Xorvos didn¡¯t complain either and he just too out a blanket from his travel bag and slept on the grass. Shuka did the same and soon they were both fast asleep. They slept so deeply they didn¡¯t even stir at the sound of an elf screaming in pain as he died in the distance. The cheering of the villagers went equally unheard as two friends slept, with a hope that maybe they did the right thing. Ralisdor knew better.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six


    Shuka woke up well past noon with a body that still ached from the events of the night before. She was no stranger to exercise but running for several hours straight in the middle of the night would make anyone tired. Looking around she saw Xorvos sitting at the edge of the camp looking over the hill they were hiding behind and into the direction of the village they ran from. She got up and walked over to him hoping that a little conversation would distract her from how crappy she felt.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Ralisdor?¡±


    ¡°He was up all night, or day I suppose, keeping watch for us while we slept. He went to bed himself around half an hour ago after I woke up and told me to wake him if anything goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Wait, was he up all night keeping watch for us? That must have sucked, I¡¯ll make sure to thank him when he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°yeah, he wasn¡¯t exactly chipper when I was talking to him. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone that tired before in my life.¡±


    I am a little worried about how much time we will be losing with all of us sleeping at different times but at least we are alive. Ralisdor saved my life yesterday so the least I can do is let him get all the rest he needs. And besides, I¡¯ve got Xorvos to keep me company so waiting around for him to wake up won¡¯t be that bad.


    Xorvos seemed to be having much less serene thoughts and was fidgeting anxiously with a concerned look on his face. Shuka didn¡¯t have to wonder what he was thinking about for long though because he started speaking right after she noticed.


    ¡°Do you think we did the right thing yesterday? I can¡¯t help but think that we just left things worse than when we started.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I mean sure, things could have gone a bit better, but we got him out and he probably got away thanks to Ralisdor.¡±


    ¡°But we never found out why he was arrested. For all we know we just let a mass murderer on the lose. And how do we even know he¡¯s going to survive more than a few days now that he¡¯s freed. All he had was his cloths and he was already half starved to death when he ran of into the wilderness on his own.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah that¡¯s pretty bad. But it¡¯s not your fault things ended up this way. Neither of us could have known he would have reacted so badly to his rescue. And besides, he¡¯s an elf so even half starved to death he¡¯s still probably better in the wild than both of us combined.¡±


    To Shuka¡¯s surprise, her words only seemed to anger her friend instead of comfort him like they were supposed to.


    ¡°So what am I just supposed to say ¡®it¡¯s probably fine¡¯ and move on? It may not be our fault, but we could still have done better.¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to cheer you up, its not like I¡¯m not worried either I just don¡¯t want you to blame yourself for this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t blame myself for this. After all, it was you¡¯re fault he ran in the first place.¡±


    He blames ME for this? There is no way this is my fault.


    ¡°You were the one carrying him, he didn¡¯t even know I was there when he freaked out. How do you know he didn¡¯t freak out because he was being manhandled by some invisible giant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well I am sure he would have reacted a lot more rationally if your curse wasn¡¯t making things worse.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry my curse is so inconvenient for you, I¡¯ll just turn it of if you don¡¯t like it so much.¡±


    Xorvos wasn¡¯t appreciating the sarcasm in her tone but before he could reply he felt a sharp pain in the back of the head. Ralisdor had shot a weak arcane bolt at his two load companions and was looking at them with an irate glare.


    ¡°Would you both just SHUT UP! I¡¯m trying to sleep here but all I can hear is you to idiots arguing. If you want to argue do it after I wake up.¡±


    And with that he laid back down in his bedroll and hoped to whatever gods he believed in they would stay quite just long enough for him to not have to listen to them anymore. Thankfully, for him at least, they took the hint and begrudgingly moved to opposite ends of the camp and stayed silent for the rest of the day.


    *


    The sun had already fallen by the time Ralisdor woke up. He was still very tired but decided he had already wasted enough time and got up.


    ¡°Alright we¡¯ve stayed here far too long already, help me pack up we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Both Shuka and Xorvos turned around in surprise, not having heard him wake up, but quickly started packing up their makeshift camp. You could only spend so long sitting in one spot without getting sick of it so they were both eager to have something to do. Shuka¡¯s anger had faded over the hours but she had not forgotten the argument she had with Xorvos. With no one to talk to, the anger was quickly replaced with boredom.


    I live alone so I¡¯m used to not talking to people for a while but at least I have things to do at home. Out here the only pass time is keeping a eye out for people trying to kill me.


    She saw one or two people during the first hour or so, but they didn¡¯t seem to notice her and just moved on. She couldn¡¯t tell from the inside but Shuka was fairly sure Ralisdor had set up an illusion before he fell asleep. There weren¡¯t many illusions that could persist through sleep, but Ralisdor had plenty of time to prepare during the night when he was still awake. Shuka was still pretty bored and she was rather curious, so she decided to ask Ralisdor himself while she helped him pack things up.


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    ¡°Hey, you put an illusion around the camp before you fell asleep right? How did you get it to stay while you weren¡¯t awake?¡±


    ¡°Oh that? I used this.¡±


    As he was talking, Ralisdor picked up a smooth stone with a glowing blue arcane rune on it. Arcane runes were mostly used in enchanting and Shuka wasn¡¯t much of an enchanter, so she had no idea what the rune meant, but it did look pretty cool at least.


    ¡°This is an illusion stone. It allows you to bind an illusion to it and it will sustain that illusion on its own without the need for me to concentrate on it. Sadly, it also has a few problems to go with its utility. First of all, you can¡¯t change the illusion after its been set, the best you could do is stop the illusion completely and start over from scratch so its not very good in dynamic environments.¡±


    That sounds pretty bad, but considering one of the main benefits of the stone was that you don¡¯t have to be aware of what¡¯s happening around your illusion while its up, it seems like a problem that wouldn¡¯t actually come up that often.


    ¡°The second problem is it takes significantly longer to bind an illusion to the stone than it does to cast the illusion normally so if you¡¯re in a rush it won¡¯t do you any good. And lastly you have to supply it with enough mana to last the entire duration of the illusion all at once. Normally when sustaining a long term illusion you can use the mana you naturally generate over time to at least partially offset the cost of keeping it up, but with the stone you have to have all of that mana all at once when you cast the spell. This is especially limiting when you consider the fact that the stone itself can only store so much mana so there is a hard limit with how ambitious you can get with it.¡±


    Even with all it¡¯s problems that still sounds pretty useful. Maybe a bit situational but I can see myself using it. I guess that why Ralisdor has it.


    ¡°Does it allow you to put an illusion over yourself and have it concentrate on that while you focus on other stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sadly no. Since you can not change the shape of the illusion it has to be either static or a repeating animation like a fire. An illusion placed over your body needs to be able to move with your body which the stone is not capable of doing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I still haven¡¯t been able to disguise myself without putting all of my effort into maintaining it so I thought this might help with that.¡±


    I have been working on that spell for the last few weeks with barely any progress. I can pretty consistently cast the spell by now but if I lose my focus for even a split second it disappears.


    ¡°If you are having trouble maintaining it you should practice while we are resting on the journey to Rockmarsh. It might be good to practice simpler illusions while we are riding too just to get you used to concentrating on two things at once.¡±


    ¡°Still giving me homework after I¡¯ve been horribly cursed? You¡¯re worse than the witch.¡±


    Ralisdor gave a light chuckle at her lighthearted comment and replied in a similar tone.


    ¡°Woe be she who must partake in the horrid activity of ¡®practicing.¡¯ Truly I must be the worst sort of villain imaginable.¡±


    As the two of them were laughing Xorvos walked by with a scowl on his face and spoke bitterly


    ¡°You two seem to be enjoying yourselves. Have you already forgotten what happened yesterday? A person could be dead because of us and you¡¯re doing nothing but telling jokes.¡±


    That put a bit of a damper on the mood. Both Shuka and Ralisdor stopped laughing and looked towards Xorvos a bit more serious than before. The comments made Shuka remember the night before and the argument they had after and found herself in an unpleasant mood.


    I was trying not to think about the elf but I guess that¡¯s been ruined now. It¡¯s almost as if he wants me to be unhappy.


    Ralisdor must have noticed her glaring at Xorvos because he quickly entered the conversation before any insults could be thrown.


    ¡°What exactly happened last night? I know something went wrong but I have not gotten the details yet.¡±


    No one wanted to answer that question, but it had to be answered eventually so it was Shuka who spoke up. She owed him that much at least.


    ¡°Everything was going as planned but when we were taking him to the meeting point, he woke up and thought we were kidnapping him.¡±


    ¡°Woke up? Was he asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was sleeping when we found him. We didn¡¯t really have the time to explain the situation to him in the cell, so we just decided to just wake him up after we get somewhere safe.¡±


    Xorvos was listening from the side and decided to add to the story. Apparently, he saw it differently.


    ¡°I had considered he would wake up while I was carrying him, but I was prepared to keep him quiet while in the town. I may have relaxed a bit after we left but I didn¡¯t think he would be quite so loud.¡±


    He looked ashamed as he was giving his explanation.


    Hopefully Ralisdor won¡¯t blame him too much, after all how was he supposed to know he would react that way..


    ¡°It¡¯s not really his fault. If it wasn¡¯t for my curse, then he would never have reacted that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Things would have gone so much better if you weren¡¯t there, but I guess you never really cared about him in the first place.¡±


    Shuka was taken aback by the bitterness in his voice.


    Is he seriously still angry about that? Blame the curse not me.


    ¡°Well, what am I supposed to do? Chase him down and rescue him by force? if he doesn¡¯t want our help then he can just see how well he does on his own.¡±


    ¡°It was a misunderstanding. If we just explained the situation then I¡¯m sure he would have been cooperative.¡±


    ¡°but instead he almost got all of us killed. I got him out of that cell but if that¡¯s how he is going to treat us then that¡¯s all he¡¯s going to get!¡±


    Xorvos was seething with anger now and Shuka wasn¡¯t that much calmer than him now. Ralisdor could see the argument getting out of control so he stepped in between them before things got any worse.


    ¡°STOP! You are both acting like children and I have had enough. Neither of you are at fault for what happened it was simply bad luck.¡±


    ¡°But what about the elf?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about him? He is stranded in the wilderness alone and without any food, he could starve to death.¡±


    ¡°The only elves around these parts are either wood elves or swamp elves and both of them are perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. Even if he is not a swamp or wood elf then he is a traveler who decided to come all the way here in the middle of nowhere alone which means he probably knows at least the basics of survival. Either way I am not worried about him.¡±


    Xorvos was still angry but he didn¡¯t give a response back to Ralisdor¡¯s argument. It seems he didn¡¯t want to admit he was wrong but couldn¡¯t prove he was right either. Eventually he just turned away in defeat. Shuka smiled a bit at the sight of Xorvos in defeat, but the smile didn¡¯t last long. Xorvos was still her friend after all. Ralisdor turned to her now and judging by his expression he wasn¡¯t going to congratulate her for winning the argument. Not that she was the one that won it anyway.


    ¡°What were you thinking? I will give you some slack because he started the argument but why did you have to continue it?¡±


    Shuka looked away in shame.


    ¡°Sorry. It just took me by surprise. I¡¯ve never seen him get that worked up before, although I guess there isn¡¯t much to get worked up over in boring old Rainsburg. I¡¯ll try to keep my emotions under control next time.¡±


    Ralisdor seemed satisfied with that answer and continued packing up the camp. Soon after they were all once again travelling towards the city of Rockmarsh.

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven


    Finally seeing the tall walls of Rockmarsh was like a miracle for the small group of travellers. It had only taken a few days to reach the city but the bog they had to travel through made that journey as unpleasant as possible. They were constantly attacked by all manor of insects and struggled to find a dry spot of land to camp out each night, but they finally made it. The large city was certainly hard to miss. It was built at the base of the only mountain in the bog and had large stone walls. There were several plumes of smoke emanating rising from the city, coming from unseen forges. As they were approaching on their horses Ralisdor leaned over to Shuka to speak with her.


    ¡°This journey has been a little more dangerous than I would like. Xorvos is well armed and I can get by with my magic, but you do not have a good close-range option, do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have my knife but its not really meant for combat.¡±


    ¡°In that case I recommend you buy a sword in Rockmarsh. Some of the best smiths in the Celestial Empire live here so you should be able to find something decent.¡±


    ¡°Best smiths in the Empire? I don¡¯t even have enough gold to buy a crappy sword let alone a masterpiece from one of them.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to find the best sword in the city just something that won¡¯t break after a month. I will give you twenty gold which should be enough as long as you do not get scammed.¡±


    Ralisdor took out a small pouch and gave it to Shuka. Looking inside she found that it had more gold than she had ever had in her life.


    Do I really want to accept this much gold for a sword I probably won¡¯t even use much? Then again, Ralisdor has plenty to spare.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll make sure to give you back any gold I don¡¯t use.¡±


    ¡°Keep the gold. I have enough that I will not miss a few extra coins.¡±


    Shuka was all for being polite and insisting Ralisdor takes his money back but she also knew that a few spare coins mattered a lot more to her than to him, so she just accepted it. With the matter of funding out of the way Shuka was ready and excited to enter her first city.


    *


    Several hours after entering Rockmarsh Shuka found that cities were a lot less exciting than she was led to believe.


    No wonder Ralisdor moved to Rainsburg if this is what cities are like. Everything is so load and annoying and I can¡¯t find where anything is, it¡¯s like it¡¯s designed to be irritating. All of the dirty looks I¡¯m getting from the residents isn¡¯t helping either. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of my curse or if they wouldn¡¯t like me anyway but knowing my luck it¡¯s probably both.


    Shuka thought buying a sword would be easy in a place known for it¡¯s blacksmiths but she was having more difficulties then she expected. First, she went to the forges by following the plumes of smoke in the sky and talking to a blacksmith but apparently you can¡¯t actually by swords from them. Instead, she was told to go by their weapons in a shop in the merchants district which she had already gone through to get to the blacksmiths. Then she got kicked out of the first shop she entered for being a ¡®dirty vagrant¡¯ and ¡®scaring away the real customers.¡¯ This time she decided to go to one of the shabbier looking shops in hopes they wouldn¡¯t be so picky. Right as she was about to enter the store a child bumped into her and she felt a small tug on her coin purse.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry miss, I didn¡¯t mean to bump into ya.¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t fooled so when the child tried to leave after apologising to her, she grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Hold up buddy. If you really want to apologise why don¡¯t you give me back my money.¡±


    The kid didn¡¯t look to happy about that but he quickly turned into one of childish fear and pain as he started yelling.


    ¡°Owww! Miss you¡¯re hurting me!¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t grabbing him that hard but he was crying out as if she had him in a death grip. The streets were far from empty though and she was getting a lot of bad looks from passerby¡¯s who just saw her hurting a kid.


    Shit, they are going to call the guards at this rate, I¡¯ve got to let go.


    The moment she was no longer touching the child he ran into a back alley with surprising speed. Shuka immediately gave chase but found that he still had a sizable head start.


    Good thing he ran into one of the less crowded area¡¯s, now there¡¯s less of a chance of a misunderstanding. But why is he so fast? I can barely keep up.


    It took everything Shuka had just to follow the thief through the winding alleys but when he ran into one long side street with no turns in it, she saw her chance. Shuka slowed down to a jog as she weaved an illusion at the end of the alley. Between chasing after her target and the difficulty of the spell Shuka just barely managed to bring her illusion into existence. Right as the thief was about to leave the alley a rough looking guardsman with a mean look on his face appeared in front of the kid. He had enough time to curse and skid to a halt before the guardsman flickered out of existence and his following moment of confusion was enough for Shuka to catch up and tackle him to the ground.


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    ¡°Now give me back my money you little shit.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay just leave me alone.¡±


    The thief quickly took out Shuka¡¯s coin pouch and presented it to her much to Shuka¡¯s surprise. One look at his face told her the reason for his expediency.


    He¡¯s absolutely terrified. He probably thinks I¡¯m going to kill him or something.


    Shuka took her money back and let the child go, trying not to scare him more than she already had. The kid ran as soon as he could and was soon around a corner and out of sight. Now that the kid was gone Shuka decided it was time to retrace her steps back to the marketplace. Walking back down the alley Shuka noticed it wasn¡¯t quit as empty as she first assumed. While there were no people around several of the buildings in the alleyway actually had faded signs hanging from them. She even saw one sign with a drawing of a dagger on it and the words ¡®The Vagrants Blade.¡¯


    Well with a name like that at least I probably wont get kicked out like last time.


    The interior of the Vagrants Blade was just as shabby as the outside with half rotted wood and a scarred dwarf with one eye standing behind a counter. There weren¡¯t any weapons on display so Shuka went up to the shopkeeper and placed her newly reacquired coin pouch on the counter in front of him. The Shopkeeper was a stone faced dwarf whose expression had yet to change in the short time Shuka had been in his presence.


    ¡°I want to buy the best sword you have for twenty gold or less.¡±


    The dwarf opened up the pouch, took out a coin and inspected it closely. After making sure it wasn¡¯t a counterfeit, he put the coin back and went into the back room. A moment later he came back with a sheathed sword in his hands and placed it down on the counter right in front of the coin pouch.


    ¡°19 gold.¡±


    Shuka picked up the sword and slid the blade out of the sheath a few inches. It looked like it was in good condition, but she didn¡¯t really know much about swords, so it was hard to be sure. Testing the blade on her finger she found it was still sharp. She would have tested its balance too if she knew what a balanced was supposed to feel like, but this was the first sword she had ever held.


    I should have brought Xorvos with me, I have no idea what I¡¯m doing. Even Ralisdor could tell a good blade from a bad one better than me. But Ralisdor¡¯s busy and things are still rough between me and Xorvos so I wanted to give him some space. Oh well, this sword doesn¡¯t look bad so if I¡¯m getting scammed it probably wont be by much.


    Shuka fully sheathed the blade again and took a single gold coin out of the coin pouch.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    The dwarf took the gold without a word and gave Shuka a look. After a moments pause he decided to speak up.


    ¡°Oi, you come from up north? I¡¯ve never seen you around here before.¡±


    The question took Shuka by surprise, but she had no reason not to answer it.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m from the south. I¡¯m just passing through though, so I won¡¯t be here long.¡±


    ¡°Well Rockmarsh is under guild protection so if you¡¯re looking for a job before you leave it has to be through them.¡±


    Guild? Ah, he¡¯s probably talking about the adventurer¡¯s guild. I guess I must look like an adventurer gearing up for a job right now. Actually, I could use some extra gold. It would be nice to repay Ralisdor and I don¡¯t want to have to rely on him too much for money. It couldn¡¯t hurt to at least take a look.


    ¡°Were can I find the guild then? I would like to make some extra money and I don¡¯t want to get in anyone¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°Just go to the mining district and look for a building called ¡®Ashrock Bellows¡¯ and ask for work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    It¡¯s a bit weird that the adventurer¡¯s guild is in the mining district but then again, where else would they put it? without an adventuring district there isn¡¯t really a good place to put it is there?


    With her business here done Shuka left and made her way back to the marketplace she was in before. It took her a bit of wandering because she didn¡¯t remember the exact path she took but eventually she made it back without anything bad happening. Since Shuka still had some money left over she decided to see if there was anything cheap she could buy in the various stalls set up in the market square. The marketplace was loud and bustling and seemed even more crowded now than before she was robbed. Every stall had some man or woman barking at passerby¡¯s yelling at them to buy their wares. Whether it was simple food or fancy jewelry you could find someone screaming at you that theirs was the best.


    All of this noise is starting to give me a headache. Why cant everyone just be as quiet as the dwarf from before.


    Shuka was just about to give up on buying something when one stall in particular caught her eye. The man running it was calmly and quietly sitting behind his stall and no one was crowding around him to buy his wares. It was a dream come true for Shuka who hated noise and crowds in equal amounts. When she walked up to the stall, she found it had the perfect thing to buy too. It was within her price range and if everything went well it could even help fix her relationship with Xorvos. Looks like coming back to the market was a good idea after all.


    *


    Xorvos was bored. Shuka was looking for a sword and Ralisdor had gone of to do something in the city so Xorvos was just sitting in the room Ralisdor rented for them. Normally he would train but the room he was in was too small for it and nowhere else was private enough. Besides, his fighting style trained best when he had a sparring partner. The fact that he hadn¡¯t had a good sparring partner for several years had caused him to get a little rusty.


    Perhaps I could go the local guardhouse and see if there are any fellow Quanso there. After all, I cant be the only Quanso in the city can I? Would they even help me train though? What if they say no or kick me out? And I wasn¡¯t exactly a master fighter before I went three years without anyone to spar with. I don¡¯t want to get made fun of because I¡¯m rusty.


    Xorvos had been pacing his room all morning thinking about what to do and he still didn¡¯t know. It had been so long since he had left Rainsburg that he had almost forgotten what it was like to travel and interact with new people.


    If I don¡¯t get stronger than how am I going to protect Shuka? But how am I going to get strong enough to fight the Grand Paladin of the Celestial Empire? I could barely do anything against him last time and a bit of sparring isn¡¯t going to change that. but I can¡¯t just do nothing can I?


    His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of door to his room opening. Shuka walked in with three new swords on her, two were wooden and the last was steel. She walked over to her bed and dropped her steel sword onto it and then held out one of the wooden swords in front of Xorvos.


    ¡°Please teach me how to fight.¡±


    One look into her eyes told Xorvos that she was serious. Her words came of as sarcastic and mocking but her eyes told a different story.


    ¡°Why are you coming to me for this? I¡¯m not a swordsman and I¡¯m not even that great of a fighter.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, you¡¯re the best fighter I know. And I want to prove to you that I am taking this seriously.¡±


    ¡°But where are we going to train? We cant just start swinging swords around in public, even if their wooden.¡±


    ¡°Then we will just go outside the city. I¡¯m sure we can find a dry piece of ground around here.¡±


    Xorvos was conflicted. He really didn¡¯t know anything about being a teacher and he hadn¡¯t picked up anything even remotely similar to a sword in years. But looking into Shuka¡¯s eyes he knew he couldn¡¯t let her down.


    Father always did tell me that you learned the most from a challenge and if this isn¡¯t a challenge then I don¡¯t know what is.


    Xorvos took the wooden sword being held out in front of him and gave Shuka a look just as serious as the one she was giving him.


    ¡°Lets go find a training area.¡±

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight


    Shuka felt a sharp pain as the sword struck her body once more. Pain wracked her body, and her limbs were heavy from exhaustion. She wasn¡¯t going to last much longer, but her opponent showed no mercy for this was not a battle where mercy was an option. Shuka attempted to parry an oncoming blow but only found her sword knocked out of her hands leaving her entirely defenceless. As the sword came down upon her one final time Shuka abandoned all hope, for she knew now that since the beginning she had no chance of winning this fight. Xorvos bopped her lightly on the head with his practice sword then stepped back with a proud smirk on his face.


    ¡°I believe the score is now 10-0. Pretty good considering I¡¯m not even a swordsman.¡±


    ¡°Not a swordsman my ass.¡± Shuka retorted ¡°I haven¡¯t hit you once, but you¡¯ve hit me enough times that I¡¯ve gotten more bruises today than the rest of my life combined.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but sparring is important, although I think it might still be a bit too advanced for you. Since you¡¯re looking pretty sore and you haven¡¯t quite learned the basics yet I think we will skip sparring tomorrow and focus on getting you used to your sword.¡±


    Shuka dropped to the ground with relief and looked to Xorvos with utter gratitude.


    ¡°Thank Humanus for that, my body wouldn¡¯t last long if I had to do this every day.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank Humanus, he would tell you to get up and not stop training until you collapse. The god of ambition isn¡¯t a very big fan of breaks.¡± Xorvos told her.


    ¡°Well then who am I supposed to thank then? None of the other gods really appeal to me but at least Humanus created humans. That¡¯s got to count for something right?¡±


    ¡°You could thank me for giving you the break in the first place.¡± Xorvos replied, slightly peeved. ¡°And shouldn¡¯t you worship Vondoom? You grew up in one of his orphanages and they count as temples, right?¡±


    Shuka¡¯s reply came with a chuckle. ¡°Just because I¡¯m an orphan doesn¡¯t mean I need to worship the god of orphans. I¡¯m grateful I didn¡¯t have to live on the street but I¡¯m not going devote my life to him because of it. They didn¡¯t even try that hard to convert me, all they said was worship him if you want but if you don¡¯t that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    At this point Xorvos had sat down too and was enjoying the moment with his friend. Shuka was enjoying it too, but she was sitting because standing hurt too much.


    ¡°that seems oddly casual for a religious group.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well apparently Vondoom is a pretty casual guy. I¡¯ve never met him though so I wouldn¡¯t know. And besides, it was also technically a shrine to Margaret with Not-Margaret being there.¡±


    Xorvos had to supress a shudder as he remembered the golem that had acted as the secretary to the orphanage. It was said that each Not-Margaret golem was hand crafted by Margaret herself but the fact that it was made by a demi-god didn¡¯t make it any less unsettling.


    ¡°I always hated that thing. it¡¯s one of the most advanced golems in the world and all it does is stare at kids all day while doing paperwork.¡± Xorvos grumbled. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had expressed his displeasure of Not-Margaret. ¡°Why would Margaret even become the demi-god of secretaries if she is so good at golemancy anyway? Shouldn¡¯t she have become the demi-god of golems instead?¡±


    ¡°I guess she just liked being a secretary more. And besides, even with her ascension she¡¯s still only the second best golemancer in the world.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    There was a break in the conversation. Xorvos didn¡¯t want to even think about Margaret¡¯s creepy golems and Shuka was just too tired to continue.


    It¡¯s nice that I can still just chat with Xorvos. I was worried that the curse was going to make every conversation turn into an argument like what happened before. Maybe he¡¯s getting used to it or the curse is losing its effectiveness, after all it doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting Ralisdor that much either.


    ¡°So what about you then Xorvos? Why don¡¯t you worship any gods? I mean you¡¯re the most honourable guy I know, surely you should worship Quansonax. All the other times I asked this you just said, ¡®it¡¯s a Quanso thing¡¯ but you never really gave me a solid answer.¡±


    Xorvos looked a little uncomfortable at the question as he did all of the other times Shuka asked him this question. Unlike the other times however, he actually answered this time.


    ¡°Honour in the eyes of Quansonax just means you should follow a set of rules and not break them. For the Quanso those rules are things like no killing, lying, or stealing but for other people those rules could be anything. To Quansonax a tyrannical slaver can be just as honourable as a virtuous hero as long as they don¡¯t break any of the rules they decided to follow.¡± There was a hint of annoyance in his voice ¡°I simply can¡¯t bring myself to worship a god who freely gives his blessings to murderers, slavers and other despicable people. There are many other Quanso who share my beliefs and stay true to the Quanso code of honour without giving worship to an uncaring god.¡±


    Well this is a surprise. I had always thought the reason Quanso never killed people was because of Quansonax but from what Xorvos is saying he doesn¡¯t even care. It¡¯s still kind of hard imagining an evil person worshipping the God of Honour though.


    ¡°Why were you so reluctant to say that? It sounds like a pretty reasonable reason to not worship gods to me.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t saying bad things about the gods blasphemy? The Celestial Empire is a pretty religious place, so I don¡¯t want people to think I hate gods or anything like that.¡±


    He¡¯s got a point there. I know a couple people in Rainsburg who would take that the wrong way.


    It was true that it probably wasn¡¯t a very good idea to say things like that in public around here. Most people in the empire worship one or more gods. While it wouldn¡¯t get him in any real trouble it certainly wouldn¡¯t make him any friends.


    ¡°Y¡¯know its kinda funny that the only religious person in our group is the wizard.¡± Shuka said.


    ¡°Ralisdor? I didn¡¯t know he followed any gods.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not super into it like some other people but he¡¯s got a symbol of Humanus and Xyloth in his house.¡±


    ¡°Xyloth I can understand, he is the god of magic after all but Humanus? If he¡¯s really that ambitious, then why did he move to Rainsburg?¡±


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    ¡°I asked him the exact same thing. Apparently, those old ruins near the town was once home to a very magically advanced civilisation. Of course, there were a bunch of other mages who came and studied the ruins before him, but they left copies of all of their notes in the Rainsburg library. Ralisdor seems to think that some of those notes can help him learn how to use True Illusions.¡±


    Xorvos thought about the night Ralisdor told him about True Illusions and his choice in gods started making a little more sense to him. Followers of Humanus often have grand, almost impossible goals and if Ralisdor was trying to learn magic that is beyond what most archmages are capable of, then he certainly fit in.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s enough about gods, it¡¯s getting late and we need to get you everything you need to maintain your sword.¡±


    ¡°Maintain my sword? What do you mean?¡±


    Xorvos gave Shuka a look and let out a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Swords rust if you don¡¯t take care of them. You will also need to get a whetstone to keep it sharp.¡±


    ¡°I uh, don¡¯t really have much money left. I¡¯ve only got a couple silver left and I want to have at least something on me in case I find something I want to buy.¡±


    Xorvos let an even deeper sigh than before. He was trying not to let his negative feelings for her get to him again, but she was not making it easy for him.


    ¡°I will pay for it but between this and the training you owe me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And don¡¯t worry, I will repay you. I might even be able to pay you back tomorrow if I¡¯m lucky.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s happening tomorrow?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna head over to the adventurer¡¯s guild for some work. I will avoid anything dangerous but there should be a job or two within my skill level. I only need a few gold after all.¡±


    That put a nervous look on Xorvos¡¯s face. He¡¯s seen Shuka¡¯s poor swordsman so he knew if something did happen, she would be ill prepared to deal with it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay me back immediately. If there aren¡¯t any safe jobs then don¡¯t take a job at all. And if you do take a job you should tell me about it before you do it. Ralisdor too just to be safe.¡±


    The longer he talked to more annoyed Shuka became.


    Goddammit I¡¯m not a child. Even if my swordsmanship is trash I can still defend myself. Just because I¡¯m not seven feet tall and don¡¯t have the skin of a rhino doesn¡¯t mean I will fall over and die at the slightest threat.


    ¡°I will be fine, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to a dungeon or anything. The most dangerous job I would take would be gathering herbs outside the city and the only reason that would be dangerous is because it¡¯s in the wilderness. I¡¯ve spent the last four years living in the wilderness and I¡¯ve never gotten anything worse than a few scrapes and bruises.¡±


    Despite her assurances, Xorvos didn¡¯t look any less worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t go just be careful. Ralisdor still has healing potions so make sure you go to him if you get injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this so I don¡¯t have to rely on Ralisdor for money and using up one of his expensive potions would defeat the purpose. And I already told you I won¡¯t be doing anything dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Fine I will stop pestering you about this, but you better not come back to the inn tomorrow bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure to bandage all of my wounds before entering.¡±


    Xorvos smacked the back of Shuka¡¯s head lightly for the snarky comment.


    ¡°Well we have wasted enough time. Let¡¯s go get you those supplies.¡±


    And with that Xorvos got up and started walking towards the front gate of Rockmarsh. Shuka followed behind and they went on one last shopping trip before the end of the day.


    *


    Shuka woke up even more sore than when she had gone to bed.


    How did Xorvos grow up sparring with his father every day if this is what it feels like? I¡¯ve only done it once and I already want to quit.


    Eventually she managed to get up and get dressed. She had to eat alone though as yesterday¡¯s training made her sleep in an hour past breakfast. The events of the day before made Shuka want to go back to bed and lay there for a while but she knew that if she did that, she wouldn¡¯t get up all day. Instead she got her bow and sword and went to find some work. Moving through the crowded streets Shuka found she hated how loud cities were even more now. Luckily things became a lot more peaceful after she made it to the mining district. There were still people around but much less and they tended to mind their own business as they worked in silence. Well, not quite silence but the noise they made working was much less annoying than the noise made by the people in the marketplace. There was also a lot less variety in the mining district. The marketplace had people of most races with the biggest demographics being humans and dwarves but here it was almost entirely dwarves with a few humans and Quanso mixed in. after a little wandering Shuka found the building the merchant from before told her about. Ashrock Bellows didn¡¯t look much like what Shuka thought an adventurer¡¯s guild would look like but she had never seen one before so what would she know. Still though, Ashrock Bellows was almost identical to all of the other industrial looking buildings the littered the streets of the mining district. Well it would be a waste to leave after coming this far so Shuka knocked on the solid wooden door and waited for an answer. It didn¡¯t take long until the door was opened by a tall human man with a bald head. He was wearing leather armour and had several knives sheathed in various places. He looked down on Shuka with a scowl and spoke with contempt.


    ¡°What do you want? And don¡¯t waste my time or you¡¯re gonna regret it.¡±


    Well this isn¡¯t the greeting I was expecting. I hope this is just a particularly rude adventurer and there are much nicer people inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m here looking for work. I was told to come here by the man at the Vagrants Blade.¡±


    ¡°Old Wilbur sent you? Fine you can come in, but I¡¯m not gonna trust you until you¡¯ve got the mark.¡±


    Mark? What is he talking about? I want to ask but maybe I will wait until I find someone a little more open to questions first.


    Shuka nodded and followed the man into the building, trying not to annoy him further. If she was paying a bit more attention to where she was going instead of the man she was following Shuka might have noticed she wasn¡¯t entering a adventurers guild. Sadly she didn¡¯t notice anything was off until after the door had closed behind her. Shuka had expected a well lit and jovial common room full of all sorts of adventurous folk. Instead, the lighting was dim, the mood was dour, and it was full of only one type of folk, the criminal kind. Everywhere she looked Shuka saw shifty looking men and women in leather armor or dark clothing chatting in hushed tones or surveying the room warily. Shuka felt her heart skip a beat in fear as several of those eyes locked onto her and stayed there with a cold intensity. There was no denying it anymore, this wasn¡¯t the adventurers guild, it was the thieves guild. The thought of it gripped Shuka with terror as she realised how much danger she was in.


    ¡°Oi! You coming or what?¡±


    Shuka jumped so hard her feet left the ground. The man from before had already closed the door behind her and was a third of the way across the room before he noticed she wasn¡¯t following him.


    Shit, I need to get out of here. But the door is already closed and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s locked or not. Trying to run and failing would be pretty bad, they might think I¡¯m some sort of spy or snitch. And even if the door isn¡¯t locked how do I know they wont chase me after I leave. Fuck, it looks the only way out is forwards.


    Going a little deeper into Ashrock Bellows Shuka found that not everyone in the thieves guild looked like a thief or a thug. Around a third of them looked outright normal although the company they were keeping alluded otherwise. She even saw a rather cheery looking halfling drinking at the bar chatting with what looked like a group of cutthroats.


    Wait¡­ isn¡¯t that the kid who tried robbing me yesterday? He isn¡¯t a kid at all! He must have been trying to get out of a harsher punishment by pretending to be a child.


    If she was in any other situation Shuka would¡¯ve clocked him over the head for tricking her, but this probably wasn¡¯t the best place to get her vengeance. Finally, after what felt like eternity Shuka and her guide reached a nondescript wooden door that the thieves guild member proceeded to knock on it.


    ¡°Hey boss, there¡¯s a freelancer here looking for work. She says Wilbur sent her.¡±


    A deep, muffled voice came from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Well let her in then. I¡¯m just doing some paperwork so she¡¯s not interrupting anything.¡±


    The door opened and Shuka was ushered in. Inside was a utilitarian office with several bookshelves lining the walls and a massive desk filled with paperwork in its center. Behind the desk was a middle-aged dwarf with a thick black beard that had gold hair ornaments at the end of braids. His hair was similarly thick and braided with matching ornaments at the ends. He was dressed in expensive clothing and had a pair of reading glasses which he took off to look at Shuka. All in all, Shuka thought he looked like a particularly well of merchant instead of the savage gang leader she was expecting. It was almost enough to make Shuka forget her situation, but as much as her fear had subsided, it had never left.


    ¡°Well miss Shuka, I¡¯ve heard so much about you it¡¯s a pleasure finally seeing you face to face.¡±

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine


    How does he know my name? Did someone tell him, or has he been spying on me? But why would he even spy on me in the first place? And why in the world is he pleased to meet me?


    Shuka was terrified. She was trying not to show the fear on her face but apparently it wasn¡¯t working because the dwarf in front of her put up his hands and spoke in a placating manner.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t you worry I¡¯m not going to kill you. My name is Korro Rockhammer and I am the leader of the branch of the Thieves Guild in Rockmarsh. I caught wind of you little escapades down in Rainsburg and when I heard you arrived in Rockmarsh I thought I might as well see if you¡¯re interested in working for me. I didn¡¯t expect you to come to me before I even sent anyone to fetch you but I¡¯m not complaining.¡±


    He wants to recruit me? Why would he want to do that, I¡¯m just some nobody from a small village in the middle of nowhere. Well, I certainly don¡¯t want to join the Thieves Guild and become a real criminal so I have to find some way to get him to let me go. Hopefully he won¡¯t just kill me if I refuse.


    ¡°This is all just a big misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t steal anything, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and they thought it was me who did it.¡±


    Korro chuckled and gave a friendly smile. That was not the reaction she was looking for.


    ¡°Please you don¡¯t need to keep up you¡¯re act with me. And besides even if you really didn¡¯t steal the book in Rainsburg I doubt you¡¯re an innocent woman.¡±


    What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Ugh the damn curse is probably making me seem worse than I really am. I guess I need to convince him I¡¯m incompetent instead.


    ¡°Look that whole debacle at Rainsburg was a fluke. I barely made it out with my life, and you can¡¯t expect me to achieve something like that again. You should probably spend your resources recruiting someone a bit more competent.¡±


    ¡°Stealing a highly valuable magical tome and then escaping from the most powerful paladin in the empire is already setting the bar pretty high. Even if you are only half as skilled as I think, you would still be a better choice than half the prospective criminals I see coming through here. And besides, your magical talents and Quanso friend are both rare assets that I would love to have in my guild.¡±


    None of her ideas were working and Shuka was starting to panic now.


    ¡°How do you know so much about me?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°Have you been spying on me?¡±


    ¡°Oh no nothing like that. A few days ago, a certain paladin came through town with a story of an ¡®Evil Witch¡¯ that had apparently escaped from him in Rainsburg. He of course gave his report to the first officer he found and then moved on to other settlements to spread the message. Luckily for you the officer he reported to was one of my spies and decided to give your physical description and capabilities to me instead of the captain of the guard.¡±


    That¡­ is actually pretty convenient. If Validus isn¡¯t here and the guards aren¡¯t looking for me then I should be pretty safe right now. Or at least I would be if I wasn¡¯t inside a den of criminals talking to their leader.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Korro continued. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to trust me and if you do not wish to join that is understandable. All you have to do is say the word and we will part ways.¡±


    That is almost too good to be true. No wait, it is too good to be true, he was just talking about how valuable I am there is no way he would just let me go like that.


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°The catch is if you are not willing to work for me then I have no reason to protect you. The captain of the guard would find the wanted posters of you and your friend on his desk within the hour. You would go back to being a wanted criminal without any of the protection the guild offers.¡±


    Shit, that¡¯s bad. If the guards had wanted posters, then they would be checking everyone entering and leaving the city. If the report came from Validus then they would probably know to check for illusions too. But joining the Thieves Guild isn¡¯t a very appealing option either. I doubt they would allow me to get their protection without working for it which means I would be expected to actually commit crimes for them. I need a third option.


    ¡°Joining the Thieves Guild is a bit too much of a commitment for me right now but maybe we can compromise. Is there anything else I can do to keep your protection?¡±


    ¡°If you do not wish to become a permanent member than I am more than willing to provide you with freelance jobs as an alternative payment method.¡±


    ¡°Freelance? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well full membership in the Thieves Guild is usually reserved for the more trusted individuals of the criminal underworld. Most of the time prospective members do several jobs for the guild to test both their competency and their trustworthiness. These jobs are usually of less importance than the jobs actual members get so failure or betrayal doesn¡¯t cause any significant harm. In truth I was never going to grant you full membership in this meeting, just offer you a job to see if you are worth the trouble.¡±


    Korro was talking like this was all just a business proposition, it was almost enough to make Shuka forget just what exactly he was proposing. She didn¡¯t trust the dwarf, but she still had questions left unanswered and if anyone was going to answer them it would be him.


    ¡°If I do a job for you once will I be expected to join you or work for you again? Or can I just do one job and then leave.¡±


    ¡°While I certainly hope you find it worth your while to become a permanent member, if you do not wish to join then I will not force you. Simply state that you are not interested, and all of our interactions can be strictly business. If you only wish to complete one job to pay for your protection, then so be it.¡±


    ¡°What about my friend? He is not a criminal and he was just helping me out so I don¡¯t think he would work for you. If I do a job for you will it cover his protection too?¡±


    For the first time in the entire conversation Korro lost his polite smile and frowned in disappointment. It wasn¡¯t a huge change in his expression but the fact that he was anything less than content scared her badly.


    ¡°Shame, Quanso willing to work for people like me are so hard to come by and yet they are so useful. But to answer your question, yes it will cover the protection for both of you.¡±


    Well at least that was one problem taken care of. There is no way Xorvos would be okay with any of this so getting him involved would just end in even more trouble.


    ¡°Do I have to give you my answer now or can I have some time to think?¡±


    ¡°If I gave you some time to ¡®think¡¯ then you would simply pack up your things and leave and I would lose my bargaining chip. You can ask as many questions as you like but you are not leaving this room without giving me an answer.¡±


    Damn, so that¡¯s not going to work.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Earlier one of your people mentioned something about a mark. What is it?¡±


    ¡°He must have been talking about the mark of the Thieves Guild. It is a magical mark that is attached to your soul to produce a symbol on your skin that can only be seen by other people with the same mark. Only full members get this mark, so it is used to identify yourself and others as part of the guild.¡±


    Wait, did he say soul? Don¡¯t curses affect the soul? Maybe whoever is making these marks knows how to get rid of my curse.


    ¡°Who applies these marks?¡±


    ¡°Me usually. Although I haven¡¯t a clue how they work. They are applied through a magic artifact that the main branch in Sidus gave me. If you¡¯re looking for magical expertise look elsewhere, the most impressive magic you¡¯ll find in Rockmarsh is barely more than parlor tricks.¡±


    The excitement Shuka had felt from the possible lead quickly dissipated.


    Sidus is on the other side of the Empire. By the time I even get there I would have probably found a better option than the Thieves Guild anyway.


    Korro was still sitting at his desk, smile as pleasant as ever but Shuka was getting the feeling he was expecting an answer already.


    I don¡¯t want to do it, but I Should at least ask what he wants me to do. I will refuse if he ask¡¯s me to kill anyone but if its something small then it might be fine.


    ¡°What is the job you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°There is a large shipment of lead being purchased by an unknown buyer. Your job is to find out who is buying all of that lead and preferably what they are using it for. You will be accompanied by one of my information gatherers, both to help and keep an eye on you. She was the one that brought this situation to my attention so you can get the details from her. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Why lead? It doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing a crime lord would care about.¡±


    A look of confusion flashed across Korro¡¯s face, but he quickly returned it back to normal.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t know. Lead is naturally disruptive to most forms of divination magic. It finds plenty of use lining the walls of safes and hideouts of people who have things to hide. I am sure you understand why people like me would want certain things to not be discovered by an inquisitive magic caster.¡±


    If lead really does block divination magic, then it makes sense why a bunch of criminals would want it since divination is mostly used to find and detect stuff.


    ¡°How long will this take?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you but the shipment is being delivered tomorrow so try not to take too long.¡±


    Well at least it won¡¯t take too long then. Whether I succeed or fail it should be done pretty fast.


    ¡°How much information do I need to get to have succeeded?¡±


    ¡°Well best-case scenario you get their name, what they plan to use the lead for, and who they work for if anyone. Failing that, just one of those three things will fulfill the bare minimum requirements of this job. You only need to reach that bare minimum to pay for the protection I am providing you but for each piece of information after the first I will pay you an additional one hundred gold. This means that if you bring me all of the information, I am looking for I will pay you two hundred gold total and you will continue to receive the guilds protection.¡±


    Two hundred gold?! That¡¯s a lot of money just for some information. And besides, this doesn¡¯t seem so bad, it looks like I don¡¯t even need to commit any crimes to complete it.


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. You can wait in the common room while I speak with Anirak. She is the information gatherer you will be working with.¡±


    And with that the door behind Shuka opened with a small creak and Korro went back to his paperwork, signalling to her that their conversation was finished. Not wanting to stay past her welcome Shuka left the small office and entered the common room of the Thieves Guild once again. It was no less nerve wracking the second time, but she managed to shuffle her way over to an empty table where she tried to pretend the room was empty. It wasn¡¯t working very well.


    Why can¡¯t everyone here be like Korro. I was scared of him but not like this, it¡¯s so oppressive in here I can barely think. I hope that Anirak person gets here soon so I can get out of here.


    Shuka was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a half full tankard slamming onto the table Shuka was sitting at. Looking up she saw a tall brown skinned elf wearing a colourful outfit made of dyed leather. Her long, pointed ears were on full display as her hair was tied back in a single large braid that went halfway down her back. What really drew Shuka¡¯s attention though were her yellow-green eyes with a slitted pupil reminiscent of an alligator. She had heard about swamp elves having alligator eyes, but she always thought it was metaphorical.


    ¡°Oi newbie! Names Anirak, resident swamp elf spy at your service.¡±


    Anirak was holding her hand out for a handshake and had an energetic smile on her face. She was also speaking very loudly and was drawing a lot of attention. Shuka could feel her heart race even faster than before as several pairs of eyes turned to look at her. The attention was unbearable. Lucky for her, Anirak seemed to notice.


    ¡°Not one for crowds are ya? Let¡¯s go for a walk, I know a good place we can chat.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. Thanks.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s voice was wavering and quiet, but it was enough for Anirak. Upon hearing her answer, she downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and promptly started marching to the door leading back to the streets of Rockmarsh. Shuka was quick to follow wanting nothing more than to get out of there. Once she was finally out, she felt all of the tension she was holding for what felt like hours leave her body all at once. She had to lean against the building to prevent herself from falling to the ground.


    I can¡¯t believe I got out of that. I thought I was going to die.


    Anirak saw Shuka breathing deeply against the side of the Thieves Guild and waited for her to recover. It took a few minutes but eventually Shuka had calmed down enough that she was ready to follow Anirak again. The colorful swamp elf quickly led Shuka down the alleys of the unfamiliar city and eventually led her to a large pile of crates. The pile was more than twice as tall as Shuka and was wide enough to reach both ends of the alley where it was located. Seeing the dead end Shuka only just now started to think she might be getting mugged. Instead of mugging her though Anirak just started to climb the pile of crates and only stopped when she got to the top.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, my hideout is just behind these crates.¡±


    Well, if I¡¯ getting mugged I don¡¯t think it matters if I¡¯m over the crates or not.


    Shuka wasn¡¯t as nimble as her new friend so by the time she got to the top of the pile Anirak was already on the other side. All Shuka could see though was a large multicoloured tarp that covered the end of the alley that was hidden by the crates. After carefully climbing down from the crates Shuka found Anirak lounging in a pile of large pillows. The pillows weren¡¯t the only thing below the tarp, there was a hammock in one corner and a large red and blue rug covering the floor. At the center was a low round table surrounded by pillows of all colours similar to the ones in the pile Anirak was lounging on. Atop the table was a tea pot encircled by a set of five teacups with a box of assorted tea leaves to the side. Next to that was several bottles of alcohol encircled by a set of five glasses. The whole area was lit up by a magical light that was slowly alternating between red, blue, yellow, and green.


    ¡°So, what do you think? I made it myself just for little meetings like this so feel free to get comfortable. You can help yourself to a drink too, but the tea might take a little time to make. I¡¯ve also got some incense I can light if you want but the smell can be a bit much for some people, so I usually hold off on that with strangers.¡±


    Wow this is so nice, it¡¯s almost like I¡¯m inside. She must have spent a lot of money on this place especially if she has to keep refilling her tea and alcohol reserves. And I don¡¯t even know what incense is so that¡¯s gotta be rare.


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m fine. And thank you for getting me out of that place, this is much better.¡±


    Shuka sat down in one of the large pillows and found it surprisingly comfy. The hospitality was almost enough to make her think it was some sort of trap, but she was too tired to let paranoia ruin a chance to relax.


    ¡°Hey, no problem. Honestly I¡¯m kinda surprised your thanking me though consider the look you¡¯ve been giving me.¡±


    ¡°Look? Oh, right sorry about that its not intentional. If I seem oddly hostile or suspicious for no reason could you please ignore it?¡±


    ¡°Well I gotta be pretty dumb to ignore suspicious stuff just because I was asked nicely but I will at least give you the benefit of the doubt. You are giving me some mixed messages and it¡¯s seriously throwing me off.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by mixed messages?¡±


    Anirak scrunched up her face in concentration and took a moment to think. When she finally replied her tone was¡­ uncertain.


    ¡°So, like¡­ I¡¯m really good at reading people, and it¡¯s a skill I¡¯ve been practicing for decades so it¡¯s really weird that I¡¯m getting two completely different impressions from you. Everything I know is telling me that your just some lost kid who¡¯s in over her head and completely terrified. But my first impression of you is still that your dangerous and untrustworthy. The only explanation I can think of is magic but using a spell to make yourself less trustworthy is idiotic¡­ unless the spell is actually tricking my senses and its my gut that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Uh no, your first guess was right. I have a curse that is making people not like me and I can¡¯t get rid of it.¡±


    Now Anirak was starting to look at Shuka suspiciously. It didn¡¯t look like she believed her at first but then her smile came back, and she was as friendly as ever.


    ¡°Hahaha, so you were cursed, were you? Man, that¡¯s gotta suck, they are such a massive pain to remove. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour.¡±


    It filled Shuka with joy to see someone believe her plight. It was even enough to even make her believe it was true. But before she could give a reply, Anirak grew more serious, although not by much, and changed the topic.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s enough chit chat, lets get down to business.¡±

 Chapter Ten

    Chapter Ten


    ¡°So, here¡¯s what we know. Yesterday a man bought 500 pounds of lead from Toria¡¯s Leadworks. He didn¡¯t say his name, but he also didn¡¯t cover his face, so we know what he looks like. I already went to Toria and asked her all of the relevant questions so that¡¯s one thing we can check of our checklist. Since this is supposed to be your job, I¡¯ll leave the next step up to you.¡±


    Shit, I was hoping I could just tag along and help when needed but it looks like she is expecting me to do most of the work myself. I hope I won¡¯t disappoint her; she actually seems pretty nice.


    ¡°Well he must have entered the city somehow right? When I entered through the gates the guards wrote down the names and physical description of me and my companions. Maybe if we got the list of everyone who entered yesterday, we could at the very least get his name.¡±


    ¡°Hey, yeah that could work. Although we¡¯re gonna have to check the teleportation relay too in case he came through it instead.¡±


    ¡°Teleportation relay?¡± Shuka asked.


    ¡°Wow, you really are a small-town kid, aren¡¯t you? The relay is a network of teleportation circles set up by a bunch of magic heads from Lancrin back when it joined the Empire. It connects to all four major cities, but it takes up a lot of mana, so it¡¯s restricted to Empire use only.¡±


    That bit of news caught Shuka¡¯s attention. The ability to instantly travel to Lancrin or Sidus would cut down her travel time by weeks.


    The longer I stay cursed the more likely I am to get into trouble I can¡¯t get out of. The faster I get rid of this curse the better.


    ¡°Would the Thieves Guild be able to use it? I mean, if you have people in the city guard then you probably have people working for the government, too right?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. But it ain¡¯t that easy to just hitch a ride on the Celestial Empires private teleporter. While the guild has used the relay before, it is not an easy or safe process and definitely not something that would be done for a freelancer like you. You would have to be a full member, and either be owed a big favor, or be working a pretty important job that requires it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Was it really that obvious I wanted to use it?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Anirak replied with a cheery smile. ¡°If you are really determined you could try sneaking in without the guilds help, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. You¡¯ll be on your own if you get caught and frankly, I don¡¯t think you have what it takes to get past the security of such a secure location.¡±


    Well there goes that plan. I want to get there faster but not if its that risky.


    ¡°So using the relay might be out of the question, but do you think you could get the list of whoever came through yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I could do that. Although it might be a bit¡­ delicate, so it might be best if I do it alone. You could get the list from the guards while I¡¯m gone though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I didn¡¯t think I would be doing it alone. I don¡¯t suppose they would just give me the list if I ask for it.¡±


    ¡°Sure they will, you just have to ask the right guy.¡±


    The casualness at which Anirak gave her reply scared Shuka a bit.


    ¡°Wait, what? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be classified or something? Or at the very least not available to the public.¡±


    ¡°Well ¡®classified¡¯ is going a bit far but yeah they just hand out to whoever asks. Luckily your working for the Thieves Guild so you just have to ask for Eric in the east guardhouse, and he will get it for you in no time.¡±


    Anirak was smiling the whole time as if what she was saying wasn¡¯t terrifying for a normal person like Shuka.


    Can the guild really just get whatever they want from the city guard? I thought the guards were supposed to protect people from things like the Thieves Guild, not help them.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they know Eric is helping the guild if I go talk with him?¡±


    ¡°Well sure, but they already know Eric is a Thieves Guild member, that¡¯s why we go to him for the easy stuff. Since its all out in the open we don¡¯t have to rely on subterfuge or breaking in to get something as simple as a list of names. And the guards are okay with it because it means they will know what to look out for if we do break the law. Its win-win really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ oddly cooperative of you. I kind of thought the guild and the guards were mortal enemies but I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well it used to be a lot worse but around thirteen years ago the old guild leader in Sidus died and his replacement made some big changes. She kicked out all of the especially nasty criminals and started cooperating with the local law enforcement to take down all of her rivals. Now the guild has a monopoly on crime and the empire can¡¯t even do anything about it because if they take out the Thieves Guild someone a lot more dangerous will just replace us. Of course, its not all good, after all killing is all but prohibited and we can¡¯t piss of the guards too much or the gloves come off. Still, there¡¯s plenty of gold to be made even without some of the really bad stuff.¡±


    Huh. I had no idea this is what the Thieves Guild is like. Although being not as bad as they could be doesn¡¯t exactly make them saints. Still its nice to know that the people I¡¯m working with aren¡¯t complete monsters.


    ¡°So, after I get the list should we just meet back up here?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but my jobs probably gonna take a lot longer than yours so how about you give me two hours and you can do whatever you want with the extra time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh and one more thing. Don¡¯t try to run, we will know.¡±


    *


    The walk to the eastern guardhouse was thankfully uneventful but Shuka could hardly call it pleasant. The whole way she was plagued with thoughts and the busy streets of Rockmarsh refused to give her a quiet moment to think. Already she was missing Anirak¡¯s little alleyway hideout and the peace and quiet it gave her. Still, all the noise in the world couldn¡¯t distract her from the fact that she was now officially working for a criminal organisation.


    Sure, I¡¯m not technically a member of the Thieves Guild and I haven¡¯t actually committed any crimes yet but the more I help them the harder it will be to prove my innocence once I¡¯m free of this curse.


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    The farther along this train of thought she went the more worried she became until eventually Shuka decided that she could not be seen working with known criminals.


    I have to disguise myself somehow, but a full body illusion is still too difficult for me to maintain for long enough to be effective. Maybe I could use a mundane disguise, after all Ralisdor did always say the most effective disguise is one that can¡¯t be seen through with a bit of magic. But where am I going to find stuff for a disguise in this city?


    As Shuka was having these thoughts she noticed a merchant selling cloaks and got an idea. A few minutes later She was five copper poorer and hiding in an alley. She put her new cloak on and started weaving an illusion around her face. First, she took her long black hair out of the braid it was in and started turning it blond. Then She gave herself bright blue eyes to replace her old brown ones and as a final touch made her tan skin a few shades lighter. Looking at herself through a puddle on the ground Shuka found she could barely recognise herself. Her face was still the same shape but with all of her most defining characteristics changed there was no way anyone would recognise her from description alone. And with the cloak covering her usual outfit she could now completely change her look with only a simple illusion on the face instead of a much more complicated full body illusion. Seeing that her disguise worked Shuka returned to her normal look and continued on her way to the guardhouse.


    Ten minutes later she was standing in front of her destination looking like someone else. The thought of entering gave her enough anxiety to make her feel sick. She didn¡¯t want to go in, but her illusion gave her just enough courage to open the doors and walk in. The first thing she saw inside was men and women looking at her with wariness and suspicion. The next thing she saw was their weapons. There were four guardsmen who seemed to have been chatting in the corner of the room before they stopped to stare at her. The only other person in the room was a secretary. Shuka¡¯s heart was pounding so fast she was worried she was losing years of her lifespan for every minute she spent in here. No one moved to stop her, although they all had their hands on their weapons. Shuka walked towards the secretary as she was the one person in the room who would have any trouble at all killing her. The secretary gave Shuka a forced smile but when she spoke her voice was cold.


    ¡°How may I help you?¡±


    All Shuka wanted to do was curl up into a ball and never be seen by anyone again, but she had to reply, or everyone would just keep staring at her.


    ¡°I would like to speak to Eric.¡±


    Shit, I forgot to say please. Wait no, they would probably think I was being sarcastic with this curse on me and pissing them off is the last thing I want to do right now. Or would the curse make them think I¡¯m being especially rude by not saying it? Shit, it¡¯s probably both.


    The secretary simply got up and started leading the way.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Shuka followed hoping that there were less guards deeper in the building. There weren¡¯t. the longer she stayed here the more out of place she felt and the more the anxiety built up. Maintaining her illusion was starting to get difficult but she just barely managed to keep it on.


    If only Xorvos was here, at least then I would feel safer. Right now, the only thing keeping me safe is the fact that they think I¡¯m too big of a criminal for them to mess with.


    After a short walk the two women arrived at a plain wooden door.


    ¡°He¡¯s in there.¡±


    And with that, her job was done, and the secretary left to go back to her desk. Since she obviously wasn¡¯t going to do it, Shuka knocked on the door in front of her and waited. She didn¡¯t have to wait long before the door was opened by a guardsman that looked much like the others that she had seen. He was tall with short blond hair and pale skin that was common in the empire. He wore the standard uniform of the Rockmarsh guard which consisted of a breastplate on his chest, vambraces on his arms, and grieves on his legs. Underneath the armor was a purple and black outfit with steel gray accents. The uniform also had a helmet but that was currently on the table behind Eric rather than on his head.


    ¡°Hey, sorry I¡¯m all geared up I was just about to o on patrol. Are you from the guild? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah today is my first day, I¡¯m a freelancer. Sorry, I don¡¯t want to make you late, should I come back later?¡±


    Oh god why did I say that? If he leaves now how am I going to get the list?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I still got a few more minutes until I have to go. So, you said you¡¯re a freelancer, who sent you? Oh, and come in, I don¡¯t want you standing in the middle of the hallway like that.¡±


    Shuka walked in the small room and closed the door behind her and looked for a place to sit. Sadly, the only two options were the bed and a chair by a small desk with important looking papers on it. The bed felt a little too personal and if she sat at the desk he would probably think she was snooping. Instead, she just continued to stand awkwardly in front of the door. It was admittedly better than standing awkwardly in the hallway but it still wasn¡¯t great.


    ¡°Anirak sent me. I¡¯m looking for the list of people who entered Rockmarsh in the last few days.¡±


    ¡°Did Korro give you this job?¡±


    He is certainly asking a lot of questions. He probably doesn¡¯t trust me.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me to get the list or anything, but he did tell me to do the job I need it for.¡±


    ¡°And what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just give me a minute then.¡±


    Eric opened a drawer on his desk and took out a small stone. He then turned his back to Shuka and started speaking into the stone in his hand. He was speaking quietly so she couldn¡¯t quite hear what was being said but she could swear she could hear two different voices. After a few moments Eric turned back towards her with an expression that Shuka did not like the look of.


    What¡¯s with that look he¡¯s giving me, did I do something wrong?


    ¡°What did you say your name was?¡±


    ¡°Um, Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Because apparently ¡®Shuka¡¯ looks nothing like you so either I¡¯m getting pranked by the infamously humourless Korro Rockhammer or you¡¯re not who you say you are.¡±


    Fuck! I still have the illusion up.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! It¡¯s just an illusion, see.¡±


    Shuka dropped her illusion and backed up against the door, ready to run if it turned into a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I just didn¡¯t want to be seen by the regular guardsmen, I never meant to trick you or anyone else in the guild. Please forgive me it was just a small mistake.¡±


    The pure fear in her voice was enough to cause Eric to hesitate, even through the curse. After a tense moment he let out a heavy sigh and picked up a piece of paper from his desk.


    ¡°I will be speaking with Anirak later and if she tells me you did anything shady with this information, you¡¯ll need more than some petty illusion to save yourself. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I got it and again I am sorry, and I won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Good, now get out of here.¡±


    Eric held the paper out to Shuka who promptly took it and left before he changed his mind. After she was back in the hallway, she quickly put the illusion back up and hurried back to the entrance of the guardhouse. Only when she had left the building entirely did Shuka begin to relax.


    That was pretty close, but I managed to pull through. I just wish that wasn¡¯t the third or fourth time I¡¯ve almost had a heart attack today. The rest of this job better be a lot less stressful than that or my body might kill me long before Validus does.


    Shuka dropped the illusion after she got a few blocks away from the guardhouse and started making her way towards Anirak¡¯s hideout but was interrupted before she got far.


    ¡°Shuka! Hey over here!¡±


    She winced at the volume at which her name was called and turned to see Xorvos making his way through the crowd. There weren¡¯t that many people who wanted to get in the way of someone as big as him, so he made quick progress. Shuka was relived to see a friend for once instead of a potential enemy.


    ¡°Hey Xorvos, good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you too. So did the guild give you a job?¡±


    How does he know about- no wait he means the adventurers guild not the Thieves Guild.


    ¡°No, uh, they didn¡¯t have anything.¡±


    ¡°What was that look? Did something happen?¡±


    Shuka only had a look of panic on her for a split second but it was enough for Xorvos to notice.


    Shit, I cant let him know about the Thieves Guild.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. There was a bit of a misunderstanding because of the curse but its been delt with.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You looked pretty worried there, maybe I can help. What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really. Don¡¯t worry about it. Sorry I¡¯ve got to go.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Shuka ran of into the alleyways in hopes of loosing Xorvos but she needn¡¯t have worried about that. Xorvos just stood there wondering what had gone wrong. Even so, Shuka didn¡¯t stop running until she made it to the hideout and buried herself in pillows. Shuka was far too old to throw a tantrum so instead she just curled up into a ball and thought about how everything was going wrong.


    FUCK! Why can¡¯t at least one thing today go right? I can¡¯t even talk to my friend anymore. I¡¯ve been cursed for less than a week and near-death experiences are a almost daily occurrence. I¡¯m making deals with criminals behind my friends back and now he doesn¡¯t even trust me. I just fixed my last fuckup with him and now I¡¯m back to square one. Worse even. Why cant this day just end already?

 Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Eleven


    Xorvos was sitting in his room thinking. He was thinking about many things but mostly he was thinking about his friend. These days he only had one and so when she had ran it had only hurt him more.


    Why did she run? Was it my fault? Or did something happen that I don¡¯t know about? And why was she lying to me? When will she come back? Or will she even come back at all?


    There was no one around to answer the questions swirling around in his head so they just kept piling up. Each one left unanswered was like a knife stuck in his body, wearing him down more and more. He had to get some answers, even if they only confirm his fears, but how? Shuka was gone and he had no idea how to find her in this unfamiliar city. Xorvos was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost didn¡¯t notice the sound of the door opening. Almost. When the noise finally registered in his head, he turned his whole body to face the door, getting up in the process. He hoped desperately for it to be Shuka entering the room, but it wasn¡¯t. Instead, it was Ralisdor standing there, looking surprised at the sudden vigor Xorvos had displayed. But Ralisdor had arrived for a reason and he wasn¡¯t about to let a little surprise get in the way of that.


    ¡°Xorvos, I wish to leave Rockmarsh tomorrow. Make sure you are ready to travel by then and please inform Shuka when she gets back.¡±


    ¡°She might not be coming back.¡± He replied now dispirited, all his vigor gone.


    ¡°Why would she not come back? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know what. I met her in the marketplace, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me the truth and when I called her on her lies, she ran away.¡±


    Ralisdor let out a sigh and entered the room fully, closing the door on the way. He pulled up a spare chair and sat down facing Xorvos. He hadn¡¯t planned on getting into a long conversation when he opened the door, but this demanded his attention.


    ¡°So why do you think she was lying to you? Is there a possibility this was just some misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°But then why would she run?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°If it was just a misunderstanding then running wouldn¡¯t help, the only explanation is she has something she doesn¡¯t want me to know about. But I¡¯m her friend, why can¡¯t she trust me?¡±


    His voice was getting heated and it was obvious that this was something that was eating at him inside for a while. Ralisdor however, remained calm.


    ¡°I doubt whatever happened is as bad as you are currently thinking. I am sure she just does not want to involve you with her problems.¡±


    ¡°But if she¡¯s in trouble why doesn¡¯t she trust me enough to help her? That¡¯s the whole reason I even came on this journey, to protect her when she¡¯s in danger. I can¡¯t do that when she won¡¯t tell me what the danger is.¡±


    His voice was angry but laced with worry and he had anxiety written all over his face.


    ¡°If you are so worried then perhaps you should attempt to find her instead of whining about it in your room.¡±


    ¡°But how? I don¡¯t know this city and she could be anywhere. Finding her could take days and that¡¯s only if she hasn¡¯t already left the city.¡±


    ¡°If you do not know the city then find someone who does. All you need to do is talk to the right person and she will be found within the hour.¡±


    Xorvos stood up in an instant. This was the first sign of hope he had gotten, and he would not let it slip by.


    ¡°You can find her? Then please help me and I will pay you back however I can.¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Ralisdor urged. ¡°I can¡¯t find but I can find someone who can. And there is no need to repay me, I wish to find her as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Now let¡¯s go, the longer she is out there the more likely something bad will happen to her.¡±


    Xorvos was already moving towards the door but Ralisdor was in no rush.


    ¡°Hold on. If we want to find Shuka fast, then we will need to find someone to scry on her. To do that they will need something of Shuka¡¯s to focus on while casting the spell. Before we leave, we must find that something to give the diviner or the spell will have no target.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go to her room and find something!¡±


    Why is he being so slow? Doesn¡¯t he get how serious the situation is right now?


    Ralisdor was getting up now but he was moving with much less urgency than his Quanso companion.


    ¡°Rushing ahead will get us nowhere. Move at a pace that allows you the time to think and you will always be moving in the right direction.¡±


    Well at least he is moving now. Still, I wish he would hurry it up a bit. I can already tell this is going to be a long afternoon.


    *


    Xorvos had never been to a Mages Guild before. Quanso weren¡¯t capable of using magic and he was never that interested in it anyway. But he still had a feeling of awe as he looked upon the building before him. The Rockmarsh Mages Guild was built into the side of the mountain in the center of the city. Pristine white marble pillars seemingly held up the weight of the mountain and framed the ornate wooden door leading inside. The interior was lit up by glowing geometric patterns covering the walls, floor, and ceiling acting as a light source in place of more mundane torches and candles. As he entered the common room Xorvos saw that the room was occupied by all manor of mages and spellcasters. They were sitting at tables that were nothing but a floating marble square. Xorvos was completely lost in this unfamiliar environment but Ralisdor seemed to know what he was doing. He made his way to an old, grizzled man in a grey robe looking bored, drinking a beer in the corner.


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    Why is Ralisdor interested in him? He looks like the least impressive person in this building.


    Regardless of Xorvos¡¯ misgivings, Ralisdor sat down at the old mans table and began to speak with him.


    ¡°Greetings good sir. I would wish to employ your services in order to locate a missing companion of mine.¡±


    The mage put down his drink and took out a crystal ball from a bag at his side.


    ¡°My services aren¡¯t cheap. How much are you willing to pay?¡±


    ¡°Fifty gold for an image of her and one hundred for her exact location.¡±


    ¡°You got a focus for me to use?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ralisdor pulled out a chain necklace with a silver V attached to it. Xorvos looked all over Shuka¡¯s room but the only item of her he found that might work for the scrying spell was her necklace of Vondoom. Apparently, the item has to be a bit more important to them than a bedroll or camping supplies, and she took most of her other stuff with her when she left.


    I hope it¡¯s enough. She doesn¡¯t worship Vondoom and the necklace itself isn¡¯t anything special. All Vondoom orphans get one and she doesn¡¯t even wear hers that often. Still, she took it with her when she left Rainsburg so it must have at least some importance to her.


    The mage simply looked at the necklace and frowned.


    ¡°A child of Vondoom huh? Scrying this girl won¡¯t get me in trouble with the Orphanage will it?¡±


    ¡°No it wont. She is not associated with that side of the Orphanage. Besides, I hold no ill intentions for her in the first place.¡±


    That side of the Orphanage? What is he talking about?


    ¡°Fine, but I make no promises.¡±


    The old man just grumbled and took the necklace. He then placed it next to his scrying orb and began to cast his spell. The once clear orb started to darken as blue strands of magic coalesced in the center. The man concentrated on his orb and slowly each strand of magic was pulled away until a new image in the center was revealed. There, Xorvos finally saw, was Shuka. She was sitting on a small pile of colourful pillows with a troubled look on her face and drinking a cup of what looked to be tea. Across from her was another woman. She was a swamp elf in colourful clothing lounging on a hammock. Her lips were moving but the scrying spell did not transmit sound so Xorvos could not tell what she was saying. The old man maintaining the spell on the other hand could read lips, and he did not like what he saw. He dropped the spell causing the image to fade and the crystal ball to become clear again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me this girl you¡¯re looking for was working with the Thieves Guild, messing with them is almost as bad as messing with the Orphanage.¡±


    What in the world is Shuka doing with the Thieves Guild? Now I have to find her, who knows what kind of trouble she is in right now.


    ¡°Can you tell us where she is?¡± Xorvos pleaded. ¡°Please, it¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡¯m done. This job is way too dangerous for my liking and I want nothing to do with it. Just give me my gold and leave.¡±


    Xorvos was on the verge of reply but was stopped by Ralisdor.


    ¡°You have done enough already. Here is your payment and we will be on our way.¡±


    As he spoke Ralisdor levitated fifty gold coins out from is money pouch and stacked them in stacks of ten in front of the mage. After that he turned and walked away. Xorvos followed behind, almost automatically. He had a lot on his mind and was trying to figure out which question to ask first. He eventually decided on the only one that he thought Ralisdor might actually be able to answer.


    ¡°How did you know that man would be able to scry Shuka? He looked like any other mage to me.¡±


    ¡°It was his robes.¡± Ralisdor explained. ¡°There are many different types of mages and it is rarely obvious what kind of mage one is from their appearance alone. This makes the hiring of a mage somewhat of a hassle if you are looking for a specific type of magic. As a solution to this problem the Mages Guild started producing simple, mono-coloured robes for business minded mages to wear. Since each colour is associated with a type of magic a potential client can find what they are looking for with but a glance.¡±


    Now that I think about it there were a lot of mages in pretty plain robes in there. I just thought mages liked robes, but I guess that was the reason.


    ¡°Now of course this unspoken rule only applies in the Mages Guild lobby. Outside of that room you are free to wear whatever colour of clothing you wish. In fact, the more fashionable spellcasters created or commissioned colour changing robes to allow themselves to quickly change between practical and pretty. I saw this as a massive waste of gold and I instead placed an illusion over my outfit while I was looking for work and dismissed it when I was not. Of course, as an illusionist my robes were purple which suited me just fine as purple is a fine colour. Much better than a dull brown or boring grey that the geomancers and diviners in the Rockmarsh Guild are forced to wear. The only good colour in there was the light blue from the enchanters, but even then, its hardly that exciting.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ While this is all very interesting, I only wanted to know how you knew that man could scry. We should get back to looking for Shuka now.¡±


    Ralisdor stopped talking with an annoyed look on his face. It was clear he wasn¡¯t all that happy about being interrupted.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s continue our search For Shuka. At least she appreciates my lectures.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do now? If she really is dealing with the Thieves Guild, then even just looking for her might get us in trouble.¡±


    There was a moment¡¯s pause that Ralisdor used to think before he gave Xorvos his reply.


    ¡°It seems we have three options. First, we can give up and wait for her back at the inn. We know she is not in any immediate danger and that she is still in the city so there is a good chance she will just come back.¡±


    That doesn¡¯t seem like a very good option to me. How can he say she is not in any immediate danger when the Thieves Guild is involved?


    ¡°The Second option is we continue to search for her on our own. The problem with that is we have no solid leads and excessive probing may stir up trouble with the Thieves Guild.¡±


    Messing with the Thieves Guild would be a problem. And I don¡¯t even know how to start looking for her now that the magic route didn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°The last option is we go directly to the Thieves Guild and ask them what their business with Shuka is. I believe this to be our best option as it gives us the most information while also have the highest chance of success.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our best option? They will kill us! And how are we even meant to find the Thieves Guild? Wouldn¡¯t it be hidden?¡±


    Xorvos was Shocked at the casualness at which Ralisdor gave his suggestion. This entire situation filled Xorvos with anxiety but Ralisdor was as calm as if he was just going out to do a few chores.


    ¡°They will hardly kill us; in fact, I believe murder is prohibited in the Guild except in special or dire circumstances. They like to cultivate an aura of fear, but I doubt they will try to harm us in any way unless we intentionally antagonise them. And finding them will be easy. We just have to ask around a bit and go to the place where we are told to never to go to.¡±


    ¡°That still seems like a bad idea. What if they are doing something bad to Shuka and we can¡¯t stop it because we decided to walk right into the middle of their base? Or what if they decide to kidnap us to use as leverage against Shuka? There are so many ways this can go wrong.¡±


    ¡°If you do not wish to go then I am perfectly capable of going myself. In fact, I would prefer that as it would be much easier to escape alone than with you. Why don¡¯t you just go back to the inn and wait while I do all of the real work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to do nothing while my friend is in danger. I say we search for her ourselves without walking straight into the enemies lair.¡±


    ¡°Enemies lair? Do you even hear yourself? We haven¡¯t even talked to them yet and you already decided they are your enemy. We can help Shuka without any conflict, but you will not even consider it because of your dumb principles. Do what you want but I am going to talk to them.¡±


    Both of their voices grew loud as their argument became more heated. Xorvos knew that he couldn¡¯t convince Ralisdor not to go so he just threw up his hands in defeat.


    ¡°Fine, walk to your death and converse with criminals. I was just trying to think about our safety, but I can see you don¡¯t care about that. I will find Shuka on my own and then maybe we can get you out of whatever trouble you are about to get yourself in together.¡±


    And with that, Xorvos stormed off leaving Ralisdor alone.


    Gods, nothing good can come out of dealing with criminals, why doesn¡¯t he get that? I don¡¯t care how smart he thinks he is there is no way this wont cause trouble for us later. I just hope Shuka is okay, there is no telling what kind of horrendous experience she is going through right now.

 Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Twelve


    Shuka was sitting in a very comfortable pile of pillows drinking a warm cup of tea. All in all, it was the highlight of her day, although it hardly made up for how shitty the rest of it was. Still, it was nice to have a quiet moment to relax.


    I want this moment to last forever but any minute now Anirak is going to get back and give me a new crime to commit. I will have to go back to the inn and have a conversation with Xorvos eventually too.


    Shuka took another sip of tea to distract herself from her more negative thoughts. The distraction didn¡¯t help for long though as Anirak came climbing over the crates soon after. It seemed almost effortless for her, which annoyed Shuka a bit since it took quite a bit of effort for her.


    ¡°Hey, I see you¡¯re helping yourself to some of my tea. No, no, don¡¯t worry it¡¯s fine, the tea is there for a reason.¡±


    Shuka started to panic when the other woman mentioned the tea, but she calmed down after her assurances. As for Anirak, she just went over to her hammock and sprawled herself over it in a very relaxed manner.


    At least Anirak¡¯s not that bad. Or at least not that scary. Compared to some of the other people I saw in the Guild, she is like a blessing from god. I just hope it¡¯s a good blessing.


    ¡°So, did you find the list from the Teleportation Relay?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Even gave it a read on the way back. No luck sadly, if he came to Rockmarsh in the last few days, it wasn¡¯t through the Relay. How about you, Got the list from old Eric?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ yes but there was a bit of a problem.¡±


    Shuka put the list onto the small table in front of her and then took another sip of her tea in an attempt to calm her nerves. It wasn¡¯t working. Anirak reached over and picked up the document. She began to look over its contents while she spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard about that. Eric even came over to visit me to tell me all about it. He also gave me the real list while he was at it in addition to a copy of the fake one he gave you. This way I can check to see if you made any modifications without you getting your hands on the actual information. Only problem is it¡¯s a lot of extra work for me when you were supposed to make things easier.¡±


    Just for a moment, Anirak¡¯s cheery fa?ade cracked a bit as she spoke, a hint of annoyance in her tone.


    Shit, I think I pissed her off. And that was a fake list? I didn¡¯t even notice.


    After a few moments of reading, Anirak placed the document back on the table and went back to lounging in her hammock.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re in the clear. The fake lists match up, so you are not in trouble. For now. Certainly not a good first impression to give to the Thieves Guild though.¡±


    Shuka let out a heavy sigh of relief. There weren¡¯t many things going her way lately so even small victories felt like big ones.


    ¡°So now that that¡¯s out of the way, lets get back to the job. I read through both of the list¡¯s and our target isn¡¯t on either. This can mean two things. Either he snuck in, or he has been in Rockmarsh for a while.¡±


    That sounds about right to me. I wonder how we are going to find this guy now¡­ Why is she looking at me like that? Oh, shit I¡¯m supposed to be making the plans, aren¡¯t I?


    Shuka put down her nearly empty cup of tea that she had been drinking and stammered out a response.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ Yeah. I guess we need to find him then.¡±


    The look Anirak gave her was not encouraging so Shuka tried again.


    ¡°Well if they snuck in then they are probably beyond my ability to find, so lets just assume he¡¯s been here since the start. Um¡­ if he lives here, then I guess he would probably have to buy food and stuff like us so we might be able to ask around at the marketplace.¡±


    Anirak didn¡¯t look very impressed but she also wasn¡¯t glaring anymore so Shuka took it as a good sign.


    ¡°Your delivery is awful, and you need to work on your confidence, but at least the plan is something I can work with. Let¡¯s get to it then.¡±


    Oh wow, that almost sounded like a compliment. Maybe she isn¡¯t as mad as I thought.


    ¡°Hey, before we leave, could I finish my t-¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    *


    It was starting to get a little later in the day so the market wasn¡¯t as crowded as it was the other times Shuka had visited it. That made walking through it only irritating instead of overwhelming. It was still far from a pleasant experience though.


    Why did I think coming here would be a good idea? I should have just said he was hiding in a temple or something. Wait, I think I actually see a temple now. Maybe I can convince Anirak to let me search for him in there while she search¡¯s the marketplace.


    ¡°So, uh¡­ Do you mind if I go ask around in the temple over there while you do the marketplace?¡±


    Anirak glanced up at the small temple Shuka was pointing to and then back at her.


    ¡°The temple huh? Go ahead, we might as well check it out while we are here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Really?¡±


    ¡°What, did you think I was going to say no?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Shuka looked away in embarrassment.


    ¡°Just go, but make sure you actually look for our guy while you¡¯re there. I don¡¯t know what you want to do in there but do it after your job.¡±


    ¡°Right, about that. What does the guy we are looking for look like? I don¡¯t think you ever told me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should have asked me this a little earlier? Whatever, he is a tall, muscular human man with short black hair. His left eye is blue, and his right is green. He also has a very rough and deep voice.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks. And uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not asking earlier.¡±


    Anirak looked a bit confused at the apology but didn¡¯t stop Shuka as she left to go to the temple. When she got there, she realised that she had made a grave mistake. Other than the Orphanage, the only temple that there was in Rainsburg was a small building dedicated to Xyloth, the God of Magic. It was a quiet place used more for study than prayer, so when Shuka walked into this new temple, a cacophony of sound was the last thing she expected.


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    Only after she was already inside did she notice the holy symbol displayed prominently on the wall. It was a hammer with its head in the shape of an anvil, the mark of Dwarfankor the God of Creation. His followers were craftsmen of all types but in a city like this that craft is blacksmithing. Inside there were half a dozen forges being worked by surly dwarfs and humans and their assistants.


    How did I not hear all of this fucking noise on the way here? Did they seriously enchant the building to prevent any sound from escaping?


    A priestess noticed the pained look on Shuka¡¯s face and approached her.


    ¡°Oi, lady! Can I help you?¡±


    The Dwarven woman almost had to yell to be heard over all of the noise. Unlike all of the blacksmiths in the building who were wearing their working clothes, she was dressed in a cleric¡¯s robes. Although even that couldn¡¯t hide her strong arms and calloused hands.


    ¡°Um, yeah! Could we go somewhere a bit quieter first though?¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t like raising her voice but it was a necessity in this place. Luckily the priestess seemed to understand that.


    ¡°We have a silenced room we use for payer! Here, let me take you to it!¡±


    Shuka followed her past the collection of forges holding her hands over her ears in an attempt to deafen herself to the clangs and bangs all around her. It didn¡¯t help much but she still kept them there until she reached a plain wooden door on the other side of the room. Once she followed her guide inside, she experienced a blissful silence as all of the noise of the blacksmiths faded away to nothing.


    Finally, some peace and quiet.


    The room Shuka found herself in was small, barely big enough for a handful of people to be in it at the same time. There wasn¡¯t much furniture, only a basic alter to Dwarfankor and a small table with a few chairs in the corner.


    ¡°Now why don¡¯t you take a seat, and we can talk. My name¡¯s Mirin, by the way.¡±


    Mirin dragged the table out to be used and then took a seat at it in one of the small wooden chairs. Shuka didn¡¯t want to be rude so she sat down too.


    ¡°I¡¯m Shuka. Um¡­ not to be rude but is the entire temple as loud as the entrance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit rude but don¡¯t worry about it. And to answer your question, no. Dwarfankor encourages creation in all it¡¯s forms, and smithing is just one of them. We also have rooms dedicated to other crafts like woodworking and sculpting, although they are less popular around here. Each room is enchanted to keep their noise contained to prevent complaints between crafters.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s good. At least if I have to ask around for this guy I¡¯m looking for I can just go to the quieter rooms.


    ¡°So what has brought you to the temple of Dwarfankor? Not many come by just to look and you don¡¯t look like a worshipper to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well I¡¯m looking for a guy and I thought he might have passed through here. He is a tall man with a blue left eye and a green right eye.¡±


    A look of recognition flashed across Mirin¡¯s face as she heard the description.


    ¡°That sounds like Hector, he¡¯s one of our metalworkers. Why do you want to talk to him?¡±


    ¡°I just want to ask him something.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry but I haven¡¯t seen him all day. You will have to look for him elsewhere.¡±


    Hmm¡­ Korro said the three things I needed were a name, who he worked for, and what he wants to do with the lead. I already have two of the three and I only need one, so there is no reason for me to continue searching for him.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, you have already helped me out a lot.¡±


    ¡°Just doing my job.¡±


    Uh oh. Looks like her smile is gone, did I say something wrong? Or maybe she is just suspicious of me because I am looking for her friend. Now that I think about it, the curse is probably making me pretty suspicious right now. Best not overstay my welcome.


    ¡°Anyway, thank you for your time but I have to be going now.¡±


    ¡°All right then, it¡¯s been nice talking to you.¡±


    Even I can tell she¡¯s lying this time. Oh well, it¡¯s not like I was planning on coming back here any time soon.


    Shuka got up from her chair and prepared herself to go back into the auditory hell that is the main chamber of the Temple of Dwarfankor. She was just about to open the door back in when Mirin interrupted her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go back through the main chamber there is a side entrance that leads straight outside.¡±


    Shuka looked to where Mirin was pointing and saw an inconspicuous door set into the side of the wall.


    ¡°Oh. Thanks.¡±


    *


    Finding Anirak didn¡¯t take long, her colourful clothing stood out amongst the drab greys and browns of everyone around her.


    Is she buying a fish?


    Anirak was indeed buying a fish. By the time Shuka reached her the transaction was already complete and Anirak was eating a fried fish on a stick.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back already. That means you either got some info or you¡¯re slacking off.¡±


    Anirak was cheery as always but Shuka got the distinct impression that she would not be happy if the answer was slacking off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s the former. The priestess in the temple knows the guy we are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Well, what did ya find out then?¡±


    ¡°His name is Hector, and he is a metalworker with the Temple of Dwarfankor.¡±


    ¡°The temple huh? I have a few thoughts on that, but we better get somewhere a bit more private before I share them. Follow me.¡±


    Anirak led Shuka out the marketplace and into a nearby inn. All she did was nod to the innkeeper before heading straight through the common room and into another room with a ¡®staff only¡¯ sign on it. Shuka was a little hesitant to go in as she was certainly not a part of the staff, but Anirak must have brought her here for a reason so she still entered. Inside was not the storage room she was expecting but instead a small chamber with nothing but a table and two chairs. It reminded Shuka of the prayer room in the temple, but without the alter.


    ¡°Alright, we can talk here.¡±


    Anirak sat down in one of the chairs and Shuka followed suit. It was all eerily similar to the meeting she had with Mirin less than half an hour ago.


    I guess when you¡¯re making a room for private meetings all you really need is a table and two chairs. It¡¯s still weird that this is the second time I¡¯ve done this today.


    ¡°So¡­ you said you had some thoughts on him working for the temple?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So that temple is a part of the Celestial Church, and the Celestial Church is the biggest religious organisation in the Empire. Normally that would be bad, as messing with powerful people tends to be more trouble than its worth, but we actually have a pretty good relationship with them so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it not fine? I mean what we¡¯re doing would hurt your relationship with them wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°If we interfered with what they¡¯re doing then sure, but we¡¯re just snooping around and that can be excused for the sake of the alliance. Of course, all of that only applies if this Hector bought all that lead on behalf of the Church. He¡¯s not all that high up on their hierarchy so he might have been hired by someone else.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he bought it for a personal project, he is a metalworker after all.¡±


    Anirak shook her head.


    ¡°Not likely. Unless he is the best metalworker in the city, I don¡¯t think he would have enough gold to pay for all of the lead he is buying. And besides, he is having the lead shipped of elsewhere. If it really was a personal project, then he would work on it here in Rockmarsh. At best he is collaborating with someone else, but even then, I would like to know who the other person is.¡±


    Why am I even still here? I don¡¯t care what he wants to use this lead for, and I only needed to get his name. And Xorvos is going to worry about me if I¡¯m gone too long, actually he is probably already worrying. I just want to be done with all of this and go to bed.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know and all, but¡­ I think I¡¯m done here. Korro told me that I only had to get one thing and I got his name so there isn¡¯t really a reason for me to continue other than gold. But I don¡¯t really need that, or at least not enough to go messing with the Celestial Church.¡±


    Anirak had such a casual and friendly demeanor that Shuka had almost forgotten that she was with the Thieves Guild. But she remembered now. Her smile disappeared and her alligator eyes narrowed. When she spoke it was cold and merciless.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it then huh? Just do the bare minimum and then leave all of the hard work to me? All I have been doing all day is answering your inane questions and following your half assed plans and now you¡¯re bailing on me? Fuck no. The way I see it, you still owe me for getting the list from Eric after you fucked up. Either you see this through to the end or I will be telling Korro just how shitty of a job you¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    Shuka was terrified. It was hardly a new experience at this point but no less terrible. She felt like a deer already caught in the jaws of a would, just waiting for it all to end. But this wolf was expecting an answer and if she didn¡¯t give it then there would be no coming back.


    ¡°A-alright. I¡¯ll help you. I¡¯m s-sorry I didn¡¯t mean to put all of the work onto you.¡±


    Her voice was shaking but it seemed to be enough to satisfy Anirak. In an instant her face went from malice to the same casual smile Shuka had grown so used to.


    ¡°Great! As long as you understand then we can continue our conversation.¡±


    What the fuck was that? I¡¯ve never seen her so mad before and it came completely out of nowhere. Has she been holding it in all day? I need to be more careful around her.


    Why wont this day just end already?

 Chapter Thirteen

    Chapter Thirteen


    Shuka was sitting on a bench outside of an apartment building, nervously fiddling with a stick. She had been there for a few hours now and at this point, and night had already fallen so she was having a hard time seeing anything. This was a bad thing as she was supposed to be looking for someone.


    What do I do? I can barely see and if I don¡¯t find Hector then Anirak will be mad at me again. I don¡¯t know how many more times I can fuck up before she gets fed up with me. The curse probably isn¡¯t helping in that regard either.


    Shuka recalled Anirak¡¯s little outburst a few hours prior and was not looking for a repeat of that situation.


    But do I even want to find him? After all, I doubt what she wants to do with him will be very nice. I would rather not have to do any of that, but I would rather not suffer the consequences of failure even more.


    There was no good option but there was a worse option so Shuka found herself desperately straining her eyes against the dark. It wasn¡¯t helping. She could occasionally see vague shapes moving around, but it wasn¡¯t enough to actually identify someone.


    Should I be going up to people and talking to them? It would make it a lot easier to see their faces and even if they¡¯re not who I¡¯m looking for I can ask them about him. But I hardly enjoy talking to people normally, pestering strangers in the streets sounds like torture. Maybe Anirak will find him inside and I wont even have to do anything.


    Anirak was the one who found out he lived in the apartment in the first place. She went into the Temple after her conversation with Shuka and came back with the information not even ten minutes later. Now she was in the building asking around and trying to find his specific apartment.


    Maybe I could run. If I quickly go back to the inn, I might be able to convince Xorvos and Ralisdor to leave Rockmarsh before the Thieves Guild finds out I left. Or they will now the instant I bail and by the time I reach the inn they will have already set up an ambush.


    A finger tapped Shuka on the shoulder twice. She almost jumped out of her skin as she turned around and saw Anirak standing directly behind her with a mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°Well, well, well, aren¡¯t you supposed to be keeping watch? I snuck right past you and you didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s so dark out I can¡¯t see anything. I was keeping an eye out I swear but it¡¯s so hard during the night.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I knew you would freak out. Don¡¯t worry, I know you have crappy human eyes, so I came back to help you out. I wasn¡¯t making much progress on the inside anyway.¡±


    Anirak vaulted over the bench and sat down in it herself.


    Well, there goes any plan of escaping. At least she¡¯s here to help.


    The two women sat there for a few minutes in silence before Anirak noticed something.


    ¡°Hey, eyes up. There¡¯s a Gnoll making his way towards us. Don¡¯t worry though I think I recognise him.¡±


    Shuka looked up to where her companion was pointing and saw a figure moving towards them. All she could tell was that it was roughly person shaped but Anirak seemed sure that it was a Gnoll.


    ¡°Stay here and keep an eye on the apartment. I¡¯m going to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the best I will be able to do is tell if anyone enters or leaves, I won¡¯t be able to see the details.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, just tell me about them after I get back.¡±


    And with that she got up and sauntered over to the Gnoll.


    That¡¯s a shame, I was kind of hoping to meet him. I¡¯ve never actually met a Gnoll before, only seen them at a distance. Oh well, I¡¯m sure I will meet at least one on this journey.


    A few minutes of quiet conversation later Anirak returned to Shuka with an extra spring in her step.


    ¡°Good news. That was a guildmate I was just talking to and he told me he spotted good old Hector at the Rockmarsh Bank barely fifteen minutes ago. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing there but if we hurry, I bet we can catch him.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were the only ones looking for him. Did you ask the Guild for more help?¡±


    ¡°We are the only ones actively looking for him but when I got his physical description, I spread the word that I was looking for him. Scurry over there was just minding his own business when he happened to spot our guy and decided to let me know.¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly nice of him. I guess even thieves can help each other out.


    ¡°Well, if we know where he is, I guess we better get moving.¡±


    *


    Validus was tired. He had been riding almost nonstop for the last few days going from settlement to settlement trying to inform as many people as possible of the witch he encountered. The fact that he had to trek through miles of swampland didn¡¯t help either.


    She can¡¯t hide forever, but I fear my efforts will not be enough. What is stopping her from simply bewitching the townsfolk? Or weaving an illusion few could pierce? She did not seem that powerful in a fight but all that means is her strength lies in more subtle magic.


    These thoughts troubled him all throughout his journey, but they were put at ease now that he had returned to Rockmarsh.


    Now that I¡¯m back I can teleport to Sidus and report that nefarious duo to Grand Priest Mervil. I am sure after he learns of their danger, he will grant me additional forces to help in my search. But for now, I will rest.


    Validus was making his way towards an inn when a lone woman rushed up to him.


    ¡°Help, help, please somebody help me!¡±


    ¡°What is wrong? I will help any way that I can.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank the gods. I overheard a dark-haired lady talking about how she was going to steal something from the Rockmarsh Vault with a Quanso. I told the City Watch, but they won¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Dark haired lady and a Quanso? That must be the witch I am pursuing. If she managed to hide herself in Rockmarsh this entire time without being found, then she must be more powerful than I thought.


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    ¡°I will apprehend her immediately. Please direct me to the vault where this crime will take place.¡±


    ¡°At the end of the main road leading towards the mountain there is a tunnel leading into it. Go through the tunnel until you reach the Rockmarsh Bank at the center. The vault is located directly underneath the bank.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your help will not be forgotten.¡±


    With a destination in mind, Validus set his horse racing down the street.


    You won¡¯t get away this time witch.


    *


    Xorvos was lost. He had been searching for Shuka for the last few hours but before he knew it the sun had gone down. While some streets were well lit with mage lights lighting the way, others were not. Xorvos was rather shocked to find entire sections of the city left in complete darkness. It made traversing those sections very difficult for those who could not see in the dark.


    I am never going to find Shuka like this. I might as well go back to the inn and wait for her to get back, if I am lucky, she will already be there. I just wish I knew what direction the inn is.


    After wandering around for half an hour Xorvos finally found his way back to one of the well-lit sections of the city.


    Oh good. This looks like one of the main streets that run through Rockmarsh. I am sure that if I go down this road long enough, I will find at least something I recognise.


    Xorvos was about to step onto the road when he heard hooves approaching. Looking down the street he saw a fast-approaching horse and its rather shiny rider. Xorvos couldn¡¯t make out who it was riding the horse, but he still stepped back into the darkness in case it was who he thought it was.


    That can¡¯t be Validus can it? If it is then finding Shuka is more important than ever.


    As the rider passed under the mage lights illuminating the street, Xorvos caught a glimpse of his face. It was only for a second but there was no mistaking who he saw. Validus.


    Crap, it is him. I don¡¯t think he saw me, but I am worried about where he is going. Does he know where Shuka is? If he does then I should follow him.


    His next course of action seemed obvious but¡­ Xorvos still hesitated. He thought back to his last encounter with Validus and his sword buried deep in his shoulder.


    If I follow him and he catches me I am done for. I don¡¯t even come close to matching him in combat and if I lose, I might die.


    Fear began to build up inside him, and Xorvos had to force himself to calm down.


    Even if I might die, I still need to save Shuka. If I run now, then I will never forgive myself.


    With his resolve found Xorvos looked down the street Validus rode down and began to chase after him.


    *


    Shuka was sitting across from a very nervous metalworker in the Rockmarsh Bank. She had never interrogated anyone before, so she was quite surprised that Anirak decided to do it in public. Admittedly, there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the bank so late at night, and they were in a corner of the room out of sight of the receptionist. But it still felt a little to open.


    I guess we technically aren¡¯t breaking any laws right now, just giving vague threats while having a mostly normal conversation. But can¡¯t we do this somewhere a little more private? Well at least all I have to do is sit here and look intimidating.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s not that big of deal.¡± Anirak told him with a friendly voice but sharp eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that can happen? Whatever it is I doubt it would be worse then getting on my friends¡¯ bad side.¡±


    Shuka gave him a scowl and watched his fear spike. She just felt silly though.


    How is he so scared? All I¡¯m doing is making faces and he is treating it like I¡¯ve got a dagger to his throat. I guess my curse does have it¡¯s uses every now and then. After all I would much rather Hector to tell us what he needs the lead for rather than Anirak actually following through with her threats.


    ¡°L-look, I can¡¯t tell you okay. I will get in a lot of trouble if they find out I told you guys.¡±


    ¡°Well then don¡¯t tell them. Just tell us who ¡®them¡¯ is and what they want and we will let you go on with your day.¡±


    Hector kept on looking between Shuka and Anirak nervously before he finally cracked.


    ¡°F-fine, I¡¯ll tell you. The lead is for Archmage Fredrick.¡±


    He¡¯s working for a Archmage? That¡¯s a pretty big deal. Only the best mage of each type of magic is granted the title of Archmage. If I remember correctly, Fredrick is the Archmage of Conjuration and he is the only Archmage in the Celestial Empire right now.


    ¡°What does the Archmage of Conjuration want so much lead for?¡±


    Hector looked like he was about to faint in fear just from the question.


    Oh, whoops. Maybe I should just leave all of the questions to Anirak. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I am being hyped up by Anirak or if he¡¯s just inherently cowardly, but my curse seems even worse on him.


    ¡°H-he wants me to build him a n-new lead storage room. I-I-I think it has to do with the new l-law restricting summoning components.¡±


    There is a new law that¡¯s restricting summoning components? That seems weird. I am pretty sure Fredrick works for the Celestial Church a lot and they could pretty easily stop a law like this going through. If I had the worlds best summoner working for me a law like this would be the last thing I want. Hold on, isn¡¯t Hector part of the Church? Maybe they are trying to help Fredrick circumvent the new law to gain his favor.


    ¡°Are you working solely for Fredrick or is the Celestial Church involved too?¡±


    Anirak seemed surprised at Shuka¡¯s proactiveness but said nothing.


    ¡°T-the Church is also involved.¡±


    It looks like he¡¯s going to have a heart attack if I continue this conversation any longer. I better let him go before he does something stupid.


    ¡°Hey Anirak. Do we need him for anything else or are we done with him?¡±


    Her words did nothing to calm Hector down. In fact, hearing that she was ¡®done¡¯ with him only increased his fear. Anirak caught on to this though and quickly interjected before he did something rash.


    ¡°We¡¯re not gonna kill you. You told us what we wanted so we have no reason to hurt you. Just get out of here already.¡±


    Hector didn¡¯t need any more convincing and was out the door as fast as his legs could take him. It was a little surreal to Shuka, seeing him run away so scared. He was, after all, a good foot taller than both of the women he was running from.


    ¡°Well, well, well. It seems you are smarter than you let on. Looks like you just need the proper motivation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that impressive, I just happen to know a thing or two about the current Archmages. And besides, it¡¯s not like the questions I asked were anything special, so why do you think I¡¯m so smart?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you said, it¡¯s what you were thinking. You were obviously thinking about something, making connections and so on. And then when you had a good theory you asked just the right question to confirm it or not.¡±


    She got all of that just from looking at me? How?


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not some kind of genius ok. I just thought it was a bit odd that the Church would let a law pass that would hurt one of their strongest allies. I figured the only way they would let it happen is if they made sure it wouldn¡¯t affect Fredrick in any way.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even know about the teleportation relay and yet you know about the relationship between Fredrick and the Celestial Church? I don¡¯t believe it. Either you were lying then about not knowing about the relay, or you¡¯re lying now about what you were thinking.¡±


    ¡°My magic teacher goes on long rants sometimes and one time he ranted about Fredrick and the Church. He¡¯s the one who knows stuff, not me.¡±


    This is bad. If she thinks I am smart then she will probably consider me either too valuable to let go, or too dangerous to let live. With this dumb curse on me it will probably lean on the dangerous side. I need to get out of here before she makes any more assumptions.


    Right at that moment there was a loud explosion that shook the ground enough to knock Shuka and Anirak out of their chairs. When she managed to collect herself, Shuka found that there was now a large hole in the floor of the bank. Climbing out from the rubble was a familiar figure. It was the same masked, cloaked, bow wielding thief that stole the book in Rainsburg.


    What the hell is going on? Why is he here? Fuck. Don¡¯t tell me I will take the blame for his crime again.


    When the thief finally reached the top of the hole he was climbing out of he took the bow off of his back and nocked two arrows in it. Shuka moved behind the table she was sitting at thinking the arrows were for her, but instead the thief aimed his bow at the front door of the bank. Shuka almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it. His stance was terrible and there was no way he could shoot two arrows at once with any sort of accuracy. But when the door opened, and two guardsmen entered to investigate the sound both arrows found their mark in the guardsmen¡¯s heads.


    He used the bow to give the arrows the velocity they need but then used magic to redirect the arrows mid flight. It sounds simple but that sort of thing requires incredible reflexes and control. Not to mention he did it for two arrows at once.


    After he took out the two guardsmen, the thief put away the bow and began casting a spell. Shuka wanted to stop him, even if just to prove her innocence, but the two corpses at the door made her reconsider. The fear made her hesitate long enough for the thief to finish his spell and disappear.


    It must have been a teleport, or maybe invisibility. Either way, me and Anirak are now the only culprits and I¡¯m the one with the bow. I have to get out of here before anyone else arrives.


    Shuka got up and started running for the door but stopped when she heard the sound of hooves on the stone road outside.


    It can¡¯t be him can it? It can¡¯t be, Korro said he left already.


    All of her worst fears were confirmed when she looked out the open door and saw him. A knight in shining armour coming for her head.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Chapter Fourteen


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I¡¯m innocent I swear.¡±


    Shuka pleaded but the paladin before her continued his advance with a cold silence. He had dismounted at this point and was walking towards Shuka with his weapon already drawn.


    What do I do? He¡¯s not listening to reason and I don¡¯t even have Xorvos to help me fight him this time. Where is Anirak, maybe she can help me.


    Looking around the now ruined room Shuka found no sign of her companion from the Thieves Guild.


    Shit, did she already run? I didn¡¯t even notice.


    Looking back through the open door she saw that Validus was already over halfway to her and had once again lit up his sword with holy flames. Shuka began to back up in a panic and almost tripped on the two corpses at her feet in the process.


    ¡°Please just let me explain. I am not the person you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Silence! I will not hear any more of your lies thief.¡±


    By this point Validus was standing in the doorway, blocking of the banks only exit. Shuka had backed up as far as she could go without falling in the hole created by the real thief. Looking down it she saw it went down for around thirty feet before reaching a polished marble floor.


    One wrong step and I will take quite the nasty fall.


    Shuka faced Validus again and unsheathed her sword. She held it in front of her in a defensive position, but she knew it would do her little good. The paladin¡¯s sword came down lightning quick and it took all Shuka had to deflect it to the side. As the flaming blade passed her by, it suddenly changed its course from vertical to horizontal. What was once a downward slash suddenly became a sideways swipe into her torso. Shuka hopped to the side to avoid the worst of the attack, but still suffered a nasty wound as the sword easily cut through her leather tunic and the flesh underneath. The cut wasn¡¯t the worst of it though. Any pain Shuka might have felt from it was overshadowed by the excruciating agony of the flames. The holy white fire caused such an intense pain that Shuka did not even notice Validus¡¯ shield until it impacted her in the stomach. The pain of the flames had left as quickly as it arrived leaving only a shadow of its former strength. But now Shuka had to deal with a new pain as she clutched her stomach with her one free hand and fell to her knees.


    ¡°Surrender now and face your judgment. Resist and face your end.¡±


    Shuka could barely think. She felt nauseous and was finally starting to feel the sting of the cut she received earlier. Validus had his still flaming sword pointed at her neck, mere inches away. He had said something but Shuka couldn¡¯t remember what.


    Is he waiting for something? Did he¡­ ask me a question?


    Her nausea was subsiding a bit, but the pain still lingered. She didn¡¯t know what to say, and Validus was starting to get impatient. Shuka was starting to panic, unsure of what to do when out of nowhere a small fist sized rock flew through the doorway and into the paladins back. It bounced of his armour harmlessly, but it did draw his attention away from Shuka. Through the door he saw Xorvos standing halfway to the bank with a handful of rocks in his arms. He threw another one, but this time the rock bounced off the doorframe. Validus look rather peeved though and fully turned his back to Shuka to make his way towards Xorvos instead.


    I suppose this is my chance to attack him but¡­ I don¡¯t think he would have turned his back to me if he didn¡¯t think he could deal with me attacking him. I have to be smart if I want to get out of this alive.


    Validus left the bank, blocking another rock as he did so. Then when he was just past the door, he held up his shield over his face and started to concentrate on a spell. As he did, his shield began to shine with a bright yellow tinted light. The light only flashed for a moment, but it was enough to blind Xorvos who was not expecting it. While he was still blinded, Validus swung his sword and launched his holy fire flying into the Quanso. As the flames hit him, Xorvos screamed out in pain, dropping his rocks in the process.


    With him dealt with, Validus turned back to Shuka only to find there were now two of her in the room. One was standing in front of the hole holding her sword pointed towards the paladin, while the other was badly hiding behind a toppled table near the back of the room. The one behind the table had arcane glyphs floating around her outstretched hands and a look of deep concentration on her face.


    ¡°You think you can fool me with your petty tricks, witch? I see right through your paltry illusions.¡±


    Validus quickly advanced past the figure in front of him and towards the one further away. He had to go around the hole to reach her, but the Shuka with the sword made no move to stop him so he reached his destination unhindered. He lashed out with his weapon but found nothing but air as the figure in front of him disappeared. With the illusion dispersed, Validus looked behind himself to see the real Shuka running out the door. Infuriated, he chased after her.


    Outside, Xorvos had recovered from the holy flames, having blocked the majority of it with his thick gauntlets. He was still burned on his forearms where his gauntlets ended but it was a small injury compared to what he could have suffered. Now he was running past his friend and towards the door. Shuka didn¡¯t expect that and had to stop to look at what he was doing.


    What is he thinking? We can¡¯t beat him, we just have to get out of here.


    Shuka soon found her answer as Xorvos tackled Validus just as he was exiting the building, causing them both to go tumbling back inside.


    Shit! He¡¯s going to die if I don¡¯t help him.


    Running back through the door Shuka found Xorvos and Validus on the ground wrestling each other. Xorvos was on top at the moment due to his larger body and the surprise of the tackle, but already Validus was starting to get the upper hand. The paladin slammed the pommel of his sword against his opponents¡¯ head causing the grip on him to loosen just enough to move his shield arm. Shuka saw his shield begin to glow with magic and in a moment of quick thinking, struck her sword against it. The moment her blade touched the wood of the shield, the energy stored inside it was discharged in the direction of the blow. This concussive force ripped Shuka¡¯s sword out of her grip and launched it across the room, out of reach.


    It would have been bad if Xorvos got hit by that, better my sword than him.


    ¡°Push him into the hole!¡± Shuka yelled. ¡°That¡¯s the only way we will be able to get away from him.¡±


    While Xorvos would have loved to drop the paladin in a pit, it was taking all he had just to keep him restrained. Shuka tried to help where she could but found it hard to contribute. She was no grappler and was as likely to hit her friend as she was her enemy with a sword.


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    This isn¡¯t going to work; he¡¯s just going to use another spell and escape somehow. But how do I get him in the hole before then?


    While she was contemplating it, Shuka¡¯s fears became reality. Validus¡¯ sword had been mostly useless during the brawl, due to the close range and awkward angle. Any strike he might be able to get off wouldn¡¯t have the strength or leverage to do any real harm especially if it hit armour. But now the blade once again lit up with the pure white holy flame that has caused so much pain before.


    All he needs to do is touch Xorvos with that fire once and he won¡¯t be able to fight back, at least for a few seconds. I know Quanso are tough, but that fire is too much even for them. I need to do something.


    Shuka knew what she had to do and threw the edge of her cloak around the sword and then grabbed it. The fire seemed to ignore the cloak and burn only her hands, as if only flesh and blood were deserving of the wrath of the divine. Pure agony filled Shuka¡¯s mind as the flames brought her pain of an intensity never felt before. The temptation to let go was almost irresistible, but she persevered. She held the sword with all her might, and still barely held it in her grip. Even while on his back and using only one arm Validus was still a neigh unpassable wall of might. Until he got punched in the face that is. Shuka keeping one of Validus¡¯ arms occupied gave Xorvos the opportunity he needed to use his hands for more aggressive maneuvers. As the metal gauntlet struck the paladin, it left him stunned just long enough for Shuka to wrest his sword from his grip and toss it across the room. As the flames left her hands, the pain left with it, giving Shuka a blissful reprieve from the pain.


    I hope I never have to touch holy fire again, not even the other times I got hit by it hurt that much. At least I managed to disarm him.


    Looking down at her hands Shuka found that they were covered in odd, wavy burn marks. She recognised them as the same burn marks that she received during her first fight with Validus, but these ones were much more intense. The burns still hurt of course, but the pain she felt now paled in comparison to when she grabbed the sword.


    I can still move my hands a bit at least, but it looks like I won¡¯t be using them for anything useful for a while. The burns I got on my shoulder healed in a day or two, but my hands might take a bit longer¡­ if they ever fully heal.


    While Shuka was recovering, Validus had managed to escape from Xorvos¡¯ grapple and was now standing with his back to the hole. He only had his shield left, but still left an intimidating figure that neither of his opponents wanted to approach.


    The moment one of us get close to him he¡¯ll use that spell that charges his shield with a repelling force and knock one of us out. But if we don¡¯t do anything then he¡¯ll just blind us with that light spell and take the initiative. Maybe if we get him to use enough spells, he will run out of mana but I don¡¯t know if we can last that long.


    Shuka didn¡¯t need to make a decision because a brown hand appeared form the edge of the pit and grabbed Validus¡¯ ankle. With one swift movement the hand pulled and brought one leg into the hole.


    Is that Anirak? Was she hiding in the hole this entire time?


    He only had one foot touching the ground and someone was trying to pull him down, but the paladin refused to fall. Shuka saw this and decided to help out by kicking him as hard as she could. Even while distracted and off balance, Validus still managed to block with his shield at the last second. But dealing damage wasn¡¯t Shuka¡¯s goal. That kick was the one little push need to send him tipping over the edge. As he fell, he sent Shuka one last look. It was filled with hatred and contempt. That one look was enough to send fear into her very soul. A moment later he hit the ground and the fight was over.


    ¡°Oi, you gonna stare down that hole all day, or can we get out of here already?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shuka was so focused on Validus that she didn¡¯t even notice Anirak climbing out of the hole. Now the energetic swamp elf was almost bouncing on her feet, eager to leave.


    ¡°Dropping him in that pit bought us some time, but he won¡¯t stay down there forever. And besides, I¡¯m sure there will be more guards arriving soon.¡±


    Shuka looked back down the hole and saw Validus was already getting up. He still didn¡¯t have a quick way of getting back up, but it was still worrying.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Xorvos said. ¡°Why should we go anywhere with you. You¡¯re a member of the Thieves Guild, we can¡¯t trust you.¡±


    How does Xorvos know she¡¯s with the Thieves Guild? This should be the first time they¡¯ve met.


    ¡°Fine then, don¡¯t follow me, but I¡¯m leaving. You can stay here and get arrested for all I care.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re coming. Just give us a second to catch our breath okay. And she did just save us Xorvos, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s an enemy.¡±


    Xorvos was still scowling at Anirak but stopped escalating the situation. Shuka took this opportunity to retrieve her sword. She winced when she picked it up, her burns were still fresh, but she managed to get it back into its sheath without issue.


    ¡°Alright, I think we¡¯re ready now.¡±


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go.¡±


    *


    Half an hour later Shuka, Xorvos, and Anirak were hiding in an abandoned building in one of the unlit sections of the city. It wasn¡¯t nearly as cozy as Anirak¡¯s hideout, but it was still a lot better than stumbling around in the dark alleyways.


    ¡°Alright, now that we found a good enough place to hide for a while, we should probably do something about your hands.¡±


    Anirak had walked up to Shuka in the darkness and was holding up a small vial. Shuka could just barely see the vibrant red liquid inside in the darkness, but even if she couldn¡¯t she knew it must have been a potion of healing.


    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t those expensive? I think the burns will heal on their own, so you don¡¯t have to waste a healing potion on me.¡±


    Xorvos overheard their conversation and did not seem too pleased by it.


    ¡°A healing potion? Shuka you can¡¯t trust anything she gives you, it might be poison.¡±


    ¡°Poison?¡± Anirak exclaimed, incredulously. ¡°Why would I go though all the trouble of saving you two just to poison you?¡±


    ¡°You were just using us to escape. But now that we aren¡¯t useful anymore, you¡¯re going to kill us, so we don¡¯t say anything to the paladin. You didn¡¯t even help in the fight until the very end.¡±


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t help until the end. Facing the Grand Paladin head on is about as dumb as you can get. I waited for the perfect opportunity instead of charging in and getting myself killed. And besides, if I wanted you two dead, I wouldn¡¯t waste any poison. Two stabs in the dark would be all I need.¡±


    What has gotten into Xorvos? He isn¡¯t usually this rude. And we need all the help we can get right now.


    ¡°Xorvos, we can¡¯t afford not to take her help right now. I get that you don¡¯t fully trust her but without her we never would have escaped from Validus.¡±


    ¡°Why are you taking her side? She¡¯s a thief, she only cares about herself.¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that I don¡¯t think she will stab us in the back.¡±


    Well, she probably does have ulterior motives, and I doubt she would risk herself too much for us, but I wont say that while she¡¯s still around to hear it.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Anirak said. ¡°I can tell when I¡¯m not wanted, and you two are just going to argue if I stay. I¡¯ll leave the potion, but you two are on your own now. Find me in the Guild if you guys reach an agreement.¡±


    She gently placed her potion on the ground, and then disappeared into the shadows.


    There goes one of my few allies in this city. At least she left the potion, but I wish she stayed.


    Shuka couldn¡¯t see much but she still got the distinct impression that Xorvos was still unhappy. When she went to pick up the potion that Anirak left behind though, he got up and stopped her.


    ¡°Wait! Let me test it first. I know I am less injured than you right now, but if that potion is something bad, I think I have a better chance of resisting it than you.¡±


    He¡¯s not wrong but he could have still worded that a little better. Oh well, I don¡¯t have the energy for another argument right now so I guess I will let him do what he wants.


    ¡°Go ahead, just make sure you don¡¯t use too much. If it really is a healing potion then I might need a lot to heal my hands.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Xorvos picked up the potion, uncorked the stopper and sipped a tiny bit of the potion. After a second, the holy burns on his arms faded a bit and he seemed satisfied.


    ¡°It seems to be a genuine potion. I still don¡¯t trust Anirak, but your hands come first.¡±


    He handed Shuka the rest of the potion and she drank it down without hesitation. The effect was immediate. The constant dull pain in her hands faded and even the cut in her side and the bruises on her stomach were healed.


    The potion healed those burns pretty easily. I guess holy fire doesn¡¯t cause as much damage as normal fire, even if it hurts a lot more. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think it even produced any heat.


    ¡°Now that your hands are healed and that thief is gone, we can plan our next move.¡±


    Shuka was brought out of her musings by Xorvos¡¯ statement.


    ¡°Yeah, okay then. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    Chapter Fifteen


    ¡°We need to leave Rockmarsh.¡± Shuka told Xorvos. ¡°Now that Validus is back all of the guards in the city will be looking for us. Even if we had Ralisdor helping us it would be very hard to achieve anything here. This was only supposed to be a pit stop anyway.¡±


    ¡°I agree that we need to leave but how?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°There will be guards manning the gates who will be looking for us. If we¡¯re unlucky they might even have ways to see past illusions.¡±


    He brought up a good point and it caused Shuka to pause for a moment, but she soon found her answer.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t trust her, but I might be able to get Anirak and her friends to help us get out of Rockmarsh.¡±


    ¡°You want to get help from the Thieves Guild?!¡± Xorvos nearly shouted the words. ¡°They¡¯re criminals, and the moment we let our guards down they will stab us in the back.¡±


    ¡°Not all of them are evil. And besides, they have rules against murder, they won¡¯t kill us as long as we aren¡¯t their enemies.¡±


    ¡°Breaking rules is what they do.¡± Xorvos spat out with contempt. ¡°The moment they think they can get away with it they will betray us.¡±


    Shuka was starting to get a headache trying to convince him.


    Was he always this stubborn? He won¡¯t even listen to me.


    ¡°Alright fine, then what¡¯s your idea?¡±


    ¡°I say we go back to the inn we were staying at and find Ralisdor. He will help us escape and we can retrieve our stuff while we are there.¡±


    ¡°The inn? They have got to be searching there already or will be soon. Ralisdor will be fine, but I don¡¯t think he will just stick around while the place is covered in guards.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t seem to like his plan being taken apart, but he wasn¡¯t done just yet.


    ¡°The guards will only go to the inn if they know we have been staying there. And we don¡¯t have to find Ralisdor, he just needs to find us. Since neither of us have much money, we need to retrieve what we left at the inn, because it won¡¯t be easy to replace.¡±


    I can¡¯t deny it would be hard to get another pair of horses with our current funds, and I would rather not leave without our camping supplies. But¡­ It just feels like too big of a risk for not enough gain. Maybe if we knew Ralisdor would be there, but that¡¯s not a guarantee. Wait a second, we do have money. I completed Korro¡¯s job, so now he owes me two hundred gold. That¡¯s more than enough to pay for everything being left behind in the inn.


    ¡°If we go to the Thieves Guild then I can get enough gold to pay for everything we would lose. We might even get them to send a message to Ralisdor if they see him. If we go to the inn, there is a chance of finding Ralisdor, but also a good chance that we will just get caught.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of stealing from the Guild? They will kill you if you try that!¡±


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s not that. I¡­ did a job for them and I think I can get paid for it if I head back there.¡±


    ¡°You were working with them WILLINGLY!?¡±


    This time Xorvos did shout, not as loudly as he could, but loud enough to put Shuka on edge.


    ¡°Quiet down Xorvos, we¡¯re hiding remember. And it¡¯s not completely willingly, they did have a¡­ incentive for me to do the job. But they don¡¯t have that anymore, and I won¡¯t stay there any longer than I have to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this ¡®incentive¡¯ is but if they don¡¯t have it anymore then they will just find another one. And the best time for them to do that is the moment you walk through their door. I cannot let you go back there.¡±


    Xorvos wasn¡¯t yelling anymore, but he still radiated disapproval and anger.


    I expected him to disapprove, but I didn¡¯t think he would this stubborn about it. Why can¡¯t he just be practical about this.


    ¡°What do you think they are going to do, kidnap me? They might try to get me to join, but it was made pretty obvious the last time I was there that I could always say no. It might be a bit risky, but it is a whole lot less dangerous than your plan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, the worst the guards will do is throw you in a cell for a few years. One wrong move with the Thieves Guild and you will end up dead.¡±


    ¡°They might have only wanted to arrest me when the worst crime I was accused of is stealing a book, but now there¡¯s a hole in the bank with my name on it. Not to mention the two dead guards that the real thief killed.¡±


    ¡°Well, what did you think was going to happen when you work with the Thieves Guild. When they commit crimes, you get blamed for them too.¡±


    Wait, does he think the Thieves Guild are the ones that robbed the bank? But Anirak seemed just as surprised as me when it happened. And killing the two guards at the end seemed unnecessary, which would go against their no killing policy. I¡¯m gonna need more than that to convince Xorvos though.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a Thieves Guild job. The guy who climbed out of the hole was the same guy who stole all of the books in Rainsburg. When I was talking with the Guild leader, he thought I was the one who did that. I think that if he was working for the Guild then they would know who really stole the books at Rainsburg right?¡±


    ¡°Only if he decided to tell them about it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they would keep an uncooperative murder like that for very long though.¡±


    ¡°You say that like they have standards.¡±


    I¡¯ve never seen Xorvos like this before. I know Quanso don¡¯t really like people who break the law, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad. No wonder Korro wanted one working for him, it¡¯s the last thing people would suspect.


    ¡°The Guild is still our best option for getting out of here, and the two hundred gold from the job can help us later in our journey too.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say two hundred gold?¡± Xorvos restrained himself from yelling this time but his surprise was still obvious. ¡°What could they have possibly hired you to do that would warrant that amount of gold?¡±


    What was initially surprise quickly turned to suspicion. After all, with a reward like that, it couldn¡¯t have been a small crime that was committed.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Someone was buying lead and they wanted to find out who and why.¡±


    ¡°Lead? Why would they care about that?¡±


    ¡°It cancels out divination magic so it¡¯s really good at hiding stuff. I guess they thought it might have been some new gang moving in on their turf or something.¡±


    Xorvos almost immediately got a worried look on his face when Shuka mentioned the rival gang.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting involved in a gang war, are you? We already have enough to worry about with Validus.¡±


    ¡°I know, but don¡¯t worry, it wasn¡¯t a rival gang buying the lead. It was Archmage Fredrick.¡±


    Xorvos may not have known as much about Archmages as Shuka, but even he knew they were a big deal.


    ¡°That¡¯s even worse! We can¡¯t hide from an Archmage, what happens if he seeks retribution?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I kinda doubt that¡¯s going to happen. Fredrick isn¡¯t really the revenge type and I don¡¯t think the Thieves Guild is going to try and stop him or anything. I technically didn¡¯t even commit any crimes getting this information.¡±


    I probably shouldn¡¯t mention the church is involved too. Xorvos is worried enough as it is.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it. The more you work with the Thieves Guild the more enemies you will make. I can¡¯t protect you from everyone Shuka.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. You just took on Validus like it was nothing, without you there is no way I would have gotten away.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t look too encouraged by that. Instead, he almost looked even more troubled.


    ¡°We were lucky this time. I was using my gauntlets to shock him the entire time I had him grappled, and it barely even affected him. I think the only reason he showed a reaction the first time was due to the surprise.¡±


    He was using his gauntlets to shock him? I guess it¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t try to help grappling, I would have probably just gotten shocked myself.


    ¡°But you still managed to hold him down for a while, that¡¯s impressive right? I mean he is one of the strongest fighters in the Celestial Empire, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°But I specialise in grapples.¡± Xorvos retorted. ¡°I had him in the perfect position with you supporting me and still couldn¡¯t do anything against him. Even after you disarmed him, all I could think about was how even without his sword I couldn¡¯t win against him.¡±


    His voice became shakier as he went on and he looked like he was close to having a breakdown.


    Shit, I had no idea he was taking this so hard. I¡¯ve just been glad we¡¯ve been getting away at all.


    ¡°Look, just because you couldn¡¯t beat the best doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t still good. Give yourself a few years to train and I¡¯m sure you could give him a run for his money. But until then you¡¯ve got me helping you out. Even if neither of us can take him on alone, together we can win.¡±


    The Quanso was only half convinced, but he still gave a faint smile. His eyes remained filled with doubt though.


    I wish Ralisdor was here, he would know what to say. I don¡¯t even believe what I¡¯m saying myself, how can I expect him to.


    After a moment of silence between the, Xorvos spoke up.


    ¡°If you really believe the Thieves Guild won¡¯t betray you then¡­ I guess I will have to trust you on this one. I won¡¯t let you go alone though; we are in this one together.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And don¡¯t worry, this will work out just fine, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°I truly hope it does.¡±


    *


    It was a long walk to the Thieves Guild. More because of the darkness then anything else really. They could have gone down the well-lit streets and gotten there much faster, but the darker parts were patrolled less. Xorvos figured that if time was the price of safety then it was a price he was willing to pay. That didn¡¯t stop him from feeling a rush of relief when he finally saw the entrance to the Thieves Guild though. But then he remembered what that building represented, and he felt slightly less relieved.


    At least I won¡¯t be getting lost and stubbing my toes anymore. Still, I do not look forward to working with such vile people, I don¡¯t know why Shuka seems to trust them so much.


    Shuka knocked on a door to a building called Ashrock Bellows. After a few moments the door was opened from the inside and Anirak was there standing in the doorway.


    ¡°Well would ya look at that, you did come. Here to ask for help or do you just want to get paid?¡±


    ¡°A bit of both actually.¡± Shuka replied. ¡°Could you bring us to Korro please? Oh, and I hope it isn¡¯t a problem if Xorvos comes with me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, from what I saw I don¡¯t think bringing him along would pose too much of a risk.¡±


    Xorvos grimaced at the comment but kept his mouth shut. It was far too early to be picking fights.


    ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Anirak led them through the Guild drawing a lot of attention in the process. Quanso already stood out enough with their large stature and grey skin and being in the middle of the Thieves Guild just made it worse. A Quanso joining them was almost unheard of, and for one of them to walk in without an explanation certainly earned him a few looks. Only Anirak¡¯s presence escorting him was keeping him from being questioned.


    It feels like everyone in the room is looking at me. Maybe they are. I can¡¯t believe I just walked in here thinking we would be fine; we are clearly not welcome. And if this is how the underlings are acting how will their boss react?


    Despite his worries he was too far in the building to turn back. He eventually reached the door to Korro¡¯s office and watched as Anirak knocked on it twice.


    ¡°Hey, boss. Shuka¡¯s back and she brought her Quanso friend, can we come in?¡±


    ¡°Of course, bring them inside.¡±


    Anirak opened the door and brought the two friends into the room before entering herself and closing the door behind her.


    ¡°Now.¡± Korro started. ¡°You came to me for a reason Shuka, what do you have to say?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I completed your job, and uh¡­ I think I would like to get paid now.¡± Shuka¡¯s voice was shaking slightly as she spoke.


    Crap, when did she get so nervous? I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt everyone staring at me.


    ¡°If you completed my job, then give your report. If I find it satisfactory then I will supply your payment.¡±


    ¡°Well, um. We found out that it was Archmage Fredrick who was buying the lead with help from the Celestial Church.¡±


    ¡°I see. And did you find out why he wished to obtain the lead?¡±


    This time Shuka hesitated for a moment at the question but gave her answer after a short pause.


    ¡°This is just my theory¡­ but I believe the church is helping him get the lead to help him hide all of the material components that will soon be illegal. Since the Church could easily prevent the law from passing, they are helping Fredrick circumvent it to keep up their good relationship with him while preserving their public image.¡±


    Wait, the Church is involved in this too? She didn¡¯t mention that. And they wouldn¡¯t help someone break the law just to earn their favour, would they?


    ¡°How well did she perform on the job Anirak? I hope she didn¡¯t just leave all of the work to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, not at all. There were a few bumps in the road, and I had to do a few things myself, but I think she pulled her own weight.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. In that case I believe you have earned your pay. Two hundred coins for the name, employer, and purpose of the buyer.¡±


    As he said so, Korro pulled out a small pouch and placed it on his desk.


    Why is it so small? There is no way that pouch is big enough to hold two hundred coins. Maybe it¡¯s a trap and something bad will happen when it¡¯s opened.


    Shuka went to grab the pouch but Xorvos stopped her before she could.


    ¡°Let me check it out first Shuka, it could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous? Do you think they trapped it? Well go ahead I guess, but I don¡¯t think they would need to bother with traps.¡±


    That was all Xorvos needed to hear for him to carefully approach the pouch and slowly pick it up. Anirak seemed a bit exasperated at the whole ordeal but said nothing. Korro just waited patently, seemingly used to this sort of behaviour. Xorvos inspected the pouch closely, looking for any sort of sign that it might be trapped. When he found none, he then tried to determine the contents of the bag without opening it. First he shook the bag lightly and heard the jingling of metal on metal. Then he felt around for the shape of it¡¯s contents and found them to be numerous small discs.


    It really feels like this is just a bag full of coins. Am I missing something or is he just trying to scam us? Either way, the only way I am going to find out more is by opening the bag.


    As he pulled open the pouch, Xorvos tensed in anticipation of danger. But all he encountered was the glimmer of a handful of silvery coins.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t gold, it¡¯s silver!¡± Xorvos exclaimed, outraged. ¡°You¡¯re trying to scam us.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not silver.¡± Korro sighed. ¡°They¡¯re platinum. Hold one up to the light and you will see.¡±


    Xorvos did so and found the coins in the small pouch to be a different shade than the standard silver coins he was used to. He also discovered that platinum coins had a different engraving on it than its less valuable counterpart. The fact that it had the word PLAT stamped on one side of it also helped. A quick count revealed that the pouch contained a total of twenty platinum coins.


    One platinum coin equals ten gold. That means if these coins are real, then I really am holding two hundred gold in my hands right now. I never though I would ever have this much money in one place and yet it is being handed over for a single day¡¯s work. Just how much money does the Thieves Guild have to be paying it¡¯s people like this?


    ¡°now, if everything is in order, is your business with me concluded?¡± Korro asked.


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Shuka replied. ¡°First, I would like to purchase your services.¡±

 Chapter Sixteen

    Chapter Sixteen


    ¡°Purchase my services? What in particular are you looking for?¡±


    Korro¡¯s voice sounded curious and faintly amused, but his face was all business.


    ¡°I want you to smuggle me out of Rockmarsh. Preferably tonight.¡±


    ¡°That is not an easy job with the Grand Paladin hunting you. I can do it, but it will not be cheap.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing I just got paid then. One hundred gold for me and my friend¡¯s safety.¡±


    His face didn¡¯t change much, but it was clear that Korro wasn¡¯t very impressed by the number.


    ¡°I would normally ask double that for what you are asking, and the price only increases with the involvement of Validus. You are an associate of the Guild so I will give you a discount, but for a job this dangerous I can ask no less than three hundred gold.¡±


    Three hundred gold? I don¡¯t have that much, and he knows it. Maybe he¡¯s trying to haggle me down to two hundred gold, but even then, that is all the money I have. I need to save it to buy supplies in the next town or I might die in the wilds long before Validus catches me. Well, I will probably be fine, but Xorvos won¡¯t be.


    ¡°I do not have the gold for that. Would you perhaps be willing to lower the price to something within my price range?¡±


    ¡°I already did. The day you entered Rockmarsh you spent a good handful of coins on a sword you barely know how to use. You would not have spent the last of your gold on an investment like that unless you had more money to throw around. Two seventy-five for the job but it will not drop much further.¡±


    Crap, I forgot the blacksmith I went to was working with the Thieves Guild. He must have told Korro about the sword I bought, and now he thinks that was my money and not Ralisdor¡¯s. I have a plan to drop the price more, but it¡¯s risky. If I mess up, then I¡¯m screwed. But I¡¯m screwed if I do nothing anyway, so I have to at least try.


    ¡°One third of my reward was to go towards protecting me from Validus, but he almost killed me even while I was with one of your people. I would like an additional one hundred and fifty gold for the job I did for you and for failing in keeping me hidden from him.¡±


    Korro took a moment to consider her words, with a slight frown of displeasure. He did not seem angry necessarily, but it was still enough to fill Shuka with fear.


    Did I go too far? What if he kicks me out, or takes back the money he gave me? Even if he just says no it will be bad.


    ¡°You are perhaps more cunning than I had originally thought.¡± Korro grumbled. ¡°Braver too. Fine you can have your coin, you are right after all, I didn¡¯t hold up my end of the bargain.¡±


    Xorvos blinked in surprise at his response, but Shuka just sighed in relief.


    ¡°In that case I will pay you the two hundred and seventy-five gold to get me and Xorvos out of here.¡±


    I might be able to bring the price down to two-fifty with a bit more haggling, but I don¡¯t want to push my luck. I will still have fifty gold left after this, and that should be enough to survive until we can get back in contact with Ralisdor.


    Shuka took fifteen platinum coins out of the pouch Korro gave her and placed them back onto his desk. Korro took the money and put them back inside his desk.


    ¡°Well then, a deal has been made. I will have someone prepared shortly and you will be out of the city before the morning. After that though, you are on your own.¡±


    ¡°Actually.¡± Anirak interrupted. ¡°I would like to volunteer for this job.¡±


    Korro raised an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°Really? The pay is rather average, and the danger is high. Don¡¯t tell me you have taken a liking to these two.¡±


    ¡°Hardly. I¡¯m just bored, and this seems like fun. And besides, Validus isn¡¯t as scary as you think. He¡¯s strong sure, but I could outsmart him any day of the week.¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want then I see no reason to deny your request.¡±


    ¡°Great! Well, we better get going then, wouldn¡¯t want to give the guards more time to prepare.¡±


    *


    Two hours later Shuka and Xorvos were a few miles away from Rockmarsh hiding in the middle of the marshy wetlands, far away from any roads. Anirak had helped them escape the city by hiding them in a couple of crates and bringing them out in a wagon. How she did that without the guards inspecting the crates, Shuka didn¡¯t know, but it worked. Once they got out, she left them to fend for themselves though. It wasn¡¯t easy setting up a small camp without any of their usual camping supplies, but Shuka managed to pull through with her survival skills. It wasn¡¯t pretty, and it wasn¡¯t even comfortable, but after a bit of work, they at least had a place to sleep. It was almost comforting for Shuka to be finally doing something she was familiar with. This was hardly the first time she had to survive the night in the wilderness, although she usually had more supplies when she did it back home. She also found that she much preferred forests over swamps.


    Gods, why is everything so wet! How am I supposed to sleep when I am soaked up to my knees in swamp water and surrounded by mud. I can¡¯t even dry us off with a fire, because it might be seen by someone looking for us. Not that it would even be very easy to light a fire with how damp all of the wood around here is. Oh well, just one more thing for me to deal with on this very shitty day.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    While Shuka was grumpily setting things up, Xorvos was just sitting on the ground feeling useless. He didn¡¯t have any survival skills and there was nothing to fight so he just sat there waiting for Shuka to finish. Eventually the silence became too much to bear, and he spoke up.


    ¡°Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help? I can start a fire with my gauntlets if you want.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t starting a fire tonight. It will be far too easy to see in the darkness and we need to stay hidden.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a great start, but Xorvos was determined to make himself useful so he tried again.


    ¡°Do we need any food? I could try finding some berries or something.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t find much out here, and we should stick together to reduce the chances of us being found.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Right now, we will only be discovered if they find our camp. If you go foraging, then that will just be one more thing they can find out here. They only need to find one of us for us to be screwed.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t have anything to say to that so he just stayed quiet. It was late, but he didn¡¯t feel like sleeping. There were too many thoughts going through his head for him to get any proper rest. Eventually Shuka finished setting up and went to her makeshift bed to get some sleep.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shuka was half asleep when Xorvos asked his question.


    What¡¯s he asking in the middle of the night? If we don¡¯t get any sleep tonight, then traveling tomorrow is going to be hell. Sleeping in would be a problem too.


    ¡°We are going to wait for Ralisdor in the next village. Didn¡¯t we go over this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about. All we can do is run and hide and if we get unlucky or mess up, we are dead. Isn¡¯t that terrifying?¡±


    Shuka thought back on the last week and understood what he meant.


    All we have been doing is traveling and already we have had far too many close calls. How long until there isn¡¯t someone else to bail us out of a bad situation?


    ¡°It is terrifying but what do you want me to do about it? It¡¯s not like there is an easy way to prove we are innocent or get Validus to stop chasing us.¡±


    Shuka turned in her bed as she talked to face her friend. It was only now that she saw his face. It was full of fear and worry, like he was on the verge of tears.


    I sometimes forget with how big he is, but Xorvos isn¡¯t as tough as he looks. He¡¯s been in less dangerous situations than me, at least I encountered the occasional wolf or bear while hunting. He must be taking this even harder than I am.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s going to work out. Once I get my curse removed it will be much easier to explain the situation. At worst we will have to spend a year or two in jail, but chances are good we won¡¯t even have to do that. All we have to do is survive until Lancrin and everything will work out.¡±


    Xorvos wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple, you¡¯re just lying to me to make me feel better. We are stuck in the middle of a swamp with no supplies all alone and being chased by the strongest paladin in the entire Empire. And even if you do get the curse removed, how are you going to convince Validus that you¡¯re not actually evil? He is going to chase us down until he kills us.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about things that only might happen in the future. Right now, we just have to worry about the present so there will be a future to worry about later. I know it looks bad now, but I am sure the situation will have changed by the time we need to worry about proving our innocence. We can¡¯t plan for an uncertain future so just focus on right now. And right now, we need to sleep so we¡¯re not useless tomorrow from fatigue.¡±


    ¡°Come on Shuka, how is the situation going to change in any way but for the worse. The more he follows us the more he will mistake your actions for crimes and the more he will be certain of our guilt. And it¡¯s not like we can make any allies on this journey with you turning everyone against us.¡±


    All Shuka wanted to do was sleep and end the worst day in her life, but Xorvos wouldn¡¯t allow it. And now that he started blaming her, she started to get mad.


    ¡°Look, if you are going to blame anyone blame the witch, not me. And as for allies we will meet back up with Ralisdor in the next town. Even if he can¡¯t help much, I can just go to a Vondoom Orphanage and show them my Vondoom necklace, and they will probably help us. Wait¡­ Shit, I left it at the inn!¡±


    Shuka was searching through her belongings looking for her necklace but finding it nowhere. She was so preoccupied with it that she didn¡¯t even see the guilty look on Xorvos¡¯ face in the dark.


    ¡°I¡­ have your necklace. It¡¯s right here.¡±


    A silver V glinted in the moonlight as Xorvos held out Shuka¡¯s symbol of Vondoom.


    Where did he get that? I left it in my room, and it wasn¡¯t exactly out in the open either. Was he looking through my stuff? Why would he do that?


    ¡°Why do you have my necklace?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you ran off, I was really worried about you, but I didn¡¯t know what to do. Then Ralisdor suggested we hire someone to scry you, but he said he needed something for the spell to focus on. I found this while I was searching your room and thought it might work.¡±


    The discovery of this invasion of privacy only infuriated Shuka further.


    ¡°Ralisdor got someone to scry me? What the hell! If I ran away, then I obviously didn¡¯t want to be found.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe we wouldn¡¯t have had to do it if you were a bit more open about your situation. I had no idea what was going on and I thought you had gotten into some kind of trouble. And you were! You were being forced to work for the Thieves Guild and I could have helped you if you had just told me what was happening.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Shuka snapped back full of biting sarcasm. ¡°Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t have gone on a one-man crusade to ¡®save¡¯ me and just make everything worse? Because all it would take is a single poorly thought-out threat and the deal I had with them would be off and all hell would break loose.¡±


    Tempers were rising and now both of them had few thoughts of sleep. Neither wanted to give in to the other and so they argued deep into the night, only finding sleep hours before morning.


    *


    It was just before noon when Shuka woke up. Her fatigue had made up for the poor sleeping conditions and allowed her the luxury of sleeping in. Sadly, this was not a time she could afford luxuries.


    Shit, we were supposed to leave just as the sun was rising, how is it already this late? We have to get moving before they find us.


    Shuka shot up in an instant and found Xorvos¡¯ sleeping body just of to the side. She started to frantically shake him awake, but it was taking longer than she liked.


    ¡°Get up already, we slept in! We have to get moving now or they¡¯ll find us.¡±


    It took a moment for Xorvos to process her words, but when he did, he immediately sat up and scanned the surroundings for any enemies. After he saw the coast was clear he relaxed a bit and almost laid back down to continue his rest before Shuka stopped him.


    ¡°I said we are leaving NOW!¡± Shuka snapped. ¡°They are going to start searching the area again now that it¡¯s bright out and I would rather be somewhere else when they reach this spot. I¡¯m surprised they haven¡¯t found us already but let¡¯s not push our luck.¡±


    Xorvos was still half asleep but Shuka¡¯s tone woke him up the rest of the way.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m getting up. Do you want to take down the camp or should we just leave it?¡±


    ¡°Leave it. There is nothing important we can get from it and it will just take time we don¡¯t have. Hopefully we will be far away from it by the time it gets found.¡±


    Shuka was already picking up the few belongings she still had while Xorvos was still looking at their makeshift camp.


    ¡°What about food?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten since lunchtime yesterday and I didn¡¯t bring any rations with me.¡±


    It had been close to a full day since he had a proper meal, and he was starting to feel the effects.


    ¡°We will forage a bit while traveling and I will see if I can catch some fish the next time, we make camp.¡±


    Goddamit, I¡¯m hungry too, but there is no time. I don¡¯t want to sustain myself on berries but it¡¯s better than getting an arrow in the back while cooking a fish.


    Less than a minute later, Shuka and Xorvos were trudging through the murky swamp water on their way to their next destination.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Chapter Seventeen


    Deadly white flames dancing along a deadlier blade. Golden light shining bright from a magnificent shield. Immaculate swordsmanship combined with near impossible speed and strength. There is only one word for it.


    Grand.


    Xorvos just could not get the image of Validus out of his head. And with that image came feelings of awe and helplessness in equal measure.


    Just how am I supposed to beat him? I¡¯m not grand like he is. I can give it my all and throw everything I¡¯ve got at him and still not even come close to winning.


    He was sitting on a crate in an abandoned house in the small town of Eidon. They hadn¡¯t arrived until late at night and now they were just waiting for Ralisdor. All that amounted to was looking out a window for hours at a time watching people pass by. It left a lot of room for idle thoughts so Xorvos found himself getting distracted.


    If I trained every day for the rest of my life, would I ever get to the same level of martial prowess as Validus? He didn¡¯t seem that much older than me, maybe only around a decade, but the thought of me getting that strong in that little time is absurd. Or is it? How hard have I been training compared to him? I¡¯ve just been treating it like a hobby, but that kind of skill and power you don¡¯t get from casual training.


    Xorvos¡¯ eyes felt heavy as his stomach grumbled. Shuka cooked him some fish while they were traveling but they were small and not very filling. He had also stayed up all night keeping watch and only got small naps when it was Shuka¡¯s turn to look for Ralisdor. Now he was waiting for her to get back with all of their new supplies and some food. They had quite a few coins now, but they were unable to spend them while it was still the middle of the night. As soon as the sun started to rise Shuka decided to make good use of their funds to make things a bit more comfortable. Xorvos was too tired to complain so he let her.


    Where is she? How long does it take to buy two bedrolls and some food? Should I go looking for her?


    Right as he thought that Shuka tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Xorvos jumped at the sudden contact and spun around quickly to see his friend carrying a large full of supplies.


    ¡°Oh, Shuka. I didn¡¯t see you approach.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t I was using an illusion. We have to stay hidden remember. We were lucky in Rockmarsh, but we can¡¯t afford to be that careless again. Whenever either of us are in public we have to keep our identities hidden.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s been a long night, so I just forgot for a moment.¡±


    Shuka gave him a once over and saw the fatigue written all over him.


    ¡°Here, why don¡¯t you have a snack then take a nap. I¡¯ll take over watching for Ralisdor for a bit, okay?¡±


    ¡°What about you? After all, you had just as little time as me to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but unlike you I actually slept when my shift was over. All you did squirm around on the ground for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Well, what did you expect? There isn¡¯t even a bed in here, how am I supposed to get any rest on the floor?¡±


    Shuka just rolled her eyes and took out one of the bedrolls she had just bought.


    ¡°You just gotta get used to it. But until then you use this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. And you said you got food too, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Just check in the bag.¡±


    Xorvos did so and found it was filled with all manner of food ready to be eaten. He took some dried jerky and ate it while setting up the bedroll on the floor in another room.


    How much longer will I have to eat dried meat and sleep on the floor? I can¡¯t even go out and buy a meal without hiding my identity. I have never felt so small before. When will I be grand like him?


    *


    Xorvos woke to Shuka lightly shaking him. She didn¡¯t seem hurried in any way, so he figured it probably wasn¡¯t urgent, but he decided to whisper anyway.


    ¡°How long was I asleep for?¡±


    ¡°About eight hours or so. I tried waking you earlier, but you were in a pretty deep sleep, so I let you get your rest.¡±


    Eight hours? But it¡¯s going to be so hard getting myself to fall asleep at normal times now. Oh well, at least I actually feel rested now.


    ¡°So what did you wake me for? Did Ralisdor arrive?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I actually wanted to do a little more shopping, but I thought it would be a good idea to bring you along too.¡±


    ¡°Shopping? Didn¡¯t you do that yesterday? Or this morning, I guess. And what do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Well when I went shopping earlier I passed by a adventurers shop but it was closed since it was so early. I was thinking of buying things like potions there but I don¡¯t really know stuff like that so I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll get scammed. You like fighting though so I thought you might be able to prevent that.¡±


    Seriously? I like fighting so I know how expensive potions are? Well, I do actually know how much a low-grade potion costs, but that¡¯s besides the point.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t buy anything over thirty gold and you will be fine. And shouldn¡¯t one of us stay behind and wait for Ralisdor? I though that was why you went shopping alone last time.¡±


    ¡°We will only be gone for an hour or so. And¡­ I would rather not go shopping alone again. Apparently, the curse still works even if I don¡¯t look like myself.¡±


    Ah. Well now I feel like a moron.


    ¡°Well then you can just tell me where the shop is, and I can buy the potions myself. If leaving is a risk, then you should stay here where you are safe.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Shuka snapped, defiance in her voice. ¡°I won¡¯t just sit around and be useless when there is work to be done.¡±


    Xorvos wanted to rebuke her recklessness, but¡­ then he remembered how useless he had been feeling and relented.


    ¡°Alright fine, we can go. When do you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking right now. If we wait too long they might close again.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Close again? Oh right, I guess it¡¯s probably afternoon by now isn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Just give me a few minutes to wake up and then we can go.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take too long for him to get ready. Xorvos had a pretty sparse morning routine even when he was home and it only got shorter after fleeing Rockmarsh. Before they left, Shuka put a illusion on herself to turn her hair blond and skin pale, while Xorvos just took of his gauntlets and wore a cloak. It wasn¡¯t the best disguise ever, but at least it was a cold day so the cloak wasn¡¯t that out of place. The adventurers store wasn¡¯t that far away, so less than half an hour later the two friends were standing in front of it about to enter. It was across the street from the Adventurers Guild and looked distinctly better than most of the other buildings in Eidon. It wasn¡¯t that it was particularly fancy, or even that the everything else was especially bad, you could just tell there was a difference. Only the Adventurers Guild matched it in quality, but guild houses were funded by the government, so they had a minimum standard that was usually met. Officially recognized guilds that is, the Thieves Guild was exempt from that.


    I guess they must be doing pretty well, there must be a dungeon around here. Or maybe they are just good at selling stuff.


    Xorvos and Shuka entered the shop and found themselves in a room with walls lined in all manner of adventuring equipment. There was everything from weapons, to rope, to potions displayed before them. On the opposite end of the store the shopkeeper was reading a book from behind their desk, although they put the book down when the door opened.


    ¡°Hello and welcome to my shop. Sorry, but business has been slow today, so I just thought I would catch up on my reading a bit. Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    The Shopkeeper was a very tall Quanso with light gray skin wearing a simple pink and yellow dress. Even sitting down their large size was quickly apparent.


    Oh, it¡¯s a Quanso! I didn¡¯t expect to meet one out here. With how rare they are you usually only find them in big cities like Rockmarsh. This is my chance to talk with someone from home after so long, since I only saw them in passing in Rockmarsh.


    ¡°Well there is nothing specific that we are looking for, but if you could help us find something that can help us we would greatly appreciate it.¡±


    Beside him Shuka shifted in place uncomfortably.


    ¡°Err, hold on. Xorvos can I talk to you for a second?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ sure.¡±


    Xorvos followed her back onto the street slightly confused.


    *


    Ahhh, I am so confused! What the hell is going on? I clearly remember Xorvos telling me that there weren¡¯t any female Quanso and yet there is one just inside this building. Did I get it wrong or forget something? Or was Xorvos lying to me when he told me that? No, he wouldn¡¯t do that, it is far more likely that he just got it wrong too. But he didn¡¯t seem too surprised by them, so that can¡¯t be it. I guess I just have to ask him and find out, after all, I don¡¯t want to say the wrong thing and mess things up.


    ¡°Xorvos, I thought there weren¡¯t any female Quanso, but that one was wearing a dress. Did I just remember that wrong or is something else going on?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that there aren¡¯t any female Quanso, but there aren¡¯t any male Quanso either. We are genderless so what we wear is usually more up to personal taste than anything else. Dresses and other feminine clothing isn¡¯t exactly common, but it¡¯s not anything surprising.¡±


    Genderless!? What does that even mean? And wait, does that mean Xorvos isn¡¯t actually a guy? How am I even more confused than before?


    Shuka started to chew on a fingernail as she processed this new information.


    Okay, so if Xorvos is genderless and he is fine with me referring to him as a guy, then does that means the shopkeeper would be fine with being referred to as a girl because that is how they are presenting themselves? Or is Xorvos like that because he has spent most of his life around humans and other Quanso would get mad at that? I don¡¯t have enough information.


    ¡°So, if they are not a girl or a guy, then how should I talk to them? Will they get mad if I use certain pronouns?¡±


    Xorvos almost rolled his eyes at the question, but he stopped himself. He knew this was all important information for Shuka to know, but to him it was just common knowledge.


    ¡°Most Quanso don¡¯t really care what pronouns you use, and the ones that do will tell you. But if you are really that worried you can just ask them what they prefer.¡±


    I can¡¯t just ask them that can I? It seems like it would be rude, and rude is the last thing I want to be with this curse.


    Regardless of Shuka¡¯s worries Xorvos saw the conversation as complete and entered the shop again. Following after him, she found that Xorvos was already approaching the shopkeeper to talk to them.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I hope you didn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry I didn¡¯t mind at all.¡±


    The glance they briefly shot at Shuka implied otherwise, but Xorvos decided to ignore that.


    ¡°Me and my friend are looking to protect ourselves and we thought your shop would have some stuff to help with that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. Is this just for general protection or are you planning to take on the dungeon by Eidon.¡±


    ¡°General protection. I didn¡¯t even know there was a dungeon here.¡±


    I guess that explains why this shop is so much nicer than the rest of the town. They must be selling to rich adventurers passing by for the dungeon. Anyway, it looks like Xorvos has talking to them handled, so I might as well browse as I wait for him to finish.


    Shuka began to walk away from the two Quanso and look around the shop. There was all sorts of gear on display and even some magical items, although those were locked inside display cases. Some of the items made sense to Shuka, like the lanterns and torch¡¯s, but others confused her. Like the dozens of small metal balls held in a pouch, or the segmented wooden pole that was almost twice as long as she was.


    I guess you need all sorts of things in a dungeon.


    Eventually Shuka¡¯s browsing brought her to the potions section where various vials filled with colourful liquids were displayed. Like the magic items in the shop they were locked inside of a display case with their prices shown on the outside.


    Looks like it¡¯s twenty gold for a low-quality potion of healing. I still have about forty-five gold left after my previous shopping, so I can buy two and still have a little left over. I won¡¯t have enough for anything else though. Why is everything in here so expensive? The cheapest thing here is rations and even that costs silver. Everything else is in gold.


    While she was looking at the potions, the shopkeeper had apparently finished talking to Xorvos and came up behind Shuka.


    ¡°See anything you like?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Oh, uh¡­ sorry I didn¡¯t see you there. You¡¯re a lot quieter than you look.¡±


    ¡°I get that a lot. You learn how to be quiet when you are an adventurer for over thirty years. But in this case, you just weren¡¯t paying attention.¡±


    Thirty years? They only look a little older than Xorvos. Well, Quanso do live for around two-hundred years but I didn¡¯t think they would age that slowly. Now that I think about it, Xorvos¡¯ dad didn¡¯t look that old either.


    ¡°Well? Are you buying anything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, sorry. I was thinking of buying two of those potions of healing. The lower quality ones.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. That will be forty gold.¡±


    Shuka took out her coin pouch and took out her remaining four platinum coins. She had already exchanged one of them to get a collection of gold, silver, and copper coins which now filled the small bag. Spending so much of her money at once made her hesitate, but she remembered her previous experiences with healing potions and knew they were necessary.


    Even a low-quality potion can be the difference between life and death. One for me and one for Xorvos should be enough for now, but we might need to get more once we have some more coin.


    The shopkeeper took the coins and moved to the display case to unlock it. They took out a key from a small bag tied to their belt and opened the container with it, before putting the key back in its place. Shuka couldn¡¯t help but notice that the key was attached to a cord that led back into the bag it came from.


    Oh, I see. Since the key is attached to the bag, you can¡¯t steal one without taking the other. But what¡¯s preventing someone from just taking the whole bag? Well, I guess it looks pretty securely tied to their belt, but I¡¯m sure a good enough pickpocket could still get it loose. Although I guess the bigger deterrent is just their size. Dress or not, I don¡¯t think anyone would underestimate them in a fight.


    Soon enough the potions were retrieved, and the case was locked again. The shopkeeper held out the two potions to Shuka while telling her how to use them.


    ¡°These are pretty weak potions so you will probably have to use the entire potion for anything serious. That being said they are still strong enough to stabilize a near fatal wound and fully heal a lesser injury. It won¡¯t fully heal everything, but it should at least stop the bleeding and give you a chance to recover on your own. Also, make sure you drink the potion, it has to be ingested to work, you can¡¯t just splash the potion on the wound and expect it to do anything.¡±


    Shuka took the potions while listening.


    ¡°Thanks. Uh, sorry but I don¡¯t think I got your name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Videon. And if you really want to thank me then you can take up my offer.¡±


    ¡°Offer? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I already asked your friend, and he is thinking it over. I don¡¯t want to explain it twice so just ask him. I will need an answer by the end of the day though.¡±


    And with that they left. Well really, they just walked back to their desk not that far away, but the point is they were done talking. Xorvos was nearby and when he saw Videon leave he approached Shuka himself.


    ¡°Hey, did you get the potions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s this offer they told me about?¡±


    ¡°Right, that. Basically, she wants us to clear a dungeon with her. I think we should do it.¡±


    ¡­What?!

 Chapter Eighteen

    Chapter Eighteen


    ¡°What do you mean she wants to clear a dungeon with us? That¡¯s insane!¡±


    Xorvos recoiled slightly at Shuka¡¯s response, perhaps not quite expecting her to be that against the idea. But he wasn¡¯t ready to give up yet, so he pressed on.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it sounds, it¡¯s only a tier one dungeon and Videon is a veteran adventurer. I am sure she will be able to protect us no matter what happens.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t know much about dungeons, but she at least knew that tier one dungeons were the least dangerous. And having a veteran helping them was a plus, but it still felt too dangerous to her.


    ¡°We may not die, but what if we get injured? These potions are expensive, and we can¡¯t afford to get another one.¡±


    ¡°We can just buy more with the gold we get from the dungeon. I don¡¯t know how much we will get but surely it will be enough for some replacement potions.¡±


    Why does Xorvos want to go so much anyway? Is it the money? No, that can¡¯t be it, he¡¯s not the type to risk his life for coins.


    ¡°Say we do go, what do we get out of it that¡¯s worth risking our lives?¡±


    ¡°Combat experience.¡±


    And then it all made sense. Xorvos wasn¡¯t the only one who saw flaming blades and shining shields in their minds eye. The only difference was Shuka didn¡¯t see the beauty in it. All she saw was death, and all she felt was fear.


    ¡°Neither of us know how to fight.¡± Xorvos continued. ¡°Not really at least. We know the basics, but we lack experience. If we do this dungeon, we will be getting into real fights without the life-or-death stakes that we have been dealing with this last week. And besides, with whatever equipment we get from the dungeon we will be better equipped to deal with whatever we have to face next.¡±


    The benefits are undeniable, but¡­ I¡¯m in enough danger as it is.


    ¡°Let me ask Videon for more details and then I will decide.¡±


    That was good enough for Xorvos, so he called Videon back.


    ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± The former adventurer asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I want to know more about this offer of yours.¡±


    ¡°Well ask away.¡±


    Hmmm¡­ What should I ask first? Well, I guess I will just start with the obvious one.


    ¡°Why do you want to clear this dungeon with us? We¡¯re not even adventurers, I¡¯m sure you could find someone more capable. And why do you even want to do the dungeon in the first place? Aren¡¯t you retired?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit complicated. For the first part of your question, most adventurers are already in a team, and they wouldn¡¯t want to split the loot another way if they think they can take the dungeon on their own. And if they don¡¯t think they can take a tier one dungeon without my help then they probably aren¡¯t interested in dungeons at all. They are the type that solve local, small scale stuff like monster attacks or mercenary work.¡±


    Monster attacks are considered small scale? What kind of stuff are we going to be facing in the dungeon then?


    ¡°There also aren¡¯t that many adventurers in town right now but I have to answer your second question to explain why. Speaking of which, how much do you know about dungeons?¡±


    Xorvos answered first, with all the confidence of an expert, but the knowledge of a single book he read in passing.


    ¡°The dungeons were created by the god Humanus so his followers could prove their ambition by risking their lives for great rewards. The dungeons are separated into four tiers with higher tiers becoming more difficult and offering better rewards.¡±


    Spoken like he was answering a question on a test. He must really want to impress them. Well, he¡¯s not the one that actually got tests with questions like this in the orphanage.


    ¡°If you reach the end of the only tier four dungeon in the world then you will also be granted a wish, which is how Vondoom and his companions became demi-gods.¡±


    Videon wasn¡¯t that impressed with their rather basic knowledge of dungeons, but she politely kept that to herself.


    ¡°You are both right, but what I was looking to see if you knew was the fact that dungeons change every month.¡±


    ¡°Change?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is that while the locations of each dungeon remain the same, the contents of each one changes at the start of each month. That way a party can¡¯t just repeat the same dungeon over and over again until they know it inside and out.¡±


    I can see why the god of ambition would want to prevent that. But wait, isn¡¯t today the last day of the month? If we go tomorrow won¡¯t that mean not even Videon will know what we will be facing.


    ¡°The reason this is important is that I happen to sell dungeon maps along with the rest of my wares. Those maps are about to become expired, and I will need to make more. Of course, veteran or not, dungeons are designed for groups and going in one alone is usually a pretty bad move.¡±


    ¡°But wait, I thought the reason dungeons reset every month was so adventurers wouldn¡¯t know what they were facing when they enter a dungeon? Wouldn¡¯t your maps be, I don¡¯t know, cheating or something?¡±


    Videon had expected Shuka¡¯s question and was quick to give an answer.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Humanus wants us to be ambitious, not stupid.¡± Videon chuckled. ¡°A little preparation when we are about to risk our lives is to be expected. And besides, there are small changes between each instance, so my maps are hardly perfect. Things like the number of enemies in a room or the exact placement of a trap could be different for someone else, so I try not to be too specific. Just what monsters there are, the presence or absence of traps, and the structural layout of the dungeon.¡±


    That still seems like a lot to me, but then I¡¯m not Humanus so who am I to say what¡¯s too much. And if its saving lives then its not like it¡¯s a problem. I just wish we would be going into a dungeon with one of these maps ourselves.


    ¡°Anyway, since repeating the same dungeon too much tends to give you diminishing rewards, most adventurers don¡¯t stick around for the entire month. They will be coming back soon though, and they will be expecting me to have maps for them when they do, so I would like to get this done as early as possible. Which means, if you accept then we will be attempting the dungeon tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Well you haven¡¯t exactly drawn a very encouraging picture for me so far. What kind of rewards do you think the dungeon will give us?¡±


    Videon didn¡¯t seem too pleased that Shuka wasn¡¯t all that encouraged but they answered her question anyway.


    ¡°Tier one dungeons tend to give around one hundred to one hundred and fifty gold coins as a reward along with several minor magical items. Since this is your first dungeon there will be at least one magical item that is suited for each of you. I will be claiming one third of the rewards, but I promise to not claim any items that were obviously meant for you two.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold up, did you say there will be items specifically suited to us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. First time adventurers always get something they can use. A swordsman might get a sword or a mage a wand, but there will always be something for them the first time. After that though it¡¯s random.¡±


    ¡°But how does that work? Is Humanus watching over every dungeon in the world?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s not Humanus giving the rewards, it¡¯s the dungeon itself. Most adventurers agree that it is a sentient being, although there is some debate on just how sentient. In fact, the wish you are granted for completing the tier four dungeon isn¡¯t granted by Humanus or any of the other gods, but by the dungeon.¡±


    Well they certainly didn¡¯t teach THAT in Vondooms orphanage. Or maybe I just wasn¡¯t paying attention when they did.


    This came as a surprise to Xorvos too and he had questions of his own now.


    ¡°What about for Quanso adventurers like you? Does the dungeon give you enchanted Quanso weaponry or are you stuck using human weapons?¡±


    ¡°If you are worried about receiving a lethal weapon in the dungeon, then don¡¯t. The dungeon knows we don¡¯t kill and gives us weapons we can use. In mixed race parties Quanso weapons only have chance of appearing, but they do still appear. And I hear fully Quanso parties never receive non Quanso weapons.¡±


    So it looks like if we complete this dungeon we will be guaranteed to get something useful. And even splitting the gold three ways, me and Xorvos will still be getting over sixty gold at a minimum. I still don¡¯t like the danger involved, but if all we do is keep running then our next encounter with Validus might be our last. We need to get stronger, and this seems to be the fastest way to do that.


    ¡°Do you have any other questions, or are you ready to make your decision?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, uhh, just one more.¡±


    ¡°Well, what is it?¡±


    Videon looked at Shuka expectantly, and maybe a little annoyed. Just a bit though, they did ask after all. Shuka on the other hand wanted nothing more than to not ask her question, even if she knew it was better to ask now than mess up later. After a few seconds of going ¡®Umm¡¯ and ¡®Uhh¡¯ she finally mustered up the courage to speak.


    ¡°What pronouns do you use?¡±


    There were a few seconds of silence before Videon broke it with a short sigh.


    ¡°That was your question? Just use whatever pronouns you want; I don¡¯t care either way.¡±


    That doesn¡¯t help me at all! If I knew what pronouns I wanted to use I wouldn¡¯t have asked. What am I supposed to do now? I can¡¯t just ask again, that would be rude, wouldn¡¯t it? Or maybe it would just be annoying. Either way I¡¯m stuck.


    It was clear that their answer wasn¡¯t quite what Shuka wanted so Videon continued.


    ¡°Ugh, if you must have an answer than just use female pronouns. I won¡¯t really care if you mess up or choose otherwise though. Now can we get back to the dungeon? Are you joining or not?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. The dungeon. Well, if Xorvos still wants to then I guess we will do it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I will see you two tomorrow then.¡±


    *


    Shuka collapsed onto her bedroll exhausted. She had never had an illusion up for so long before, but she had to make sure no one would recognise her, even when she was just talking to Videon. It was not a large illusion, but it slowly drained her mana for the hour it was up.


    Crap, I¡¯m going to have to do this tomorrow too. How long does a dungeon take? Will I be able to keep the illusion up the whole time? Maybe it would be best to just tell Videon about it beforehand and go in the dungeon without it. But then the curse will just make her assume the worst. If she reports me to the guards after learning I¡¯ve been hiding my identity, then it will be a disaster. Maybe this whole dungeon thing was a bad idea, and I should cancel it.


    Shuka didn¡¯t know what to do and it was worrying her. But she was also too exhausted from running low on mana to think of a solution. All she felt like doing was laying on the ground and stare at the ceiling. Xorvos however, didn¡¯t notice Shuka¡¯s exhaustion and decided this was a good time to talk to her.


    ¡°Hey, so I know it was my idea to do the dungeon in the first place, but I¡¯m worried about missing Ralisdor while we are out.¡±


    Shuka tried to hide her displeasure as she sat up to talk to her friend. It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ sorry am I interrupting something? We can talk about this later if you want.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no lets just do it now. Sorry I¡¯m just a little grumpy from using too much mana.¡±


    ¡°Really? You weren¡¯t using that big of a spell, shouldn¡¯t your natural mana regeneration have been enough to maintain the spell? Or close enough at least.¡±


    He¡¯s not wrong. I thought the biggest limit to the spell¡¯s length would be my concentration, but for some reason I am running out of mana much faster than I thought I would. Maybe I just overestimated myself.


    ¡°It may not be that big of a spell, but I am still using it inefficiently. If it was Ralisdor it would use up half the mana it does for me. And besides, I¡¯ve only been using magic for around a year, it will take longer than that to get my mana reserves to a decent level.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Anyway, about the dungeon. I was thinking of making some sort of sign that only Ralisdor would recognize and putting it outside our hideout. That way, if he passes by while we are in the dungeon, he would still know to wait for us here. The only problem is I can¡¯t think of a good sign to use.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s actually a pretty good idea.¡±


    ¡°Why is that surprising?¡±


    Shit, that came out wrong. I need to start thinking about what I say more with this curse on me.


    ¡°What I meant was it¡¯s a much better idea than anything I would have come up with. I didn¡¯t mean anything bad with it.¡±


    Xorvos gave a look that implied he didn¡¯t quite believe her, but he let it go.


    ¡°That aside, do you have any good ideas for the sign?¡±


    Hmm. If it¡¯s just something that he would know came from me it wouldn¡¯t be that hard, but it needs to be subtle enough that the guards won¡¯t know it came from us. Ah, I think I know the perfect thing.


    ¡°Ralisdor told me that back when he was still working in Lancrin he had this symbol he used to represent himself. Sort of like a logo I guess. He would use it whenever he would do a show or help enchant an item. Maybe that¡¯s what we could use. Most people would just see an abstract symbol and not pay any particular attention to it, but he would instantly know what it means.¡±


    Xorvos considered this for a moment then nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°That sounds good. I¡¯ll count on you to get that done then.¡±


    I hope Ralisdor sees it. We need all the help we can get against Validus, and I don¡¯t think a single dungeon is going to change that. Still, I¡¯ll take every advantage I can get. I just hope it¡¯s enough.

 Chapter Nineteen

    Chapter Nineteen


    It was a new day full of endless possibilities. Sadly, Shuka could only think about all of the possibilities that led to her death. She could get mauled to death by a giant bear, or stabbed to death by a goblin, or even burned to death by a trap. There truly was no end to the many ways she could die.


    What am I doing? I can¡¯t go into a dungeon, what am I an adventurer?


    She could barely eat her breakfast with how nervous she was. Xorvos wasn¡¯t much better for all it was his idea. He was meticulously checking his armour for any imperfections that could lead to his death for the third time in the last hour. Every time he just ended up staring at the large gash in the armour near the shoulder from when Validus nearly killed him. Eventually they couldn¡¯t delay it any longer though. They had both agreed that this was the best move they could make, even if it wasn¡¯t the safest. So the two soon to be adventurers made their way to Videon¡¯s shop.


    What did they always say in the orphanage? Excellence doesn¡¯t come without hardship? I guess this is the hardship they were talking about. I never really cared about becoming the best I could be before, but I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice now. Either I get better at defending myself or I die. I just wish there was a better way than risking my life.


    It didn¡¯t take long to reach their destination. Videon was even waiting for them outside when they arrived. This time she was fully geared for a fight though. Gone was her dress, now she wore armour over her entire body. She was already big, but now she felt like an unsurpassable mountain. The only part of her body not covered in probably enchanted metal was her head, but Shuka saw her holding a helmet under one arm so she knew that wouldn¡¯t last. Her shield was already strapped to one arm and her baton was hanging from her waist from a belt that also held her bag of holding. There wasn¡¯t a single thing on her that didn¡¯t look like it would help in a fight. Even the bag probably held potions or other useful items.


    ¡°So, you guys finally arrived. I almost thought you were going to bail on me with how nervous you two seemed yesterday. Anyway, we need to get you two signed up at the adventurer¡¯s guild first so follow me.¡±


    Videon led Shuka and Xorvos to the adventurer¡¯s guild. One building over. With her shop placed right next to the guild it certainly didn¡¯t take her very long to reach her destination. Upon entering Shuka found the building to be mostly empty, with only a handful of unoccupied tables and a single secretary filling the insides. The secretary was a bored looking halfling women reading a book on her desk. She didn¡¯t even notice the buildings new occupants until Videon coughed politely a few feet from her.


    ¡°Ahh! Videon, you snuck up on me again. I still can¡¯t believe how quiet you are with all that armour on you. Every other hotblooded teen that walks in here with half as much metal on them sound like their trying to wake the dead every time they take a step.¡±


    ¡°And I keep on telling you its enchanted. And besides, you¡¯re the one so caught up in your book you can¡¯t even see someone five feet away.¡±


    The secretary turned red in embarrassment and quickly tucked the book away after placing a bookmark in her spot. Shuka still managed to glance at the books title before it disappeared though.


    ¡®A Lady¡¯s Love¡¯ huh. So, I guess she wasn¡¯t working. Although I can¡¯t say I blame her with how empty this place is.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m just about to head to the dungeon but I need you to sign up these two first.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Now the halfling took out a new book, one that look a little more related to her job. She opened up the large tome up to the page where a red bookmark had been placed and started to write something down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ it¡¯s looks like you¡¯re up to Videon¡¯s Group #35 now. One more month and it will be your three-year anniversary of doing these monthly dungeon runs. I¡¯ll have to remember to do something special next time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything for me, it¡¯s only been three years. I¡¯ve been adventuring for much longer than that anyway.¡±


    ¡°Alright fine, I won¡¯t throw a party or anything, but you can expect something at least. Now you two, newbies. What are your names, I need to record them.¡±


    It took a moment for Shuka to notice the secretary was talking to her and Xorvos. She was content to just let her have her conversation with Videon and was trying not to eavesdrop.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. My names Shuka.¡±


    ¡°And your surname?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Vondoom.¡±


    Shuka was a bit nervous giving her surname. There were some bad rumors about the Vondoom Orphanages and her curse probably wouldn¡¯t make it any better. But lying didn¡¯t seem like a good idea either. Luckily the secretary just paused for a moment and then wrote it down without issue before moving on to Xorvos.


    ¡°And you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Xorvos.¡±


    ¡°Surname? Ah, right, Quanso don¡¯t have surnames. Okay then, I think we¡¯re done here. Good luck and may the blessing of Humanus be with you.¡±


    Is that really it? I didn¡¯t know becoming an adventurer was so easy.


    Videon said goodbye to the secretary and then very soon after they were on the road heading to the dungeon. Shuka and Xorvos didn¡¯t know the way, so they just followed behind the veteran adventurer as she led them to their destination. The longer they walked the more Shuka thought about the dungeon, and since she very much did not want to think about that she decided to talk to Videon instead.


    ¡°So¡­ you seemed to know that secretary pretty well.¡±


    It was an awkward conversation starter, but she didn¡¯t have anything better.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah. We should stay focused.¡±


    Goddammit. That was the shortest conversation I¡¯ve ever had.


    Thankfully Xorvos saw what she was trying to do and continued the conversation himself.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name? if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Books. Books Floradren I think.¡±


    Books? Oh right, halflings have weird names, don¡¯t they? Something to do with changing their name based on what they are currently interested in.


    ¡°Does she read a lot then?¡± Xorvos continued. ¡°Or is it more related to her work, writing team names in that big book of hers.¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s a pretty avid reader. Every other time I see her she¡¯s reading something new. And some of her books are pretty big too. I tried reading one of her suggestions one time and it took me over a month to finish.¡±


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    There was a bit of mirth in her voice now. Something that wasn¡¯t there when she was answering Shuka. Or any of the times she talked to her for that matter.


    Maybe I will just stay out of this conversation, she doesn¡¯t seem to like me. I guess I should get used to that. No, I can¡¯t think like that. This curse will be gone in a month or two and then things can just go back to normal. I think I¡¯ve had enough of traveling and meeting new people anyway if this is how its going to be like.


    Xorvos and Videon chatted for a bit more while Shuka listened in. It wasn¡¯t quite what she wanted, but it still distracted her from the dungeon. The trio left the town, exiting out of the eastern gates and into the bog outside. There was a dirt road giving them a solid path to walk on that branched off into a side path that led to a mound of land amidst the boggy water. Videon took them to that small island where a single tree stood. Once they were close enough Shuka saw that there was a grey door with a one engraved on it set into the trunk of the tree.


    ¡°Whelp, here we are. You guys ready?¡±


    No.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, ready you weapons and prepare for anything. I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    With her weapon and shield out, Videon pushed against the door with her shoulder revealing the dark void beyond it. Showing no fear, the veteran adventurer strode into the darkness, disappearing entirely in a matter of seconds. Xorvos was next. He entered with his gauntlets on, his hands up, and a grim expression that had a look of fear that could be mistaken for caution. You couldn¡¯t mistake the look on Shuka¡¯s face though. She was scared, plain and simple. But she had already come too far so she knocked an arrow into her bow and walked through the doorway. Towards danger.


    *


    Xorvos was handling the whole situation a bit better than Shuka. But only a bit. He still feared death and the memories of the pain he felt when fighting Validus was still fresh in his mind, but¡­ he trusted Videon. He didn¡¯t need to see her fight to know she was an expert at it. So yes, he was scared, but also in a way eager. Eager to see a master work their trade when they are not also trying to kill him or his friend. One look at Shuka as she came through the portal into the dungeon told him she did not feel the same way.


    Is she going to run for it when we get into combat? Even if she doesn¡¯t, can she even aim with how much she¡¯s shaking? I need to trust that she will pull through when it matters, but¡­ she¡¯s making it really hard to do that right now.


    Xorvos stopped focusing on her and started focusing on his surroundings. He was in a perfectly square room made of rough-cut stone. The only features of the room was the door shaped void he entered from, and a open exit on the opposite wall. Videon was already at the exit, cautiously looking out it, so he couldn¡¯t see much with her body blocking the way. What he did see told him it led outside to a very rocky area.


    I was in a swamp less than a minute ago and the environment changed this much? It didn¡¯t even feel any different from walking through any other door. How can such powerful magic feel so mundane?


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Xorvos asked Videon.


    ¡°More or less, yeah. I can see two monsters, but I don¡¯t think they will be a problem until we get closer.¡±


    Xorvos¡¯ heartbeat spiked a beat when she mentioned the monsters. He got a little closer to see them for himself but couldn¡¯t find anything. What he did see was a mountain. The peak of one at least. The room he was in seemed to be some sort of cave set into the side of a mountain very high up. Across from the room was another mountain with a deep chasm in between the two peaks. The only thing connecting the two was a stone bridge with ornamental statues on the other side.


    ¡°Where are the monsters? All I see is the bridge.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re on the bridge. You see those statues? Those are gargoyles. Well, pseudo gargoyles at least. I don¡¯t think they would put the real deal in a tier one dungeon.¡±


    Now that he looked a bit more closely Xorvos did see how the statues might be monsters. They were large, impish looking things with big bat wings and grey, rocky skin. They stood so still in their hunched over positions that it was hard to believe they were alive.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between them and a real gargoyle?¡±


    At some point Shuka had also come up to the exit and gave Xorvos a bit of a fright when she asked her question. He hadn¡¯t noticed her, and he was, understandably, a bit on edge.


    ¡°Pseudo gargoyles have very thick skin that¡¯s almost as hard as rock, but other than that they are a normal living creature. True gargoyles are about twice as strong and are made entirely out of stone. Your average tier one adventurer would barely be able to hurt it let alone kill it.¡±


    I can see what she means. I don¡¯t even know how I would start to hurt a creature like that. Am a just supposed to start punching rocks until they break?


    ¡°So uhh¡­ what¡¯s the plan?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°If their skin is that tough, I don¡¯t think my arrows are going to do much.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to do much. They may look like statues, but they are still alive. Just apply a bit of poison and make sure you at least draw blood. It might not be enough to kill it, but it should make it much easier for me and Xorvos to take it down.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any poison. Isn¡¯t it illegal?¡±


    Videon looked a bit annoyed and let out a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s only illegal if its strong enough to kill your average person. Otherwise, it¡¯s counted as a self defense and adventuring tool. Although you still need a special licence to make or sell it. Here, just take some of mine, I¡¯m sure you know how to use it.¡±


    The annoyed shopkeep reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial with a green liquid swirling inside and handed it to Shuka. The young hunter, who had never even seen a vial of poison before, cautiously grabbed the vial. She looked at it like it was seconds away from killing them all.


    What is Videon doing carrying poison around with her? And what did she mean with ¡®I¡¯m sure you know how to use it.¡¯ Does she think Shuka is some sort of assassin? She must have some sort of reason for it though, right? Maybe she confiscated the poison from someone else.


    ¡°Do you always carry poison around with you?¡±


    ¡°Only when I¡¯m running dungeons. I don¡¯t use it myself since most poisons need to enter the bloodstream and my weapons are all blunt, but it can still be useful for situations like this. It¡¯s also good advertisement since I sell this poison in my shop too.¡±


    To say that was not the answer Xorvos was hoping for would be an understatement.


    She SELLS poison!? That¡¯s insane, why would she do that? Tainting her honour for a bit of convenience and coin? And she is so casual about it too, its like she was handing out an apple from her lunch, not an assassin¡¯s tool.


    While Xorvos was silently freaking out and Shuka was silently panicking, Videon began taking out some rope, metal spikes, and a hammer out of her pouch. Her two companions only noticed when she began hammering the spikes into the stone floor. Seeing that they were paying attention again she began to explain her plan.


    ¡°So, from what I can see the bridge looks clear other than the gargoyles, but you never know with dungeons, so we need to be cautious. There might be monsters hiding underneath the bridge, or something might fly at us from behind the mountain and try to knock us off the bridge. That¡¯s what these spikes are for. We will tie a length of rope to ourselves and then to the spike so that if we do get pushed off, we wont falling to our deaths. It won¡¯t be pleasant, and it will take you out of the fight though, so try not to get pushed off.¡±


    It was a simple explanation that made sense to both of the rookie adventurers. The reasons why it was necessary scared them though.


    The gargoyles pretending to be statues was bad enough, but now we are supposed to worry about another sneak attack? And to be planning to throw us off the bridge too. Even with a rope tied to us all they have to do is cut it to send us to our death.


    Videon saw the uncertainty in their faces and quickly spoke to reassure them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be an ambush or anything of that sort, I¡¯m just letting you know it¡¯s a possibility. Two gargoyles are an ample enough challenge for a tier one dungeon.¡±


    Once Videon saw them calm down a bit she continued explaining her plan.


    ¡°Once we have tied ourselves to the spikes, we will start the engagement with Shuka shooting a poisoned arrow at one of the gargoyles. Once they start moving, me and Xorvos will engage them in melee while Shuka keeps an eye out for ambushes on this side of the bridge. If you can manage to get another shot in before we get to them do so, but once we reach the gargoyles try to avoid friendly fire and just warn us if you see an ambush. Xorvos, you will take on the poisoned gargoyle while I will fight the poisoned one. Stick to punches instead of grapples and aim for their head. Try not to get too aggressive though, all you really need to do is survive until I finish with my opponent so I can help you.¡±


    So, I get the weak one huh. It doesn¡¯t feel right fighting a poisoned opponent. And does she think I can¡¯t even take down one monster when it¡¯s been poisoned?


    Shuka had her own reservations about the plan, but hers were founded from fear rather than pride.


    ¡°What if there is an ambush, and the new monsters come after me while you two are fighting the gargoyles? I¡¯m¡­ not very good at close range fighting.¡±


    ¡°If that happens, then Xorvos will help you while I deal with the gargoyles. Just try to not die before he gets there.¡±


    Xorvos wanted to rebuke her. Defend his friend or argue against her tactics. But he kept silent. What was he supposed to say? That she could defend herself? That he could handle the gargoyles and she should help Shuka? Those were both lies, and Xorvos didn¡¯t lie. But the silence still hurt.


    ¡°Well, if neither of you have any more complaints, then I think its time to start. Just follow my lead.¡±

 Chapter Twenty

    Chapter Twenty


    Shuka was tense. Nervous. Or maybe just scared out of her mind. Ok, so it wasn¡¯t quite that bad, but she definitely wasn¡¯t having a good time. The reason for all of her unease was right in front of her. Two statues standing guard over a bridge. Or so it seemed. They were monsters and she had to shoot one with a poisoned arrow. Even worse, she was just informed that the poison wasn¡¯t even strong enough to kill the creature. The only assurance she had that they wouldn¡¯t maul her to death was the two Quanso in front of her. Admittedly that was a pretty good assurance, seeing as Quanso are some of the best fighters in the world, and one of the two in front of her was a veteran adventurer, but still. If the last few days taught her anything it was that you were never really ¡®safe¡¯ in a fight.


    With a deep breath the young hunter drew back her bowstring and aimed carefully at the gargoyle on the left. Pushing out all of her intrusive thoughts Shuka focused solely on the one thing she knew she could do. Hunt. The shot was released, and the arrow flew in a slight arc right into the monster¡¯s chest, a little off from the center. It was barely an inch into its stony skin, but it drew blood and that was enough for the poison to do its work. It was also enough to wake it up. A bolt of panic shot up her spine, but she quickly got a hold of herself and drew another arrow as Xorvos and Videon approached the now moving monsters.


    Fuck, the arrow didn¡¯t even stick in it. I hope the poison works, because if not then I am useless here, and I don¡¯t want Xorvos fighting that thing unimpeded. Can he even hurt it? I mean, if an arrow barely draws blood, what will a punch do?


    She got her answer soon, as Xorvos approached the poisoned gargoyle carefully. His fists were up in a defensive stance. While normally he had his hands open to be ready to grapple, now they were closed into fists. The gargoyle stumbled towards him unsteadily, the poison already taking effect, and swung a claw towards Xorvos. He dodged the rather slow attack, and struck back with a jab, hitting the monster in its face with a gauntleted fist. It didn¡¯t even flinch. Seeing his attack fail, Xorvos backed off and created some distance between him and his opponent. In the meantime, Videon had engaged her own opponent and had already broken the monster¡¯s arm. With only one arm left it slashed at her with an unnatural ferocity. It landed on nothing but a shield, and after its attack was done, Videon slammed her weapon into the side of its head, dazing it. Shuka watched it all feeling thoroughly useless.


    I can¡¯t get a good shot with Xorvos and Videon in the way. Even if I can¡¯t kill one of those things, I could at least distract it so Xorvos can get a good hit in. If this bridge wasn¡¯t here, I could at least reposition so I can get a clear shot.


    While Shuka was worrying, Xorvos continued his fight. He dodged another attack from his, sluggish gargoyle, and then countered by putting all his weight into a punch to the side of the head. This time, he definitely dealt some damage, but not enough. While his arm was still extended the gargoyle grabbed it. Xorvos winced as he felt the monsters¡¯ claws dig into his arm and tried to pull back in vain. Even weakened by the poison it simply had too good of a grip to let go. Xorvos was worried before now he began to panic. He started punching with his other hand but found he couldn¡¯t do more than hurt it a bit. With his prey caught, the gargoyle made his move¡­ and took a step towards the edge of the bridge. Xorvos saw this and felt the fear start to creep up in him. He started punching faster and more desperately, but nothing he could do could stop it. The monster was bleeding from multiple points on its face where its stony skin had broken but seemed to ignore its injuries and kept its grip strong. It had almost gotten to the edge, when there was a loud CRACK and it stopped in its tracks. And then slowly slumped to the ground dead. Standing behind it was Videon, with a bloodied weapon outstretched.


    With the fight over Shuka let out a deep breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding. Looking at her friend in the distance, she saw that he was doing the same. Videon was the only one who seemed unrattled by the encounter. She calmly walked back towards the entrance and started untying the ropes that were tied across everyone¡¯s waist. Xorvos just stared at the now dead gargoyle that almost killed him. Shuka walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. We survived, and as long as we are careful, we will survive the next fight too. I¡¯ve got your back and Videon does too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not? Then what is?¡±


    ¡°Videon.¡±


    As he said her name, Xorvos looked across the bridge to see her still untying the ropes. He looked scared, but also a bit in disbelief. When he spoke again, it was quiet.


    ¡°She killed them without hesitation and didn¡¯t even glance at their corpses afterwards. I know it was to save me, and monsters don¡¯t really think, but it still seems cruel. If that¡¯s what she can do to a monster, then how far off is she from doing the same to a person?¡±


    Now that she was closer, Shuka got a good look at the gargoyles they were facing. It didn¡¯t have a human¡¯s face, or even a Quanso¡¯s, but it did have a face. It was scary and monstrous but was still closer to a person than an animal. And it was covered in its own blood with its skull caved in. Shuka was starting to understand what Xorvos meant now.


    ¡°Hey, you two done looking at the corpse yet?¡±


    Shuka almost jumped out of her skin, having not noticed Videons return. She was in the process of coiling the rope she had retrieved and putting it back into the pouch she had on her belt.


    ¡°Yes. Sorry for not helping with the ropes, and¡­ thank you for saving me back there.¡±


    Xorvos couldn¡¯t look Videon in the eyes when he thanked her, but he was at least genuine when he said it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Keeping everyone safe is just part of being an adventurer.¡±


    I guess potential murderer or not, she did still save his life. And he never was one to pass up an opportunity to be polite or honourable. And she is still nice to us at least.


    ¡°So¡­ is that the dungeon? Are we done now?¡±


    ¡°Done? No, of course not. There should be at least one more fight left, maybe two if we¡¯re unlucky. The higher tier a dungeon is the longer it lasts, but even tier one dungeons don¡¯t last only one fight.¡±


    Oh great, more fighting. One more chance for one of us to die.


    Risk of death or not, she was already too far into it all to turn back now. Well actually she could go back to the entrance and leave at any time, but then she would have just risked her life for practically nothing. Either way, she was going to see this to the end. Probably. As long as she didn¡¯t die at least. Beyond the bridge was the side of a mountain with a narrow set of stairs spiraling up to the summit. The stairs were only wide enough for one person with one side being an immovable mountain, and the other being a miles long drop to the bottom. And as if all of that wasn¡¯t enough, the moment the whole group got to the small platform before the stairs really began, the wind started blowing more intensely.


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    Why can¡¯t anything ever be easy?


    ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe I should have looked at what we had to do next before putting the rope away. Oh well, everyone line up, I¡¯m tying us to the ground again.¡±


    Videon took out six coils of rope from her pouch and started to tie the ends of two different length of rope together extending it. After that she then began to tie the extended rope onto more spikes she hammered into the ground.


    How much rope does she have? And that magic pouch of hers sure can hold a lot if she¡¯s using so much of its room on rope.


    After a few more minutes, three extended ropes were tied to the three adventurers, securing them in case of a fall. Again. Shuka was starting to see a theme.


    ¡°Shuka, I need you on lookout duty. Keep an arrow in your bow, and if you see anything, tell us and shoot it. I will also be planting spikes into the wall as we move. Xorvos I want you to always be grabbing a spike with one hand, and Shuka¡¯s rope with the other in case she falls. I will take the lead, with Shuka in the middle, and Xorvos in the rear. Is that all understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shuka and Xorvos both answered at the same time. They were starting to get used to how serious and business like Videon was in a dungeon. They got in order behind Videon as she hammered the first spike into the wall with her metal baton. It didn¡¯t take long and soon enough they were ascending the stairs. The wind didn¡¯t lessen in the slightest, and actually seemed to get stronger. It wasn¡¯t enough to blow anyone off the stairs, but it was close, for Shuka at least. Every step she took was uneasy with worry and she had to alternate between watching out for monster and watching her step. With the wind whistling in her ears, she put one foot in front of the other until Videon stopped in front of her.


    ¡°Hold up everyone, we have a problem.¡±


    A problem? This is the worst time for us to have a problem! I¡¯m a few inches away from falling to my death here.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Shuka tried desperately to not show how scared she was. It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Nothing too bad. I just underestimated how much rope we would need to reach the top. I can see the end from where I am, but we will need to cut our ropes to reach it.¡±


    ¡°Cut the rope!? What if I fall?¡±


    ¡°Relax, we can just cut it at a spot that will still give Xorvos plenty of rope to grab onto. If you fall, he will still keep you alive.¡±


    What she didn¡¯t mention was that now there wasn¡¯t a backup in case he fell too. Shuka continued to hesitate and Videon lost her patience.


    ¡°Look, we can¡¯t stand on this ledge all day so eventually you are going to have to move it. You knew it was going to be dangerous when you entered so why are you only causing problems now?¡±


    It was a good question. The answer was of course, that Shuka was terrified the whole way through and was always one step away from not being able to function, and this was the last step. But she knew that answer probably wouldn¡¯t go down so well, so she gave an alternate solution instead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but only if you let me hold onto the spikes for the last bit of the way up. I won¡¯t have my bow ready, by if we were going to be ambushed it would have happened already.¡±


    She tried to sound more confident than she really was, and it mostly worked. Of course, the curse made her sound selfish instead, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about that.


    ¡°Fine. Once your done with your rope give your knife to Xorvos for his. You can do that much on your own, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What about you? I know Xorvos doesn¡¯t carry a knife, but you¡¯re a Quanso too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here as a Quanso. I¡¯m here as an adventurer.¡±


    As she spoke, Videon reached into her pouch and took out a large dagger. It was almost the size of a short sword with how big it was, but that was admittedly probably just to make it fit in her hands. Still, the sight of a Quanso, who hated bladed weapons with a passion, holding such a large knife was unnerving. Doubly so for Xorvos. Still, Shuka didn¡¯t have all day to gawk, so she started working on cutting her rope. It was a bit awkward since one hand was occupied holding onto one of the spikes in the wall, but she managed. When she finished, she made the mistake of looking down, off the side of the cliff, and her grip on the spike tightened. Still, she managed to steel herself and hand her knife over to Xorvos. He took it tentatively, almost scared of it even though Shuka was handing it to him handle first and he was wearing metal gauntlets.


    I wonder what makes him so scared of it? he¡¯s spent most of his life living in the empire, and I¡¯m pretty sure even the Quanso from Yivix still use something as simple as a knife, even if not as a weapon.


    Just for a moment, Shuka¡¯s eyes wandered to her friend¡¯s shoulder. The shoulder that had been cut by Validus in their first encounter. The armour there still had a large gash in it where the paladin¡¯s sword had cut through it like butter.


    Ah, maybe that¡¯s why. I suppose he hasn¡¯t had many good experiences with blades lately.


    Soon enough he was done and handed Shuka her knife back. Blade first, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain. Once that was done, and all of the ropes were cut, with Xorvos holding onto the end of hers, they were finally ready to proceed. The problem was Shuka really didn¡¯t want to. The wind was still blowing, and she couldn¡¯t even see the end past the curve of the mountain. Still, going forward was better than backwards, if backwards was even an option. And she knew that staying were she was wasn¡¯t going to help much either. Videon wasn¡¯t going to wait that long anyway.


    ¡°Alright, you two look good to go. The end looks to be about 6 meters away from my position. Stay close behind me, there could be a fight the moment we reach the top. I will try to keep the monsters off you while you are still on the ledge, but the less time I have to spend doing that the better.¡±


    Shuka got the message. Doesn¡¯t mean she liked it though. The whole ordeal was dangerous enough without her being rushed. Videon started moving again, and Shuka reluctantly followed with Xorvos behind her. It didn¡¯t take long for her to see that Videon wasn¡¯t lying or exaggerating when she said they were close to the end. As she inched her way over the curve in the mountain, she saw the path widen into a flat platform. It was so close, and yet it still felt miles away. Even worse, Videon spikes didn¡¯t reach the end, since she hadn¡¯t actually been to the end yet. Still, Shuka continued moving, inch by inch. Hands always clenching a spike and with her rope still clenched in her friends hand. Eventually, Videon reached the platform and immediately took out her baton and shield, ready for a fight. The fight never came though so she turned back around to find Shuka stuck two meters away holding onto the last spike before the platform. Videon wasn¡¯t having any of it though.


    ¡°Just get over here already. It¡¯s not that far and you can jump the last bit.¡± She half whispered.


    ¡°Not with this shitty footing I can¡¯t. Why can¡¯t you just add another spike?¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re at the top the noise might trigger the next encounter. Look, just shuffle over and if you feel yourself slipping try to jump towards me and I¡¯ll catch you. Even if I don¡¯t your friend is still holding your rope.¡±


    She¡¯s not wrong. Doesn¡¯t make it any easier though.


    Shuka¡¯s heart was pounding in her chest. She kept on looking down and it wasn¡¯t doing her any favours. But it also wasn¡¯t going to get any better so ever so slow she began to let go of the spike she was holding on to and started shuffling towards Videon. Then the wind picked up and all the fear she had inside her turned into panic. Maybe she should¡¯ve stopped moving and stabilized herself and perhaps she would¡¯ve if she was thinking more clearly. She wasn¡¯t though so instead she started shuffling even faster and inevitably slipped. All of her panic intensified, but she still at least tried to jump with her one foot that remained on the ledge. She didn¡¯t get far, but she also didn¡¯t need to go far. She held out her hand and right at the last moment felt it get grabbed by Videon. No longer going down, but still going forwards, Shuka slammed into the side of the stone platform knees first. It hurt, but only tightened her grip on her lifeline. Soon after she was dragged up onto the platform and she let out a sigh of relief.


    Fuck, that was way too close. How the hell is this a tier one dungeon!? I almost died getting from one fight to another. How can people make a career out of this? It¡¯s insane.


    She was sitting on the ground drenched in sweat, not at all ready for another fight. But she was alive. She heard the scraping of metal on stone and looked over to see Xorvos shuffle onto the platform looking almost as scared as she was. But he was also alive.


    Whatever I get at the end of this dungeon better be worth it.

 Chapter Twenty One

    Chapter Twenty One


    They were at the peak of the mountain. Where normally there would be a pointed tip, instead there was a flat platform. It was almost as if someone cut the tip of the mountain off with a giant sword. There wasn¡¯t much to see, the only landmark was some brown shape at the other side of the platform, but it was too far away to see clearly.


    Are those¡­ sticks? That doesn¡¯t make much sense though, there isn¡¯t a tree up here. Although I guess it doesn¡¯t really have to make sense now that I think about it.


    Once Xorvos was fully on the platform and everyone had taken a short breather, Videon readied her weapons and started to give orders again.


    ¡°Alright, ready up. The monsters won¡¯t wait for us forever, so we have to be quick with the planning phase. That looks like a Harpy nest over there so keep your eyes on the sky.¡±


    ¡°Harpy?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°Is that some kind of bird? I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°They are a dungeon monster so they don¡¯t exist in the outside world. As for what they are¡­ they are more like people with bird features. Or maybe it would be better to say birds with people features since they aren¡¯t very bright.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t seem to like that.


    ¡°Wait, if they are people, wouldn¡¯t that cause problems with our no killing rule?¡±


    Videon let out a sigh and had a look on face that said this wasn¡¯t the first time she had to explain this.


    ¡°No, you see they aren¡¯t people. I should have probably worded it differently, but regardless of what they look like, they are monsters through and through. I don¡¯t think they are even capable of thinking, and even if they are then not anywhere close to our level. Believe me, killing them is not murder.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t exactly look happy, but his question was answered so he had nothing else to say. Shuka on the other hand still had things she wanted to ask.


    ¡°So I get that they are bird¡­ creatures, but what else can you tell us about them?¡±


    ¡°Well they are about human sized and shaped, but their arms are wings, they have bird legs, and their faces are¡­ different. They can fly around pretty easily, but they have to get in close to fight and their bodies are fragile, more so than even elves. Oh yeah, they also usually fight in groups too, so we will probably be fighting a bunch of them.¡±


    None of this sounds super encouraging. Flying targets are a pain to hit and I can only shoot one at a time. If I get attacked by multiple at once I¡¯m dead. At least it sounds like if I do hit it will actually do something, unlike the gargoyles.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s the plan. We are going to advance in a tight formation with Shuka in the middle. Since they can come from any direction she will just be in danger if we keep her in the back again. Xorvos, watch out for their claws and try to grab them out of the air. They are pretty defenceless once grounded so just get them in a grapple then take them out. Kill them or don¡¯t the dungeon doesn¡¯t care either way as long as you defeat them. Shuka, wait until they go in for a dive before you shoot since they won¡¯t be able to turn as easily like that. Also try to shoot the harpies coming straight at you, both for your own safety and because that¡¯s when you will have the best shot at them.¡±


    Does she think I don¡¯t already know that? I know how to shoot.


    ¡°And what will you be doing?¡±


    ¡°The same thing I usually do. Block and Bash.¡±


    I guess I should have expected that. She doesn¡¯t seem to have a very complicated fighting style. Still a lot more effective than anything me or Xorvos can do.


    ¡°Also, if there¡¯s a Harpy matriarch, I will deal with it.¡±


    ¡°How can you tell a matriarch from an ordinary Harpy?¡±


    ¡°They are bigger and different colored feathers. Usually purple or blue rather than the reds and oranges they normally are.¡±


    It seemed pretty simple to Shuka. Shoot birds, don¡¯t die. Of course it was still incredibly dangerous, but she was at least starting to get numb to the fear. She didn¡¯t have anymore questions and neither did Xorvos so after a moment they all turned to face the nest and got in formation. True to Videons words, Shuka was in the middle with Xorvos a couple of feet to her left and Videon to her right. They approached the Harpy nest slowly, keeping an eye out for ambushes from behind. It wasn¡¯t until they got halfway across the platform until they came out. There were about a dozen Harpies fly up from over the side of the cliff. They looked like how Videon described them. Humanoid but with wings and feathers. Usually of a dirty red or orange coloration with the exception of one particularly large harpy with a brilliant purple plumage.


    That must be the matriarch Videon was talking about. Her feathers look so nice even from this far away, I wonder how good they would be as fletching.


    Shuka was brought out of her musings when the harpy in question let out a loud ear-piercing screech. It was loud enough that the young hunter felt like her ears were going to start bleeding. They didn¡¯t, but it still left her stunned, at least for the moment. That was all the harpies needed to begin their assault. In an instant, they all took to the air and surrounded the group with a few of them taking the opportunity to dive at them immediately. Videon was unaffected by the scream and calmly blocked her attacker before delivering her lethal retribution, killing the harpy that went after her. Xorvos wasn¡¯t so resilient, but he at least managed to get his gauntlets up to protect himself from the harpies¡¯ claws. He couldn¡¯t do much more than that though. Shuka on the other hand, had nothing to protect herself with. She protected her face with her arms, but without her friend¡¯s metal gauntlets all it did was change the body part getting injured. Pain lanced through her arm as the harpy left three large gashes in it.


    Shit, she didn¡¯t tell me about them screaming my ears off. I could have used a little warning.


    The harpy flew off and continued circling the party giving Shuka enough time to knock another arrow into her bow. The gashes in her arm hurt, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins was enough for her to ignore it. another wave of harpies was coming in, but this time there were more. Two of the wretched half-birds went into a dive, aiming directly for Shuka with more going for her companions. Shuka shot one of the harpies, her arrow sticking itself in its shoulder causing it to crash, and tried to duck underneath the other. She didn¡¯t quite go far enough though and got a new set of gash¡¯s across her back. Looking to see how the rest of her party faired, Shuka found two new corpses¡¯ by Videon, and Xorvos with a harpy in a chokehold. Although he also had a few new wounds on him.


    Those claws hurt, and I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m still going to have the strength to draw back my bow if I get hit like that again. Not that I¡¯m contributing much, Videon has taken out more harpies than me and Xorvos combined.


    The harpies were circling again, this time with a reduced number, but still enough to easily outnumber the adventurers. And that was without the harpy matriarch who hadn¡¯t moved from it¡¯s spot by its nest. This time, all six remaining harpies dove in unison, with two attacking each adventurer. This time, both of the harpies attacking Shuka were attacking from the front, claws outstretched intent on her death. She had plenty of time since their last attack to knock another arrow, but she knew she could only shoot one before they got to her. She drew back her arrow, with pain and fear almost causing her to mess up her shot. Almost. She hit the harpy on the right square in the chest, sending it plummeting to the ground with a thud. Before the arrow even hit though, Shuka was flying through the air herself, launching herself forward in a dive. She dodged the remaining harpy, managing to not get clawed for once, but with nowhere to land but the hard stone, it wasn¡¯t much of an improvement.


    Everything hurt, and all Shuka wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep until the fight was over. She couldn¡¯t do that though so she opened her eyes and found herself staring directly into the eyes of a harpy. Getting to her feet faster than she thought was possible, Shuka found a corpse on the ground in front of her. It was the harpy she had just killed. Apparently, it had landed right in front of where she dived. Now that she was up, Shuka took stock of the current situation. Xorvos had some dead harpies around him and Videon had even more, with both of them still standing. That was a good thing in Shuka¡¯s books. What wasn¡¯t a good thing was the harpy matriarch had finally started moving and there were still two normal harpies left. The matriarch was big enough that Shuka wasn¡¯t sure she could take it out in one shot. Luckily Videon stepped forward and spoke up.


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    ¡°Leave the matriarch to me. The two remaining harpies might attack, but just focus on surviving if that happens. They should run when the matriarch dies, so killing them isn¡¯t a priority.¡±


    ¡°If the normal harpies just run when the matriarch dies, then why didn¡¯t we just go after her from the start?¡± Shuk asked. ¡°It would¡¯ve saved us a lot of trouble.¡±


    Videon just glanced at her and replied calmly, and only the slightest bit of condescension.


    ¡°Anyone who approaches or attacks the matriarch will get hoarded by the entire flock. You need to be able to take her out instantly for it to work and I simply do not have the range to kill her from afar.¡±


    And she doesn¡¯t think I could do it myself. Besides, she could probably take on the whole flock and the matriarch all by herself.


    The conversation ended there, because the matriarch was flying towards them, and fast. The two remaining harpies were flanking it on either side. They were all well within Shuka¡¯s range by now, but Videon had stepped in front of her and was blocking her line of sight slightly. Since she did tell her to leave it to her, Shuka just lowered her bow, but kept it ready. Videon went one step further and hooked her weapon back onto her belt to free up her hand. It wasn¡¯t free for long though as she reached into her pouch and pulled out a round bottle filled with a yellow and amber liquid. Shuka faintly heard her whisper something under her breath before Videon threw the bottle. Apparently, she had pretty good aim, because she hit the matriarch head on. And apparently the bottle was also pretty fragile because it shattered immediately, splashing the liquid inside all over the harpy. A Second later the amber potion turned into amber flames and the matriarch was at the center of an inferno. She screeched an inhuman sound as the fire consumed her, her face twisted in agony. The flames were spreading too, traveling across her feathers to reach every inch of her body. Right before they covered her face, Shuka took one last look at her and thought she looked¡­ almost human. Still monstrous in some places but that look of pain, it was familiar. She had seen it on Xorvos¡¯ face when he suffered Validus¡¯ holy flames. It was probably the face she made when she suffered the same thing. Looking at it now just made her nauseous. Soon enough the fire covered her face too. Now all she had to look at was vaguely humanoid shaped figure rolling around on the ground in clear pain. It wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant sight, and the horrid sounds she was making wasn¡¯t making the experience any better. Nor was the smell of burnt flesh that had just now started to reach her nose.


    Is this what being an adventurer is like? My wounds hurt like hell, and I feel like I¡¯m going to vomit just by looking at a monster die. Whatever I get from the end of this dungeon better be worth it, because I am never entering one of these death traps again.


    Eventually the matriarch finally stopped moving and the two remaining harpies had long since fled, leaving the top of the mountain peacefully quiet. Then, as if it had always been there, there was a stone door embedded in a chunk of rock coming out of the ground.


    That must be the exit. Thank the gods we¡¯re done.


    Shuka started walking towards the door, eager to leave, but Videon stopped her.


    ¡°Hold on, we have to check the door for traps.¡±


    ¡°Traps? But we¡¯re done aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t done until we pass through that door. Don¡¯t worry though, if there is a trap it would be a simple one and probably non lethal. I can disable it.¡±


    Videon walked up closer to the door until she was around thirty feet away from it and then took a solid steel ball out of her pouch.


    How much room does she have in that pouch if she is filling it with steel balls? And how is that going to disable a trap anyway?


    As if to answer Shuka¡¯s question, Videon winded back her arm, aimed carefully, and then threw the heavy orb with all her strength. It flew impossibly fast and impacted the door with such a load CRACK that Shuka heard ringing in her ears for a few seconds after it landed. The door was in pieces in the room it led in to. Even standing so far away it was obvious that there wasn¡¯t enough room on the outside to hold the room and that there was some spatial trickery going on. Somehow that was less important to Shuka than how Videon threw the ball so hard.


    What the hell was that? Was she always that strong? It didn¡¯t seem like it when she was fighting the gargoyles. And besides, Quanso or not, no one is that strong naturally. Since it couldn¡¯t have been a spell she must have used a magic item. Is that the kind of thing these dungeons give you?


    Videon may have destroyed the door, but she still seemed to think a trap had any possibility of existing because she was approaching the door very slowly and with her shield up. There was a tense moment when she finally crossed the threshold but when nothing happened, she turned around and gave everyone a thumbs up..


    ¡°All clear!¡±


    That was good enough for Shuka so she made her way over to the room. When she entered, she found it was surprisingly plain. It had wooden floorboards and stone brick walls and that was about it. There was a wooden chest in the middle of the room and a door on the wall opposite of the entrance but nothing else. There weren¡¯t any light sources other than the empty doorframe leading back to the mountain top, but the room was somehow fully lit. While Shuka was taking it in Videon went straight for the chest and opened it up without hesitation. It was the least cautious thing Shuk had seen her do in the dungeon and it threw her off.


    ¡°Uhh, aren¡¯t you going to check for traps? Or I don¡¯t know and ambush or something?¡±


    ¡°In here? No. I told you, didn¡¯t I? You aren¡¯t done until you pass through the door. We passed through the door so now we are safe. There have been traps set at the end door, I¡¯ve even encountered one myself once, but never in the treasure room. Not once has the dungeon ever killed someone in here. Now hurry up and get over here and pick up your loot.¡±


    Shuka couldn¡¯t really argue with that so she walked up to the chest and looked at what was inside. After seeing Videons latest feat of strength she was expecting some grand artifact of great power and was¡­ slightly disappointed. Everything inside the chest look mostly mundane. Maybe a little fancy, but nothing too spectacular. The most notable thing there, at least to Shuka, was a quiver full of arrows. Other than that, there was also a pair of sturdy metal boots, a spool of thread, a ring, and three separate coin pouches. Each item also had a small slip of paper covered in writing on them.


    That quiver must be mine, and I guess the boots are probably Xorvos¡¯. Did the dungeon really separate the gold into three different pouches though? I mean, its nice we don¡¯t have to separate it, but it¡¯s a bit scary how much this place seems to know. Oh well, lets see what this quiver does.


    Shuka picked up the quiver and took the note off it. There was a very useful explanation on it that described what it did. It read as follows.


    Quiver of Many Arrows.


    This quiver has four compartments, three of which each hold an infinite number of a different type of mundane, but high-quality arrow. The fourth compartment allows you to store up to one hundred of your own arrows. In cases of multiple different arrows being stored in this compartment, all you need to do is think of the arrow that you want and that will be the arrow you will take out of this compartment. The space warping properties of the fourth compartment only works for arrows and any other item stored within it will take up space like normal. The arrows stored in the other compartments are a broadhead arrow ideal for hunting and unarmoured targets, a heavy bodkin arrow designed to pierce armour, and a blunt arrow for non lethal attacks. Arrows taken out of this quiver will disappear after twenty seconds.


    All things considered it was a very useful item, with an even more useful description. Shuka should have been overjoyed at getting an artifact like that without even having to experiment with it to see what it did. She just had one thing running through her head though.


    What the hell? It has a dimensional space that only works for arrows? And the arrows it can create infinitely disappear after twenty seconds? Why? And if there is already so much magic being put into this why are the arrows mundane? Every single enchantment on this quiver is absolutely insane, but it is being used in the dumbest way! If they just made the fourth compartment without the arrow restriction, it would be both easier to make, and more useful. They just put in more effort just to make it worse.


    Shuka had once heard Ralisdor go on a rant about the nonsensical nature of the magic in dungeons. At the time she thought he was over reacting, but now she was starting to agree with him. By this point Xorvos was examining the boots, and Videon had already finished looking at the spool of thread and the ring. When she saw Shuka was done reading she held out the spool of thread.


    ¡°Take this. It¡¯s magic thread, just hold it in your hand and say ¡®repair¡¯ and it should fix all of your clothing. It doesn¡¯t work on metal though so it won¡¯t fix the gash in your buddy¡¯s armour.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how are we splitting the items? There are four items but three of us, if you give me the thread then all you will be getting is the ring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you the thread; I¡¯m letting you use it. It can only repair so much before it runs out, but if you and Xorvos use it once and then give it back to me I can still sell the rest in my shop. With me getting the ring too, that should be close enough to even for all of us.¡±


    That does seem fair, and I would like to fix my clothing. Those harpies even managed to get through leather with those claws, and I don¡¯t want to look even more run down than I am already.


    Shuka took the spool and held it up. It didn¡¯t look particularly magical, but looks could be deceiving so she tried using it like Videon told her.


    ¡°Repair.¡±


    The moment she spoke the command word the thread started to unspool itself from the thread and stich together Shuka¡¯s clothing. It fixed cloth and leather alike and when it was done the thread separated itself from the spool and then disappeared, leaving no trace of the repair job. Xorvos had a lot less damage done to his clothing than Shuka, with his armour protecting him from most of the attacks, but he did still have some gash¡¯s on his unprotected sleeve. She handed him the spool and apparently he overheard what Videon said before because he used it without a problem and then handed it back to Videon. All that was left now was to retrieve her portion of the gold. Picking it up from the chest she saw the note simply said ¡¯40 gold¡¯ on it and nothing else. It wasn¡¯t the paragraph the quiver had, but there wasn¡¯t really much to say about a bag of gold. She decided she would examine the arrows in her new quiver a bit later, when everything didn¡¯t hurt so much and she wasn¡¯t so tired.


    It''s a good thing I didn¡¯t need to use any magic, it would be practically impossible to concentrate on anything right now. Maybe something small, but definitely not my disguise. Wait, shit my disguise! I forgot to put it on, today, but I met Videon with it yesterday.


    Just as Shuka realised her mistake she saw Videon turn to her and speak.


    ¡°So, while we are still alone, mind telling me why you were hiding your identity yesterday?¡±

 Chapter Twenty Two

    Chapter Twenty Two


    ¡°W-what do you mean? I wasn¡¯t hiding my identity.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were. Do you think I can¡¯t spot an illusion? It was obvious.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a disguise! I just uh¡­ felt like being blond that day. It was purely for aesthetics.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t born yesterday; I know a disguise when I see one. Who are you hiding from and why? You¡¯re obviously a criminal, but are you a criminal hiding from the law, or other criminals?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe me if I said I was framed?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s attempts at convincing Videon she was innocent wasn¡¯t working. It was mostly because she was doing a bad job of it, but she told herself it was the curse¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Alright fine, I¡¯m hiding from the law. But it¡¯s not because of anything bad I swear!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Xorvos said, finally speaking up. ¡°She¡¯s not dangerous and this is all just a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°I know she isn¡¯t dangerous.¡± Videon replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have gone into the dungeon with you two if I thought you were brave enough to try attacking me. Or strong enough to win for that matter.¡±


    I mean, she¡¯s not wrong, but she could be a little nicer about it. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not a monster who can throw fifty-pound balls through a stone door.


    ¡°But¡­¡± She continued. ¡°You¡¯re right. Looks to me like you are just some new assassin who messed up their first job. And if you have a Quanso as squeamish as Xorvos helping you, the job probably wasn¡¯t even to kill someone. Either that or you are just tricking him.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how she got it in her head that I¡¯m an assassin, but convincing her otherwise would probably just make things worse.


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m an assassin, then why did you still want to work with me? Especially if I¡¯m on the run.¡±


    ¡°Assassin is still just a theory. My other theory was you double crossed the thieves guild or some gang. And besides, you are hardly the first assassin I¡¯ve worked with.¡±


    Xorvos had a reaction to that, and it wasn¡¯t a good one. Shock and anger laced his words as he nearly shouted at his fellow Quanso.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked with assassins before? But their murderers! It¡¯s one thing to kill, but to make it their entire job? What Quanso would ever work with one of them?¡±


    ¡°One that wants to survive in a place that actually tries to kill you. You think this place was dangerous? You two wouldn¡¯t even be able to scratch the weakest monster in a tier three dungeon. You can¡¯t be picky when your life is on the line.¡±


    ¡°There are some things worth more than just your life. Honour is one of them. If you work with those with no honour, then you have no honour yourself.¡±


    Xorvos seemed to have struck some sort of nerve, because suddenly Videon got angry. The whole conversation, the whole time Shuka had known her really, she had been calm. Or at least composed. But now her face twisted in a vicious sneer and her words dripped with venom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about honour kid. All it is, is an excuse to hate. A set of guidelines on how to be good, so you can call everything else evil. Petty, meaningless rules do not dictate someone¡¯s worth. You don¡¯t get to judge anyone, assassin or not, until you¡¯ve met them face to face.¡±


    ¡°So what, murder and crime is alright because they might secretly be a good person on the inside? Alright, I guess I will just ignore all crimes from now on, after all, they are probably justified right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so if I don¡¯t need to know anyone¡¯s life story before judging them, I guess the honourable thing for me to do right now is to knock you both out right now and dump you into a jail cell. Or are you and your friend the one and only exception to this rule? I mean you¡¯re a Quanso, so obviously everything you do has to be good and honourable right?¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t really have an answer for that point, and maybe he would have conceded to her argument with a calmer mind, right now it just made him angrier. And as Shuka was about to find out, Xorvos did not have good decision making skills when he was angry.


    ¡°I AM honourable! You are just too far gone to recognise it. All you have done today is insult me and my friend and I cannot stand for that. Videon, I challenge you to a duel!¡±


    There was fire in his eyes, but Videon had a fire of her own. The problem was she also had the skill to back up her enthusiasm, where Xorvos¡­ didn¡¯t. Shuka knew how this was going to end, but she didn¡¯t think she could stop it. She was still going to try though.


    ¡°Xorvos stop, you¡¯re going to lose! Just let it go, I don¡¯t care about what she said.¡±


    ¡°I do though. Don¡¯t try to stop me this is important.¡±


    Shuka disagreed with that but the chances he was going to listen to her at this point was pretty slim. It got even slimmer when Videon gave her answer.


    ¡°I accept. Just try not to cry when your honour doesn¡¯t save you from me beating the shit out of you.¡±


    *


    Xorvos was filled with righteous fury. If he was a little more level headed he might have reflected on how Validus might have the same feeling when hunting him. Instead, he was just angry. Angry at Videon mostly, but also angry at himself although he would never admit it. He felt betrayed.


    How can a Quanso of all people be like this? Even Validus I can forgive, since he genuinely thinks me and Shuka are bad people, but what excuse does Videon have? She admits to helping murderers and then questions MY honour? As if she is some sort of saint? I¡¯ve seen how she fights, she¡¯s worse than Validus.


    He thought back to the harpies. How she burned the matriarch alive without hesitation or regret. It was horrifying. He looked at Shuka¡¯s face and knew even through the cure that she felt the same. But for Videon it was just business as usual.


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    She was supposed to be a beacon of morality and goodness where Validus fell short. What a disappointment.


    Of course he knew he stood no chance against her, but he wasn¡¯t thinking about that. So he took he place fifteen paces away from his opponent and waited for the duel to begin. Shuka had tried to convince him to stop, but all it felt like to him was her trampling over his honour. So here he was, with his gauntlets raised. The chest was moved from the center of the room, so there was plenty of space. He wasn¡¯t planning on using any of it though. He was so focused on Videon that he almost didn¡¯t hear Shuka counting down to the start of the duel.


    ¡°3¡­2¡­1¡­ begin!¡±


    Xorvos dashed forward and activated his new boots. The note said that upon activation he would ¡®dash in a direction of your choosing with great speed.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t realize how far and how fast he would go. In an instant he went from the other side of the room, to bouncing off Videons shield. He expected her to at least be pushed back a bit, with how fast he was going and how much it hurt when he ran into her, but her shield barely moved an inch. Never one to miss an opportunity, Videon lashed out with her baton in a lightning quick strike to Xorvos¡¯ head. It was a powerful blow accompanied by equally powerful jolt of electricity, along with¡­ something else. Magic that sapped away his strength. It almost dropped Xorvos right then and there, but he just barely managed to stay standing. He stumbled back a few steps and expected her to chase him down and finish him off, but she just stood there with a steely look in her eyes. It was a bad start, but even with his head pounding in pain and his energy stolen by magic, Xorvos wasn¡¯t giving up.


    His second charge was a bit more calculated than his first. His plan, was to step into his own range as fast as possible, while keeping an eye on her baton and shield for attacks. Then he would try a low tackle to try and get below her shield. Once they were on the ground, he would have the advantage as a grappler. The plan was full of holes, but it didn¡¯t even matter because he failed on step one. He stepped forwards in a long stride that was almost a jump, with his guard and eyes up high. What he didn¡¯t see was Videon smash her boot against his shin with the full weight of her armoured body. If his new boots didn¡¯t protect his shins she would have broken his leg. As it was, he was just in intense pain and couldn¡¯t actually stand on that leg. Xorvos started falling forwards, but not content to just drop him to the ground, Videon planted her foot back onto the ground and then brought the knee of her opposite leg to smash into his face as it was falling to the ground. Simultaneous to that she also brought her baton on the top of his head, leaving it to be smashed between two very hard surfaces. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.


    *


    Videon was gone when Xorvos woke up. She poured a potion down Xorvos¡¯ throat and then left without a word. Even with the potion it took him a while to wake up, to the point where Shuka was starting to get worried. When he did wake up though all he had was a headache and a sore leg. Impressive considering what he went through.


    ¡°What happened? Did she leave?¡±


    His words were mumbled a bit slowly at first, but then faster as if his brain was remembering that it was no longer concussed. Shuka was sitting on the floor looking at an arrow in her hands.


    ¡°Yes, she did. She also gave you a potion after you basically begged her to bash your face in. But I suppose she still isn¡¯t honourable enough for you.¡±


    ¡°But she wasn¡¯t honourable. Kicking out an opponent¡¯s leg is a dirty trick and striking an unarmoured head is poor conduct.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get hit in the head then wear a helmet!¡± Shuka snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we have enough problems without you getting yourself brain damage over nothing? You¡¯re luck she didn¡¯t charge us for the potion she gave you because I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a higher quality potion then what we bought.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t over nothing though it was a matter of honour.¡±


    ¡°It was about your own goddamn pride! It certainly wasn¡¯t about me because I told you I didn¡¯t care and to stop, but you did it anyway! You just couldn¡¯t stand the thought that some Quanso you met yesterday wasn¡¯t the same kind of self righteous jackass as Validus. Guess what Xorvos, the fact that she is willing to work with criminals is a good thing right now. Want to know why? Because we are criminals! We can only get help from people like that know so you better get used to it before someone decides to stab you and not heal you afterwards.¡±


    ¡°She called you an assassin, how can you not care about that?¡±


    ¡°Why would I!? What¡¯s the alternative, saying the grand paladin is hunting me down personally because he thinks I¡¯m a witch? I don¡¯t care what she calls me as long as she doesn¡¯t want to hurt or kill me.¡±


    The argument was getting heated, but most of the anger was from Shuka. Xorvos wasn¡¯t used to seeing her so angry. He was also a bit burnt out from his fight with Videon, both the physical one and the verbal one.


    ¡°Look, can we have this conversation some other time? My head feels bad enough as it is, and your yelling isn¡¯t helping it.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We should probably be getting back to town anyway; we don¡¯t want to miss Ralisdor.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a happy end to the argument, but at least it was over. That was enough for Xorvos, he felt crappy enough as it was.


    *


    Videon was not in a good mood. She didn¡¯t always get along with the adventurers she partied with, but it had been a while since it had gone that badly.


    There goes some potential customers. I didn¡¯t even get anything good from the dungeon. A half-used spool of magic thread and a ring nobody is going to buy. At least I only had to split the gold three ways.


    It wasn¡¯t a very good day, all in all, but at least she knew she could always vent about it to books over a beer later. She felt bad doing it, but the halfling seemed to live off the gossip. Well gossip and whatever book she was reading. Videon was just about to decide that she wasn¡¯t getting any customers and close early when someone walked through her door. It wasn¡¯t who she expected either. Standing in her shop was the shifty human girl with the bow. This time she was back to her blonde haired disguise.


    Shuka? What¡¯s she doing back here? And alone too. Does she want compensation for me beating up her friend? I hope the potion I gave him was enough, but if he¡¯s still hurt pretty bad she might try to guilt me into paying her for it.


    ¡°Hey, if you are here about your friend, I¡¯m sorry for going all out on him. I¡¯m used to fighting monsters so I kind of got caught up in the moment and forgot it was a person I was attacking.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh no that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I think he¡¯s mostly fine with the potion you gave him. Don¡¯t think too badly of him though, he¡¯s normally a better fighter than that, and he was just trying to do what¡¯s he thought was right.¡±


    He certainly wasn¡¯t that dumb against the gargoyle or the harpies. But what¡¯s this girls angle then? She can¡¯t just be here as a social call.


    ¡°So, uhh¡­ first of all thanks. For the dungeon, I don¡¯t think we would have survived without you.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been in the dungeon without me either. Whatever it is you want to say just say it.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry. That potion you used, the fire one. How much do they cost?¡±


    And here I thought I scared them off for good. At least she doesn¡¯t seem to be holding a grudge. Although considering she came alone, Xorvos might be.


    ¡°Fifteen gold. Impressed by their effectiveness?¡±


    ¡°More like terrified. I don¡¯t have the luxury of being picky though.¡±


    ¡°Xorvos can¡¯t have agreed to this. But I guess that¡¯s your problem to deal with. Here let me show you how to use it.¡±


    *


    Shuka was tired. She could barely keep her illusion up and her wounds still hurt. She didn¡¯t want to waste a potion on a few scratches. She was going to have to wash the blood out of her clothes too and she was not looking forward to that.


    I should have asked Videon for some tips to get the blood out. Hell, she probably has a potion or artifact in her shop that does it with magic.


    As tired as Shuka felt it was only around midday. The sun was up in the sky as bright as ever and it was starting to piss her off. She finally arrived at the hideout, where she could just sleep the rest of the day away. When she entered she saw Xorvos and Ralisdor waiting for her, with Xorvos leaning against a wall, and Ralisdor sitting in a chair reading a book.


    Ah, so Xorvos did get back before me. Good, I was worried he would be limping the whole way, but I guess it¡¯s not that bad. And Ralisdor is here too. Wait¡­ Ralisdor!?


    ¡°Oh good¡± Ralisdor spoke with a slight smile ¡°You are finally back. I was worried I would have to go into town and find you myself.¡±


    Maybe today¡¯s not so bad after all.

 Chapter Twenty Three

    Chapter Twenty Three


    It took an hour just for everyone to catch everyone else up to speed. Ralisdor had a lot of questions, and a few critiques, about what Shuka and Xorvos had been doing in his absence. What surprised Shuka though, was that Ralisdor wasn¡¯t actually mad at them for entering the dungeon. She thought he would have reprimanded them saying something like ¡®Dungeons are the playground of fools and morons, and any who enter have clearly taken leave of their senses.¡¯ Instead, he just congratulated them on a successful dungeon dive. He had plenty of complaints on specific actions, like Xorvos getting into a fight with Videon and Shuka forgetting her disguise, but those were separate problems. A for what he was doing during all of this it was actually a bit more boring than what Shuka had to go through. He just spent a few days tracking, traveling, and then finding them. He saw the symbol Shuka put on the hideout before they left and was waiting for their return from the dungeon. Once all the explanations were given Ralisdor stood up and looked around the room they were in.


    ¡°Well this has been great, but we really must get going now. I don¡¯t suppose you two still have your horses do you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but wait, are we leaving already? Me and Xorvos just got back from the dungeon and I¡¯m not sure if I have the energy to do much unless I have to.¡±


    ¡°Not to worry. I will arrange everything myself, all you need to do is rest here until I get back with some horses. We really must leave though. You have been seen and I don¡¯t know how long it will be before you get caught.¡±


    I can¡¯t really argue with that. I¡¯m worried about getting caught too, and now that Ralisdor is here we really don¡¯t have a good reason to stay. Well, other than to recover from a near death experience, but I guess I¡¯m getting used to those.


    ¡°Well I guess that¡¯s fine. I just hope riding a horse doesn¡¯t reopen my wounds.¡±


    They still hurt. She could feel the spots where the harpies¡¯ claws had cut into her flesh, but they weren¡¯t too deep. Just deep enough that it hurt like hell, but not deep enough that she was in any actual danger. Aside from an infection, but Shuka had already taken every precaution to prevent that that she could, so now that was just up to luck. Xorvos didn¡¯t seem to have any complaints about leaving either, even if his body did, so soon enough Ralisdor was walking into town in search of transportation.


    *


    It was a bit refreshing, traveling again. Two weeks straight of practically nothing happening. No people to talk to but her friends, no dangerous encounters other than sword training, and no paranoia and fear of getting caught. Well okay a little fear, but a lot less than in a town or city. And then she arrived. Lancrin, the city of magic. It was just as big as Rockmarsh, perhaps even bigger since it didn¡¯t have a mountain in the middle, but it had a different air about it. White marble towers with roofs of every colour decorated the city compared to the stout and sturdy dwarven homes of Rockmarsh. There was even a faint magical aura surrounding the entire city that Shuka could see even from a distance. At any other time, she would have looked at this city with wonder and awe, but all she felt was dread. Just another thing ruined by the curse.


    ¡°Ahh, home sweet home.¡± Ralisdor said with nostalgia in his voice. ¡°There is nothing wrong with Rainsburg of course, but there is something special about Lancrin.¡±


    ¡°If you love it so much then why did you leave?¡± Xorvos asked, curious.


    ¡°Infighting mostly. When the previous archmage of illusion died a few years ago a lot of mages were fighting for his title. I didn¡¯t want to get caught in the crossfire so I decided to take a vacation in a small little town with a wonderful library for me to browse. I ended up staying a little longer than I had planned, but it all worked out just fine.¡±


    ¡°Who ended up getting the title? Someone you know?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, the new archmage isn¡¯t even from the Celestial Empire let alone Lancrin. The whole fight they were having was just a pointless endeavor of futility. Not that I was surprised at the result. No one came even close to being as good as Sandrin, myself included, but they all deluded themselves into thinking they were his equal.¡±


    There was a note of derision in his voice that Shuka knew he only used for those he truly looked down upon. Xorvos noticed how intensely he felt too, but since he didn¡¯t know why he decided to ask.


    ¡°Did you know him personally?¡±


    ¡°Archmage Sandrin? No, but I respected his work. Of course, I had seen him here and there, but we had never talked at length. I had hoped to become his peer before his death but alas, it was never meant to be.¡±


    They were approaching the gates of Lancrin so the conversation started to die down. Ralisdor had told her not to use her disguise illusion since the guards might notice it so instead, she just unbraided her hair and kept her bow and quiver hidden. Xorvos also took off his gauntlets since that was probably the only physical descriptor Validus gave other than ¡®Quanso.¡¯ Ralisdor was the only one of them that wasn¡¯t wanted so he didn¡¯t need to hide his identity at all. It also meant he was the one to approach the guards at the gate leading into Lancrin Shuka was tense. She got even tenser when one of the guards looked her way. He examined her, and then Xorvos, then, seemingly finding nothing of not, looked back to Ralisdor and continued talking to him. Shuka was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, but it seemed to be going well. That didn¡¯t make her any less nervous though. Then, after what felt like a eternity, the guard stepped aside and let them all through.


    That¡¯s one hurdle overcome. How many more am I going to have to go through though?


    The thought was enough to put Shuka in a bad mood for the rest of the day, but then she looked around at where she was. The streets of Lancrin were filled with market stalls and storefronts glowing with lights and pictures showing their wares. Illusions of every shape and size made to dazzle and impress and even to a lesser extent, inform. They showed everything from sparkling arms and armour, to exotic and odd materials that could only be spell components, to even colourful crystals. Some of the storefronts even had pre recorded magical messages advertising on loop. It was enough to fascinate even Shuka out of her fear.


    No wonder Ralisdor found so much work here. I¡¯ve never seen so many illusions before, even the food stalls have them. And so many of these merchants are selling magical items, there were only a handful in all of Rainsburg, and most of them belonged to Ralisdor. Oh, is that stall selling wands?


    Shuka had always wanted a wand, but Ralisdor was against it. He said it was a crutch and if she learned to use magic with a wand then she might not be able to use it without a wand. She already knew how to use magic though, so now she could buy whatever wand she wanted. Or at least she could if the cheapest wand the stall was selling wasn¡¯t five hundred gold.


    Okay so maybe Ralisdor just didn¡¯t want to spend the money. I guess this is why mages aren¡¯t more common. Magic is expensive.


    Ralisdor didn¡¯t even glance at any of the wares on display, he just walked straight through and Shuka and Xorvos struggled to keep up. He wasn¡¯t going particularly fast, it was just hard to resist the urge to browse. Eventually they left the very mercantile street for a more subdued one with less distractions. Shuka was slightly disappointed the whole city wasn¡¯t coated in pretty illusions, but not too much. She knew how much work must have gone into making just that one street like that, even for a city of magic. Still, the rest of the city was only bland by comparison. Most of the buildings were made from a white stone similar to marble, and the roofs still had the multicoloured tiled roofs that she saw on the towers in the distance. She even walked by the entrance to one of those towers on the way to whatever destination Ralisdor clearly had in mind. When they got there, Shuka saw that it was an inn, and not a shoddy one either. The Radiant Fox Inn was a large building, not made of stone for once, but a pale-yellow wood. If you looked closely, you could see carvings of fox¡¯s playfully jumping all around the building. The windows to the inn were a bright golden yellow that almost seemed to glow from the light of the interior. Above the door was the inn¡¯s name in golden cursive letters and a similarly gold fox curled up in a ball, sleeping. Both the name and the fox were both glowing with light, obviously produced by magic.


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    This is an inn? It¡¯s so beautiful I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was a nobles house. Wait, maybe you have to be as rich as a noble to stay here. Can we even afford this place?


    Ralisdor seemed to have noticed her worries because he was quick to assure her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not as expensive as it looks. There are plenty of travelers that find their way to Lancrin so there are plenty of inns. Combined with the ease at which you may enchant your establishment in this city the standards for inns are a bit higher than other places. After all, why would you ever go to a plain inn when you can stay in one that glows. The truly luxurious inns have entire teams of magical familiars for each guest and serve magic food. This one just has a glowing sign and windows.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ wait, why are we even staying in an inn? Don¡¯t you live here? Let¡¯s just go to your house.¡±


    ¡°While I would love to show you around my abode, it is currently¡­ occupied. You see when I left this wonderous city I knew I would be gone for at least a year, possibly more. Since mages can sometimes disappear without a trace in some sort of magical experiment, the council of Lancrin decided to repossess buildings if they are unoccupied for more than a year. To circumvent this, I decided to rent out my house to an aspiring mage to keep it occupied in my absence, and make a bit of coin while I am at it. The original contract I had with him was for one year, but when I decided to stay in Rainsburg for longer I extended it. The longer I stayed the longer I extended the contract and right now there is still seven months left. As such, my house is currently occupied, and there simply isn¡¯t enough room for all of us, even without the fact that I don¡¯t want to get in his way, or bring trouble to his door. Especially since it¡¯s actually my door.¡±


    I suppose that makes sense. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯ve never heard of this guy before, but I guess it wasn¡¯t too relevant in Rainsburg.


    The small group finally decided to enter the establishment and found the inside was just as spectacular as the outside. As much as Shuka wanted to stay and look around, Ralisdor decided to go straight for the innkeeper. She was a middle-aged woman with long blond hair and a golden furred pet fox resting on her shoulders.


    ¡°Excuse me, but we wish to rent two of your rooms. What are your prices for one small and one medium room, preferably close to each other. We will be booking the rooms for a week.¡±


    ¡°A small and a medium? One gold five silver. If you decide to book for a whole month though, I will knock the price down to five gold.¡±


    ¡°Just one week please.¡±


    Ralisdor took out the money and paid the innkeeper. She then gave him the keys to their new rooms in return.


    ¡°Come on then, let us unpack our things an discuss our next course of action.¡±


    Shuka was a bit disappointed to be leaving the common room so soon, but she also wanted to get rid of the curse as soon as possible, so she followed Ralisdor to their rooms on the second floor. They entered the medium room which was as nice as the rest of the inn, which is to say it was the nicest room Shuka had ever been in. The beds were large and cozy and instead of candle or a lantern the room was lit up by a magical orb of golden light that could be adjusted by an artifact attached to the bedside table. As excited as she was to explore the city, Shuka was a bit tired from traveling so she laid down in one of the two beds in the room and found heaven in its sheets.


    The city can wait, I need to relax. First bit of luxury I¡¯ve gotten in the last month and I am not letting it go to waste.


    ¡°Enjoying yourself, Shuka? Well I suppose its for the best. After all your curse would just complicate matters outside, you should probably stay here where it will be much harder for it to get you in trouble.¡±


    This broke Shuka out of the almost trance like state she was in and caused her to sit up and look at Ralisdor.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not leaving me out of this, are you? This is my problem; I can¡¯t just let someone else fix it for me.¡±


    ¡°While I agree with the sentiment, The fact of the matter is you cannot have prolonged social interactions without the curse causing it to all go awry. I know this city and its people, so let me do this for you, and if you really feel you must afterwards, then you can pay me back later. But I must insist you let me do this alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to try doing everything myself, but at least take me along. How am I supposed to just twiddle my thumbs in a comfy bed while you do all of the work for me.¡±


    Ralisdor was beginning to get frustrated, but then again, so was Shuka. It was Xorvos who spoke next though, although not without some emotions of his own.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t endangering yourself because of your pride a stupid move Shuka? Staying here is the smartest move.¡±


    His words reminded the young woman of what she told him just two weeks prior. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling having your own hypocrisy shoved in your face.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay in my room. But make sure you tell me everything that happens as soon as you can.¡±


    ¡°Of course. For know I think I will ask some of my previous associates if they know of anyone who may be of assistance. Then, if that doesn¡¯t work then tomorrow I will search the library for anything that pertains to our current situation. Xorvos, I believe you should stay here with Shuka in case of trouble.¡±


    If I could just leave this inn, we could do both of those things today. But I suppose their right. A bit of speed isn¡¯t worth another encounter with someone like Validus.


    *


    It had been an hour since Ralisdor had left and Shuka was finally starting to relax again, but she was still going over the conversation in her head. The comment from Xorvos especially. Their relationship was a bit¡­ tense since the dungeon, but it had healed somewhat. Shuka had certainly forgiven him at least, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much he had forgiven her.


    Maybe I should say something. No, I definitely need to say something, the question is what? Do I apologise for being stubborn? Or should I thank him for looking out for me? I should probably just say both now that I think about it.


    She was just about to open her mouth and have a real heart to heart with Xorvos when a loud crash echoed up from downstairs. The sound of yelling soon followed. It sounded to Shuka like a fight had broken out and she immediately thought of the worst possible outcome.


    Is Validus downstairs searching for me? Or maybe its someone from the thieves guild. It can¡¯t be just an ordinary bar fight, this doesn¡¯t seem like the place that would have them. Maybe it¡¯s unrelated to me, but I can¡¯t just bet on that and do nothing. I have to get out of here.


    Shuka went to the window to try and open it, but found it was locked.


    Shit, now what? Am I going to have to sneak out through the common room? It might work if whoever is down there is distracted fighting¡­ whoever they are fighting.


    With a plan in mind Shuka rushed to the door nervous, but determined. She was driven by fear, but driven all the same. Xorvos blocked her path before she reached the door.


    ¡°Shuka, were are you going?¡±


    ¡°We have to leave Xorvos. I don¡¯t know who is down there, but I¡¯m not taking any chances, we have to be out of here before they finish their fight.¡±


    Xorvos looked at her in confusion, and then fear as he came to the same conclusion she had.


    ¡°Do you think they are looking for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xorvos hesitated for a moment but then nodded and moved out of her way. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the common room where the sound of combat was still emanating from. It looked a bit different from when she had walked through it an hour before though. Broken tables and chairs littered the floor, which was slick with spilled drinks. Joining the debris on the floor were several rough looking men either dead or unconscious. Shuka didn¡¯t see any blood though, so she guessed it was the latter. In the center of all the carnage was a woman, although she almost seemed like a beast. Danger radiated off of her like it was a tangible thing. She held the last man in the room still standing by the throat, fingers pressed into his skin before slamming him hard into the floor. And just like that, the fight was over with Shuka standing out in the open, not hidden by a thing. The women¡¯s head turned to stare directly at her with deep purple eyes with slitted pupils. Not like the alligator eyes of swamp elves, but something else. Shuka had never seen a dragon before, but she knew without a doubt that if she had, its eyes would look exactly the same. When the dragon eyed woman spoke, it wasn¡¯t with a deep terrifying voice like she expected, but an energetic and cheerful one. But what surprised her more was what she said.


    ¡°Shuka?¡±


    She knows my name? And why does she look and sound so familiar too? No¡­ it can¡¯t be.


    ¡°Maryam?¡±

 Chapter Twenty Four

    Chapter Twenty Four


    Maryam was having a great day. It wasn¡¯t often her mother let her out of the valley, and especially not without an escort. In fact, this was the first time she was allowed to do a job completely alone. Not that it was that difficult of a job. All she had to do was deliver some artifacts to a well trusted merchant in Lancrin. She finished that over an hour ago and has spent her time since shopping and having fun. She would have spent many more hours wandering the streets, but it was getting dark and the shops were beginning to close.


    Damn, looks like I¡¯ll have to find an inn. Ah well, it¡¯s not like the shops are going anywhere, I can just continue browsing in the morning. Now where was it I stayed last time I was here? I think it had something to do with a fox. Well, whatever, I guess I¡¯ll just walk around until I find a fox themed inn.


    It didn¡¯t take her long to find the Radiant Fox, which was a bit disappointing since she was looking for an adventure. She entered the inn with a few hours until she had to sleep so she went up to the bar to see what they had. It was the innkeeper herself who was behind the bar. It was pretty easy to tell she owned the building since she was the only one with a pet fox on her shoulder.


    ¡°So what will you be having? A room or a drink.¡±


    ¡°Both actually. I¡¯ll be staying here for a night, but I might as well get a drink while I¡¯m down here. What¡¯s your best non-alcoholic drink?¡±


    ¡°The room will be eight copper. As for your drink, how about some fruit juice? I normally use it for cocktails, but I¡¯m sure I could mix something good up without alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thanks, I¡¯ll take it. Most people just hand me a glass of water if they hand me a drink at all. The best I¡¯ve gotten so far is milk. How much do I owe you?¡±


    ¡°Just a copper. I couldn¡¯t ask for more for a drink that I can¡¯t guarantee the quality of. Besides, its not like juice is very rare or expensive anyway.¡±


    As she talked the innkeeper started preparing Maryams drink. She was pouring several juices into a glass before stirring it all creating a swirling mass of red orange and yellow. It had a sort of elegant beauty to it that only an experienced bartender could create. Maryam downed the whole thing in one long swig. She then took out a silver coin and placed it on the bar counter.


    ¡°Here, for the room and juice. And keep the change, the drinks worth double what you charged me anyway, might as well pay to match.¡±


    Maryam had a grin on her face so wide and genuine that the innkeeper couldn¡¯t help but smile herself. It was an infectious thing, that smile of hers. She had been told once that she could make any but her enemies smile with her if she was given enough time. She was just about to order another drink when the doors to the inn slammed open and six men strode in like they owned the place. Judging from the actual innkeeper¡¯s expression though, they most certainly weren¡¯t welcome. The were all wearing well tailored clothing, but with their arms exposed, showing off a tattoo of a shark eating a skull on their shoulder that they all shared. The other commonality they all shared was that they all had a weapon on them. Mostly clubs and blackjacks, but their leader carried a sword. They all sat around a large table in the center of the room while the leader called over a terrified waitress. Maryams smile was gone.


    ¡°Well they look like some rude customers.¡± Maryam commented. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get rid of them?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Their loan sharks, and since my idiot son died while in debt to them, I now owe everything he did. Which is a lot.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be legal right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. But it¡¯s not illegal either. Apparently it¡¯s a murky grey area in the laws that they are abusing to exploit people. I would hire someone to teach them a lesson, but they are taking all of the money I would hire someone with. I¡¯m paying them every time they come by, but they keep on raising the intrest to the point where I can just barely afford to pay them.¡±


    Shuka looked at the group again, seeing through her draconic eyes. She didn¡¯t see any strong magical aura on them, and their personal mana reserves were pitifully low.


    Hmm¡­ no magical items and none of them are mages. It¡¯s six vs one, but if I have time to prepare and I take one or two out by surprise then it might be a bit more even. Mom did tell me not to get into any fights but¡­ if its for a good cause she will understand. I hope. Aright I¡¯ve decided, I¡¯m helping.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. For free even.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Do what?¡±


    ¡°Teach them a lesson. You know, beat them up and all that.¡±


    ¡°For free? You look like you can fight a bit, but your outnumbered, I don¡¯t want you to get hurt on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m stronger than I look. And I¡¯m doing this because I want to, so don¡¯t feel guilty about it. As long as I have a minute or two to prepare I can take them easy.¡±


    ¡°But why? I don¡¯t even know your name, and I don¡¯t think you know mine. Is it just out of the kindness of your heart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one reason. I could also say it¡¯s for training, or that I¡¯m just itching for a fight, and that wouldn¡¯t be wrong, but the real reason?¡±


    Maryam turned to look directly into her eyes and her grin returned, but far less kind.


    ¡°People like them make me sick. They need a fist to the face, and I¡¯m all to happy to deliver.¡±


    All sorts of less than nice thoughts were going through Maryams head, but she put them to the side for a moment to focus on spellcasting. She had to focus on the spell itself, but also what her actual goals were, distractions or unwanted thoughts could end in death. Theirs more than hers, but Maryam was no murderer.


    Beat them up, don¡¯t kill them. Beat them up, don¡¯t kill them. Beat them up, don¡¯t kill them. Alright I think I got it.


    The first spell she cast was a defensive shield that covered her skin, acting as armour, but without the weight. Without the protective capabilities of a full set of armour either, but better than nothing. It was also nearly invisible, but what was visible was the claws that started to grow out of Maryam¡¯s fingers as she finished the spell.


    Shit, I forgot about my claws. Okay, closed fists, kicking, and spells only, I don¡¯t want to accidently cut an artery.


    The next spell was a basic physical enhancement spell. Strength, speed, stamina, it did it all. Not by as much as a spell that focused on just one of those traits, but much more efficiently, and that was more important for Maryam. It still caused purple scales to grow out from her claws to cover her hands. The last spell she cast in preparation, wasn¡¯t on herself, but on a small rock she always carried with her. It had been primed for enchantments making binding spells onto to it far easier, faster, and more mana efficient. Maryam was used to putting all kinds of spells on that little rock, but the spell she chose this time was a light spell. A very bright light spell. Bright enough to temporarily blind everyone in the room when it went off. A few minutes ago Maryam would have been worried about blinding the rest of the patrons in the common room, but at the moment she was only thinking about the loan sharks. Well, the loan sharks and the new pair of horns that had just sprouted from her head.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I¡¯m onto horns already? Don¡¯t my teeth normally sharpen first? Oh shit, they¡¯re sharp already, I didn¡¯t even notice. Goddamnit enchanting is too expensive! It¡¯s the cost of two spells for the effect of one, even if it is more convenient. I¡¯m going to have to limit my spells in the fight, only one or two, max. Fixing my pants every fight because my body thought I wanted a tail or some weird ass legs is a pain. Ugh, I¡¯m getting distracted, what¡¯s important in beating them up and not killing them.


    Maryams preparations were done and she was ready to fight. There were a few people giving her odd looks due to her transformations, the innkeeper included, but Maryam didn¡¯t care about any of that. She was walking up to the loan sharks with one purpose in her mind. Normally she would have given a snarky comment or two, maybe taunted them a bit. But that wasn¡¯t a part of beating them up or not killing them, so instead she approached the leader from behind while they were all laughing at something and smashed his head into the table. Maryam was a strong woman even before she enhanced her strength with magic, but with it? His head went straight through the wooden table as splinters went flying everywhere. It took the entire group by surprise, even the few who had saw her coming. The surprise didn¡¯t last for long though as they all reached for their weapons and got up from the now broken table.


    ¡°What the fuck? Who the he- AHHHH!¡±


    Maryam didn¡¯t wait for him to finish his sentence before throwing her enchanted stone and activating it. With her eyes closed of course. The light only lasted a second but it was bright enough that no one but Maryam could see for the next few seconds. Those were seconds that she wasn¡¯t going waste. She managed to kick one guy in the chest, knocking him into another table, and pick up a chair and smash it over another ones head before they started regaining their sight. They all attacked at once, hoping to overwhelm her. They almost succeeded. She dodged one, blocked another with a spell, but the last hit struck her in the back of the head. It hurt, but the defensive spell she cast in preparation protected her from the worst. But it did hurt.


    Oh good, I was worried this was going to be boring. Time to have some fun.


    *


    There she was. Maryam. Shuka hadn¡¯t seen her in a decade, but here she was looking like a monster. She looked normal at first, but then you looked closer and saw what didn¡¯t belong. Hands wrapped in not skin, but scales and tipped with sharp claws. Horns that just barely peeked out from under her hair. Too sharp teeth that came with fangs you would see on a predator. And, of course, piercing purple eyes with thin slitted pupils that looked like they could see your very soul. It was causing a bit of a conflict within Shuka, because the rest looked so much like what she remembered, if aged up a bit. A wide grin, kind or cruel depending on the situation. Fiery red wavy hair that reached down her back, although it was now mixed with the same shade of purple as her new eyes. Even her posture was the same, full of energy and ready to move. And she was fit too, even more so than Shuka who practiced archery and all but lived in the woods. Her cloths seemed to indicate she lived an active life too, which came to no surprise to Shuka. She wore sensible, if a bit colourful, travelers¡¯ clothes that looked nice, but also tough enough to take a bit of a beating. The only part of her outfit that stood out though was her large leather boots that went almost up to her knees, that for some reason had stiches around the toes.


    ¡°MY TABLES!¡±


    The two long lost friend were interrupted out of their stare down by a not so happy innkeeper.


    ¡°You were supposed to beat them up, not use all of my furniture to do it. Where are my patrons supposed to eat and sit now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ sorry I forgot to add ¡®don¡¯t destroy stuff¡¯ to my mantra. Here I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    Maryam took out a coin pouch and started filling it with coins. Shuka didn¡¯t see how many she put in there, but she did see that they were gold. Although she seemed a bit¡­ odd. She couldn¡¯t place what exactly was wrong, but Maryam seemed a bit dispassionate. Like she was only pretending to care and that didn¡¯t seem like her at all. Still she paid the innkeeper and then turned back to Shuka.


    ¡°You are Shuka right? Don¡¯t tell me your just some random stranger who happens to look like her a bit.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, no I am Shuka. And your Maryam right? I haven¡¯t seen you since you were adopted, what happened?¡±


    Maryam seemed to think about that answer for a bit but then just shrugged.


    ¡°Stuff happened I guess. I don¡¯t really feel like chatting right now though so I¡¯m going to take a nap. Bye.¡±


    What the hell is going on? Why is she being this nonchalant about our reunion? There is no way she would care this little, even after ten years. I know I certainly don¡¯t. She¡¯s not even smiling anymore. I can¡¯t just let her leave, right? And besides, she might be able to help me.


    ¡°Maryam wait! Don¡¯t you want to catch up? It¡¯s been years.¡±


    She stopped, but looked slightly annoyed about it.


    ¡°Do you just want to catch up or do you have something actually important to talk about. Because if it isn¡¯t important, then it can wait until after my nap.¡±


    ¡°I do want to catch up, but I also have something important to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine. We can talk. I guess I probably want to talk with you anyway.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t have the time to ask her what she meant by that, because Maryam started drinking a murky potion she pulled out of her travel bag. She then promptly began vomiting all over the floor. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight, but as she retched, Shuka saw Maryams scales morph back into skin, and her horns shorten until they were hidden by her hair again. She couldn¡¯t see her teeth through all of the vomit, but Shuka was sure they had returned back to normal as well. The vomit itself was interesting too, as much as she didn¡¯t particularly want to look at it. While it had all of the usual stuff you would expect from it, there was also this strange glowing blue liquid in the growing puddle on the floor. Once the poor girl was done her ordeal, she was entirely back to normal, without any¡­ odd parts to her. Except for her eyes. Those stayed even when everything else disappeared.


    ¡°MY FLOOR! That¡¯s it, get out of my inn, I need to clean this up. You can keep your room, but it better be in PRISTINE CONDITION in the morning, got it?¡±


    This time Maryam actually looked guilty.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry! I promise to make it up to you. I swear once I¡¯m done talking to my friend, anything you need I will do.¡±


    The shift in her personality was both immediate and extreme, but it was a lot closer to what Shuka remembered. She also seemed to have recovered from vomiting fast.


    ¡°All you alright Maryam? That was a lot of vomit just now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it I¡¯m fine. The better question is are you alright? I don¡¯t know what kind of magic you¡¯re messing with these days, but you must have fucked it up bad for it to leave you this messed up. Why are you even using dark magic anyway? It¡¯s dangerous, and not just for your enemies.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know there is dark magic involved? And wait a second, it wasn¡¯t me! I got cursed by a witch, and now I¡¯m trying to get it lifted.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. And was this witch you? I¡¯ll believe your cursed, I can see it attached to you after all, but it seems much more believable to me that you just messed up a curse and it backfired onto yourself.¡±


    ¡°How is that more believable?!¡±


    Maryam was about to answer that, but then she stopped to think about it a little. By all accounts, Shuka being a witch herself really was the less likely option, so why didn¡¯t she think so?


    ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth.¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°Shuka really did get cursed. The problem is the curse makes her more untrustworthy, so its really hard to convince people of that.¡±


    ¡°Ack! Xorvos, when did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ been here the whole time. Didn¡¯t you notice me?¡±


    ¡°¡­So about this curse. It is pretty weird that my first thought was that you were up to no good, and if Xorvos says it was someone else then it must be true.¡±


    How easy it was for him to convince her. Well at least she believes me now.


    ¡°So you never did say how you knew about the curse. And why were you so weird back at the inn?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well it¡¯s a bit complicated. But I suppose we got some time don¡¯t we, here let me explain.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Five

    Chapter Twenty Five


    ¡°So it¡¯s a bit complicated actually. Well the knowing about your curse part is simple, I can just see magic with these eyes of mine, and there¡¯s a whole lot of bad magic around your soul.¡±


    ¡°You can see my soul?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no. But I can see a dark mass of magic around where your soul is located. It¡¯s pretty strong too, you would probably need a specialist to get rid of it. Well, that or an archmage I guess.¡±


    Shuka let out a sigh of disappointment. It wasn¡¯t exactly new information that the curse was hard to get rid of, but it still wasn¡¯t encouraging to hear.


    ¡°So you can see magic now? How did that happen? And is it related to you being so¡­ monstery back there?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was dragony, not monstery. Seriously, would you call a dragon a monster?¡±


    Shuka could tell from the look she was giving her that the correct answer was not ¡®yes.¡¯


    ¡°No, of course not. Sorry, I just meant that the two things seem related due to your, uhh¡­ new eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. And yes they are related. And as luck would have it, they are also related to why I was acting so indifferent to you earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great. What¡¯s the reason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m part dragon.¡±


    Maryam said it so casually that Shuka thought for sure it was some kind of joke or prank, but it also made an odd sort of sense. Why else would she look the way she did after all. But a dragon? That couldn¡¯t be true.


    ¡°Do you mean part Drakkin? The dragon people? Or is this some kind of prank.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a prank, I¡¯m serious! And yes I mean dragon.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ how? Your eyes were normal back at the orphanage, did they awaken or something later?¡±


    ¡°Awaken? No, that¡¯s ridiculous. My mom just filled me with dragon blood and then bam! I¡¯m part dragon. Well okay there was also this big magic ritual, and a two year recovery, but that¡¯s not important. The important thing is I have dragon blood running through my veins so I¡¯m part dragon.¡±


    The more she talks the less I understand. This all sounds so crazy, am I just supposed to accept this?


    Xorvos was obviously confused too because he asked the next question.


    ¡°Where did your mom even find dragon blood? That doesn¡¯t seem like an easy thing to find.¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s incredibly easy to find as long as you¡¯re a dragon yourself. All she had to do was open a vein and gallons of the stuff just came pouring out.¡±


    It took her a moment to process what she just heard, but when she did the news hit Shuka like a meteor.


    ¡°Your mothers a DRAGON!?¡±


    ¡°Yup. And in case that wasn¡¯t enough of a surprise for you she is also an archmage. Servianna, Archmage of Artifice and more importantly, my mom.¡±


    The worst part was, it was actually possible. Shuka remembered Ralisdor telling her about the current archmages, and the Archmage of Artifice was in fact a dragon. A purple one. She even lived close by, relatively speaking. She was meant to be living in the Celestial Empires eastern neighbor in a place called Dragon Crater Valley. Lancrin just so happened to sit on the Empires eastern border and so it was probably only a short travel away. Shuka couldn¡¯t dismiss the possibility of it all being true, even if she wanted to.


    I¡¯m hunting deer in a forest and getting cursed by a witch, but she gets adopted by an archmage that just gives her magic powers? Did she steal all of my luck somehow? No, I can¡¯t get jealous, that¡¯s not going to help at all. And besides, it does look like those powers of hers has downsides. I should be happy for her, but it all feels so¡­ unfair.


    ¡°So how do these powers¡­ work. Can you just turn into a dragon whenever you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s not nearly that convenient. All my dragon parts only come out when I cast magic. The bigger the magic, the more draconic I become. I usually keep the spells pretty small though, going too far, too fast usually causes problems.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean cast magic?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°I thought you, uh¡­ couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Your right, I couldn¡¯t. I can now though. Purple dragons are like, ninety percent magic so having my blood replaced with theirs made me magic too.¡±


    It was such a simple explanation that Shuka was sure there was more to it than that. She was also sure that the actual explanation was probably a bit too advanced for her though, so she didn¡¯t bother pressing Maryam about it. She was curious about something else she said though.


    ¡°You said you can¡¯t use too much of your magic. Why? Is becoming a dragon¡­ dangerous?¡±


    ¡°For me? not really. But it affects my mind too, not just my body. Dragons are creatures of obsession, so the more like a dragon I become, the more obsessed I am. What I become obsessed with is basically whatever I was thinking or doing when I start transforming, which more often than not is a fight. Normally its not too bad, but sometimes I just sort of¡­ forget that I shouldn¡¯t kill people. Not unless I am constantly reminding myself not to when casting magic at least.¡±


    So that¡¯s why she was like that. I heard dragons all had their own thing they get obsessed with, but I never thought it was so extreme. Although it seems to work a bit differently with Maryam. I guess that potion she drank got rid of her transformation and turned her back to normal. Having to vomit up your lunch if you don¡¯t want to go around without any emotions seems pretty rough though, I kinda feel bad about being so jealous now.


    ¡°Sorry about getting you to drink that potion, by the way. It didn¡¯t look pleasant, and I can¡¯t imagine it was cheap either.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the vomiting isn¡¯t that bad, I mean half of the process is done while I¡¯m still draconic and draconic me doesn¡¯t give a shit about a bit of discomfort. Well, okay so I give a bit of a shit, but not much! And yeah it¡¯s pretty expensive, but my mother makes them and she¡¯s loaded, so who cares. I could drink gallons of that potion and it wouldn¡¯t even make a dent in her literal hoard of gold.¡±


    ¡­So I think I¡¯m going to go back to being jealous now.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been asking me a lot of questions, so I think it¡¯s my turn now. Mainly, what¡¯s up with the curse? You said a witch did it, but what¡¯s the story behind that?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually not that exciting. I was out hunting and I accidentally shot a crow that happened to be a witch¡¯s familiar and she cursed me for it.¡±


    ¡°How do you ¡®accidentally¡¯ shoot a crow?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I meant to shoot the crow, I just didn¡¯t know it was a familiar.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, but why would you even shoot a crow in the first place? Do you just kill every animal you come across?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not! Their meats not the best, but it is edible, and their feathers sell really well. I¡¯m not rich like you, so I can¡¯t exactly be picky with what I hunt.¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t expecting Maryams accusatory comment, so her response came out a bit more aggressive than she wanted. A bit was all the curse needed though.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry for getting adopted, I¡¯ll try to be more miserable for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not miserable, I just don¡¯t have a lot to be happy about right now. You got your dream given to you on a silver platter by an archmage who decided to adopt you. I actually had to work.¡±


    The air around Maryam changed at Shuka¡¯s comment. She may have been mad before, but now she was furious, and her fury had a presence. It was scary, but¡­ not as scary as Validus.


    ¡°You think this was easy for me!? I spent two years in a bed, barely able to move, but sure it was a ¡®silver platter.¡¯ And now I¡¯m training my magic every day, constantly afraid of the uncaring monster I become. And I chose this life, because unlike you I actually care about things enough to suffer for them. Do you even have anything important to get back to when this curse gets lifted? Or are you just going to go back to hunting birds for a handful of coins.¡±


    ¡°Who cares, if it¡¯s important? I enjoy hunting so I hunt. I don¡¯t need to be rich or famous, or even be good at what I do to be happy, I just need to like what I¡¯m doing. If you don¡¯t like that then you can just leave!¡±


    The moment the words left her mouth, Shuka regretted them. She remembered when Maryam left the orphanage all those years ago, and how terrible she felt. Now it was going to happen again, and it would be her fault this time. She saw Xorvos, off to the side, looking like he wanted to say something, but¡­ hesitating.


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    Would he have hesitated a month ago? He¡¯s never not defended me, even at times when even I thought I was in the wrong, but now he¡¯s silent. Am I going to lose him too? Because of one argument that happened weeks ago?


    Because, she now realised, she never apologised. Because she spoke to him in an argument, and not a conversation. Because the curse made everything worse, but she knew that wasn¡¯t an excuse.


    What am I doing? I haven¡¯t seen my friend in a decade and this is what I say to her? I¡¯ve been so careful with every single word I say to strangers, but I guess I need to with my friends now too. No, I¡¯ve always needed think about what I say to them, now there¡¯s just consequences.


    Now Shuka wasn¡¯t angry, or even sad. She was scared. Scared Xorvos wouldn¡¯t forgive her, and scared that Maryam would leave. She was feeling scared a lot lately, and it was hard to top the fear of death, but this was close. So close it felt the same. Maryam shouted something in a language Shuka didn¡¯t recognise and then turned to walk away. It was now or never.


    ¡°Wait, Maryam! I-I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t care about the money, and I didn¡¯t mean what I said about life being easy for you, so¡­ please don¡¯t leave. It¡¯s been so long and I don¡¯t want to end our friendship like this.¡±


    That stopped Maryam in her tracks. She turned back to look at Shuka, still angry, but conflicted now. She wanted to forgive her, but was too angry too. Xorvos was done hesitating though.


    ¡°Please stay Maryam. We could really use your help, and I think Shuka is being genuine. Even if it doesn¡¯t seem like it. Just give her one more chance.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch. Fine, I accept your apology. For now. Lets just get back to the curse, I need a distraction.¡±


    It¡­ was a start at least. Maryam was still very obviously mad, but she was staying, so even just for that Shuka was relieved.


    ¡°Right, the cure. Well I told my magic teacher, Ralisdor, about it and he told me I needed to find a book on curses for him to help me. Either that or a specialist. Anyway, the library at Rainsburg uhh, didn¡¯t work so we decided to come here. We arrived just a few hours ago, and Ralisdor went off to talk to some friends of his while I¡­ stayed out of trouble in the inn.¡±


    ¡°You have a magic teacher? I thought you were a hunter.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am, but I am also learning magic. It¡¯s more of a hobby kind of thing though.¡±


    ¡°Right. I know the library stays open even late into the night so lets go.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, to the library? Right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Maryam wasn¡¯t kidding. She may have been more playful before, but since their argument she was all business, with a scowl that didn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡°But what about Ralisdor? He told me to stay, and he might worry if he gets back and I¡¯m not there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well screw Ralisdor. This is the fastest, most direct route, why would you not take it? If you are that worried about it then Xorvos can stay behind and tell him what¡¯s going on when he gets back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°Wherever Shuka goes, I go. Even if that means going against what Ralisdor said, your safety comes first.¡±


    This brought a smirk back on Maryams face.


    ¡°Well, well, well. Look who¡¯s grown up. Never thought I¡¯d see the day Xorvos rebel.¡±


    Xorvos, grey face turned a shade redder as he protested.


    ¡°I¡¯m not rebelling! I would like to stay at the inn, but I know you well enough to not try to stop you. The least I can do is watch your backs while you be reckless.¡±


    ¡°Hah! I take it back, you haven¡¯t changed a bit. And, I¡¯m not being reckless. The library has gotta have the book you need, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can get it for you. And if I can¡¯t then my mom can.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that. There was a bit of a¡­ misunderstanding at the library in Rainsburg. If I¡¯m around then the librarian might think I want the book for less than upstanding reasons.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you don¡¯t know about the famous librarian of Lancrin then? I would have thought that teacher friend would have told you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s so special about Lancrins librarian? And what does that have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. So are you coming or not?¡±


    Damn, I was hoping she would just tell me, but I guess that would be too easy huh. But should I go? I don¡¯t want to mess things up, and I also don¡¯t want to make Ralisdor mad. Well, he probably won¡¯t be that mad, and this will give me some more time to make up with Maryam. I can tell she is still pretty mad at me, even if she isn¡¯t showing it. Alright, I¡¯ll do it.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Great, it¡¯ll be just like old times then.¡±


    Yeah, just like old times. Except for now you hate me.


    *


    The trip took a bit long than it probably should of. Maryam kept on confidently leading the way, getting lost, and then spend three times longer than she needed to asking for directions. Normally Shuka would have been annoyed at how chatty she was, but she wanted to talk to Xorvos, so it worked out.


    ¡°Hey, Xorvos. Sorry about the argument. The one at the dungeon I mean.¡±


    He seemed surprised at her bringing it up. And not nearly as angry at her as she feared.


    ¡°What are you apologising for? What you said wasn¡¯t wrong. I let my feeling get the best of me and messed up.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t what I said, it was how I said it. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled, but I was angry too. Look, if you feel guilty at all, I forgive you, but I also just want to apologise. So I¡¯m sorry. I just don¡¯t want you to be angry at me, you deserve better.¡±


    ¡°¡­well I accept your apology then. But I¡¯m not angry. Well, I suppose that¡¯s not entirely true. But I¡¯ve been thinking. About what you said. And I¡¯m glad you made up with Maryam too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not done yet. She¡¯s still real mad at me.¡±


    ¡°She is? She doesn¡¯t look too mad to me.¡±


    ¡°I think she is trying to distract herself. That¡¯s why she wanted to go to the library now and not later. Or maybe I¡¯m just thinking too much into it. But I don¡¯t think she¡¯s forgiven me just yet.¡±


    The two friends were watching Maryam chatting animatedly with a couple of passerby¡¯s. She had already gotten the directions she needed, but she was still talking to them. Shuka wasn¡¯t really paying attention to what they were talking about, so she was quite surprised when several glowing balls of light flew out from Maryams hands and spun around in a circle around her. Each ball was a different colour and it was clearly magic. In fact, it wasn¡¯t that far off from what Shuka could do herself. The balls of light wasn¡¯t what the strangers were interested in though, it was her now scaled and clawed hands that she now had.


    Whats she doing, doesn¡¯t that effect her mind? Is she really willing to do that just to impress some strangers?


    The conversation she was having didn¡¯t last much longer and soon enough Maryam was back with Shuka and Xorvos.


    ¡°Hey, I got the directions. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to remember them this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good job Maryam, but¡­ your hands. Aren¡¯t you worried about your transformation?¡±


    Oh thank the gods Xorvos said it. I¡¯m on thin ice with Maryam right now, but I also really want to know why she did that.


    ¡°Oh, these?¡± She responded holding up her now purple hands. ¡°Nah I¡¯m not worried. It doesn¡¯t affect me that much in the early stages and I made sure I was thinking about the curse thing. If anything, this will help me focus on that more.¡±


    Did she¡­ did she deliberately transform herself so she would think about our argument less? Or does it really not affect her that much. She certainly doesn¡¯t seem that different from normal. Am I just making this all about me when it isn¡¯t? Augh, I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t mess anything up though.


    They Continued on their way to the library, and found it was a mere two blocks away. It was a grand sight, much larger than the library in Rainsburg, and far more ornate. It looked almost like a cathedral, with tall spires rising up above all but the cities towers. There were five floors that Shuka could see, with each floor having its own stained glass window each with a different design depicting a different subject. The windows were beautiful but the walls themselves were also works of art with carvings of all sorts of things embedded into the marble. And it was marble too, not the marble lookalike the rest of the city was made out of. Enchanted too, Shuka saw as she got closer, with enchantments that could probably survive an angry dragon. When they entered through the large double door, Shuka found the interior no less wondrous. Although the walls were harder to see with the rows upon rows of full bookshelves in the way. There weren¡¯t many people this late at night, but there were several small golems running around carrying books and organising shelves. The golems were small metal balls, with four pointy legs stretching out from it like a spider, and two spindly arms that carried whatever needed carrying that came out from the top of the ball. Shuka was somewhat used to golems from growing up in the Vondoom Orphanage, but she was used to more humanoid shapes. These little balls of organisation were almost completely alien to her.


    How much money did the library spend on these? Even the Orphanage only has the one golem, but I can see a dozen golems on just this floor alone.


    Maryam was significantly less enamoured with the whole building. She had obviously been here before since she walked straight towards the stairs to the next floor without even looking around. Hurrying to follow her Shuka and Xorvos found themselves climbing up to the top floor. It was obviously the floor dedicated to magic, and Shuka didn¡¯t need to look at the window to know that. Half the books glowed, and the ones that didn¡¯t were still written in archaic magic runes. Well, she saw one book being carried by a golem that seemed to be a kids picture book called ¡®The A, B, C¡¯S of Magic¡¯ but that seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. Still, the room hummed with magic, and even Maryam slowed down to stare at the tomes of arcane knowledge. She never stopped though, and soon enough she was knocking on a door at the back of the room. It seemed like an ordinary wooden door to Shuka, but she did notice an odd sign that hanged off it. It said ¡®Thieves¡¯ Beware! None but the twin Queens of the Sea may enter uninvited. Death awaits for the rest.¡¯


    Isn¡¯t this a library? What is a sign threatening death doing here? And who are the twin queens of the sea? Is this a joke, or is it serious?


    ¡°Hey Maryam? Uhh, whats with the sign?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s pretty obviously a warning.¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah, but¡­ should we really be trying to enter then if it¡¯s a warning?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to try breaking in, that would be suicidal. It should be fine as long as we get invited though.¡±


    Shuka looked at the door again and saw that they were not at all getting invited. Maryam didn¡¯t seem discouraged though and just continued to wait at the door. Shuka didn¡¯t really have a better plan so she waited too. A few minutes later the door opened up on its own. That alone could have easily been done with a bit of magic, but what worried Shuka was that it opened up to a dark black void. It reminded her of the dungeon, and that reminder did not bring good memories. Before she could protest though, Maryam was already through the door.


    Ahh, is this an invitation? Does it lead into a dungeon? I can¡¯t just stay out here if Maryams already entered, can I? I guess I just have to trust her on this.


    Going through the doorway was similar in feeling to the dungeon as well, but when she came out on the other side, it wasn¡¯t a dungeon she was in, but an office. Maryam was already there, and Xorvos came in soon after her, but there was one more person in the room with them. Behind a magnificently carved desk, that dominated the room, was a Drakkin woman. Shuka hadn¡¯t met many Drakkin before, most of them lived on an entirely different continent, but it was unmistakable that was what she was. They were sort of humanoid dragons, covered in scales from head to toe and body features that would look at home on a lizard. This Drakkin in particular had green scales and a sharp look in her eyes. She was wearing a mages robe, but one made with mobility and ease of movement in mind, rather than just comfort, or style. It also had several pouches placed in strategic locations for easy access to spell components. On her desk, with her hand resting on the handle was an ornate wand carved out of some sort of bone or ivory. The magic aura coming off it was strong enough that even a novice like Shuka could tell it was powerful. She looked like a battle mage ready for a war, not a librarian. But there on her desk was a name plate that said otherwise. ¡®Head Librarian Visia, Queen of the Sea.¡¯ There was one more piece to the puzzle that led Shuka saw, although the answer it led too didn¡¯t make much sense. Hanging on the wall behind the desk, above a mounted cutlass was a flag. A black flag, depicting a skull with two green dragons curled around it possessively.


    She¡¯s a pirate.

 Chapter Twenty Six

    Chapter Twenty Six


    Visa was staring down each one of the people who entered her office, examining them with a well-trained eye. She had a presence to her that made even Maryam keep her mouth shut.


    ¡°Why have you brought these two lost children to my office Maryam? Servianna isn¡¯t known for her charity so I assume you are not here in her stead this time?¡±


    Her voice was calm and controlled, but it had an edge to it that you couldn¡¯t ignore.


    ¡°Err, yes. They¡¯re my friends from the orphanage, and I want to help them out. Do you have a book that could help us lift a curse?¡±


    ¡°As direct as always I see. Of course I have a book that could be of use to you. The question is why would I let you see it?¡±


    ¡°I can pay you.¡±


    ¡°With what, your allowance? Unless your mother decided to give you half her hoard, you don¡¯t have enough gold for me to even bother picking it up off the ground.¡±


    The normally energetic and fearless Maryam was starting to look a bit nervous now. Shuka didn¡¯t like that, because she was absolutely terrified.


    Why did she drag us into this if she didn¡¯t have a plan past ¡®pay her a lot¡¯? Is she going to kill us for wasting her time? No, wait, maybe we can find some other way out of this. Is there something else we can offer her?


    Maryam seemed to have had the same thought because she then took off a necklace she had hidden under her clothing and held it out in front of her.


    ¡°I may not have much money, but I do have artifacts. This necklace of non-detection was crafted by the archmage of artifice herself. I will give it to you in exchange for the book.¡±


    Visia just gave an unimpressed look at the very magical artifact and gave a bored sigh.


    ¡°That necklace isn¡¯t yours anymore than the gold. If I took that from you your mother would fly over here herself to get it back. Not that she would succeed, but dealing with her is more work than it¡¯s worth. Besides, I¡¯ve stolen from her before, that little trinket of yours is hardly the most impressive thing in her hoard.¡±


    ¡°Bu-but I thought you were a pirate! Don¡¯t pirates like treasure and gold? I didn¡¯t think you would care who you were taking it from.¡±


    ¡°What I desire is books and knowledge. If you want to peddle trinkets go find my sister. There is nothing you have in that empty head of yours that I could possibly want. Not that it matters much anyway, you little narcissist. This isn¡¯t your deal, it¡¯s theirs.¡±


    Visia turned her gaze upon Shuka and Xorvos. Shuka was a bit less than enthusiastic about this since, in her opinion, she had interacted with enough criminals to last a lifetime back in Rockmarsh. She was not looking forward to making more back-alley deals, but it was starting to look like she didn¡¯t have much of a choice. She did have a bit more time though, as Maryam wasn¡¯t quite done yet.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell! I¡¯m not a narcissist, and I¡¯m definitely not dumb you b-¡±


    She never got to finish her sentence. The moment she started saying something a bit impolite Visia flicked her wand up and shot out a concussive wave of force that knocked Maryam flying backwards. The door that they all entered through flew open right on time to let her fly through it, just to shut close immediately afterwards.


    What the hell? She cast that spell as fast as I could blink, and it didn¡¯t seem like a weak spell either. I know she¡¯s using a wand, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single wand in the world who can make you that fast on its own.


    ¡°Well then. I believe we have a deal to make.¡±


    ¡°Um, sorry, but uhh¡­ I don¡¯t think we have anything to offer you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you do. You see that dullard Validus has decided to make you two his new pet project to focus on and that can be exploited.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to help you do evil!¡± Xorvos shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are planning, but if it involves exploiting the grand paladin, then it can¡¯t be good.¡±


    ¡°What a narrow minded view. Just because I¡¯m a pirate, ah, sorry ex-pirate, doesn¡¯t mean every action I commit is automatically evil. After all, you should know by now that every deed done by a good person isn¡¯t necessarily good right? Sometimes, exceptional circumstances make us act opposite to our usual natures.¡±


    The comparison to Shuka¡¯s situation with Validus was obvious, but it did make her wonder a bit how she knew to make it.


    ¡°You say that like we¡¯re innocent, but how do you know him chasing us isn¡¯t just?¡±


    ¡°Perceptive I see. I know about your curse, if not the specifics at least the general idea. And before you ask, no I cannot lift it. Not without some severe repercussions that I¡¯m sure you would like to avoid at least. It seems to be a curse that affects those around you, so I simply cast a spell to protect me from its effects before you entered. I cannot imagine that even a moron like the grand paladin would mistake you as any sort of threat without magical interference, so I assume the curse has changed his perception of you.¡±


    Did she figure this all out before we even walked in? She got it all right without even seeing me. Wait, maybe that helped. She said the curse affected those around me, so maybe it doesn¡¯t work if they¡¯re far away or can¡¯t see me? Without the curse clouding her perception of me, she must have just seen me for what I really am. A normal person who got cursed.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this good deed you want us to help you with then?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s quite simple really. I have had tragically few books on demonology for a while now and I wish to rectify that. Luckily an envoy from Draconia has just arrived with their own personal collection of books. I, of course am bound by magical contract to never commit, or hire anyone to commit any crimes against them, so my usual method of looting their corpses won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Xorvos interrupted. ¡°Why would we help you get books on demonology? We don¡¯t even know why they have it, but I¡¯m sure your not going to use it for good.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not going to use it for good, I¡¯m not going to use it at all. Summoning demons is just riskier than using golems, and they¡¯re not even the only thing you can summon. If I¡¯m going to summon anything it would probably be an elemental. Those books are going into my collection, and they are not leaving it. And you say you don¡¯t know why they have the books? Well I don¡¯t either, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for safe keeping. They are slavers after all.¡±


    That got a reaction out of Xorvos, and it wasn¡¯t a good one.


    ¡°Slavers? But slavery is illegal in the Celestial Empire, why haven¡¯t they been arrested yet?¡±


    ¡°Because they are ¡®diplomats.¡¯ And it¡¯s not like they brought any of their slaves with them anyway. If I were to guess I would say they are probably planning on summoning a few of the stealthier demons to kidnap some poor souls while they are off on official business, but who can know for sure.¡±


    Xorvos certainly seemed convinced of their evilness, but Shuka was still a bit confused about where she fit into it.


    ¡°So, if you can¡¯t do anything to them, and you can¡¯t hire us to do anything to them, then why are we here?¡±


    ¡°To draw Validus¡¯ attention to them. They are technically not criminals in the Celestial Empire, but as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already experienced the grand paladin can simply ignore that if the cause is just enough. The only reason he hasn¡¯t already kicked down their door with righteous fury is because the empire is trying to avoid a diplomatic incident so they hid their presence from him. Tip him off though, and he will do what he does best, diplomatic incident be damned.¡±


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    ¡°But then how would you get their books? Wouldn¡¯t they be confiscated or destroyed?¡±


    ¡°They would be confiscated before they are destroyed, but yes. You don¡¯t have to worry about that though. I am more than capable of obtaining the books from confiscation myself, and in a perfectly legal manner too.¡±


    It was starting to make sense now, but there was just one more thing Shuka was worried about.


    ¡°If I lure Validus over to the slavers wouldn¡¯t that put me in a lot of danger? I¡¯ve escaped from him a few times now, but only barely and with help. And even if I do manage to get away, wouldn¡¯t he just think I was working with the slavers? That¡¯s going to make it a lot harder to convince him I¡¯m innocent after I get the curse removed.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t get caught. The curse should still work even if you don¡¯t look like yourself, so just pretend to be a cultist or something and then escape before he can reveal your identity. Consequences are for the incompetent.¡±


    That¡¯s easy for her to say, who the hell would hold her accountable? Although I guess that¡¯s kind of her point. If you are good enough then you can get away with whatever you want. I just want to go back to not having to get away with anything though.


    ¡°Xorvos, what do you think? It¡¯s risky, but this seems like actual progress towards getting my curse removed.¡±


    ¡°It does, but¡­ how do we know she won¡¯t betray us? And besides, Ralisdor is currently looking for a mage to help you, we might not even need the book. We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s in the book, what if we get it and it¡¯s useless?¡±


    A sharp bolt of blue electricity struck Xorvos in his chest, arcing across his armor and body before grounding itself in the floor. Neither him or Shuka saw Visia move, but there she was with her arm outstretched and her wand pointed.


    ¡°Question my honour all you want Quanso, you would be foolish not to. But speak ill of my books again and suffer a far worse punishment. And I won¡¯t be using a lightning spell for it.¡±


    Xorvos was gritting his teeth and wincing in pain, despite being naturally resistant to electricity due to his Quanso body. If it had hurt him that much, then Shuka shuddered to think about what it would have done to her. Xorvos just nodded weakly, still convulsing slightly.


    ¡°Great. Now, who is this Ralisdor you mentioned? If he¡¯s a local of any worth I would know of him, but as far as I know you two reached this point on your own¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shuka asked, a bit incredulously. ¡°He¡¯s been with us since Rainsburg. And he¡¯s from Lancrin originally.¡±


    Visia¡¯s eyes narrowed as she thought about what Shuka said.


    It¡¯s a bit weird she doesn¡¯t know about Ralisdor. I think she was researching me and Xorvos while we were waiting outside her office, was Ralisdor never mentioned? Well, she didn¡¯t have a lot of time, and I guess Ralisdor wasn¡¯t ever actually seen with us, was he? Not when Validus was chasing us at least, and she¡¯s probably getting her information from his reports.


    ¡°Well spit it out then, who is he and why is he helping you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just an illusionist. He decided to visit Rainsburg for a few years and took me as his apprentice. When I got cursed he decided to help me.¡±


    ¡°What, out of the kindness of his heart?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ yes? I mean, I am his apprentice, so shouldn¡¯t he help me when I¡¯m in trouble?¡±


    Visa had a serious look on her face, deep in thought thinking. Shuka was worried she was going to come to some sort of bad conclusion, but instead she just seemed to relax, as if she figured it wasn¡¯t important anymore.


    ¡°Well, I guess he¡¯s just some nobody like you then. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter as long as he doesn¡¯t get in the way.¡±


    Somehow I don¡¯t think she actually believes that. Should I have not said anything? No, that would just make her even more suspicious. What is there to even be suspicious about though? Is Ralisdor hiding something from me?


    ¡°Could we give you our answer later? If Ralisdor does make some progress then this would be an unnecessary risk.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You know where my office is, just make sure you knock first. And if there are any other services you require from me, this job can be used as payment for those as well. Don¡¯t dally too long though, my target won¡¯t stay in Lancrin forever, and I may get impatient.¡±


    And with that the doors they entered through swung open from behind them with another black void in the door frame. With the meeting seemingly over Shuka and Xorvos both got up and walked through the exit. After passing through to the other side Shuka found Maryam nervously pacing in front of the door. She noticed her friends come through and immediately rushed over, grabbing Shuka by the shoulders.


    ¡°Are you alright? Did she hurt you or rope you into a bad deal? Please tell me are alright.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine, don¡¯t worry. She just gave us an offer, but we are going to wait to see what Ralisdor has found for us before accepting.¡±


    Maryam let out a deep sigh of relief when she heard that and let go of Shuka. That was especially good since she still had her claws out and Shuka was a bit nervous of getting scratched by them. Although they did seem shorter and she had a few less scales on her hand then before.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about bringing you here, I didn¡¯t think she would kick me out like that. We should probably leave now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And don¡¯t worry about all this, I think this was still a productive trip.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Xorvos burst out. ¡°She could have killed us, and we didn¡¯t even get anything out of it!¡±


    ¡°We got another option didn¡¯t we? I don¡¯t want to do her job either, but if we can convince Ralisdor to help us with it then it should be a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s only if we can trust her. She¡¯s a pirate, what¡¯s stopping her from just not giving us the book once we¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡± Maryam interrupted. ¡°Visia is actually pretty trustworthy when it comes to deals like this. You have to be a bit more careful with her sister, but I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about with her. Also I¡¯m pretty sure she can still hear us, so we might want to have this conversation at the inn.¡±


    Xorvos looked back at the door and realised how close to her he still was, magical teleportation and/or dimensional travel notwithstanding.


    ¡°Right, lets go then. But we¡¯re not done this conversation.¡±


    *


    The inn was mostly cleaned up by the time they got back. You could hardly even tell there was a fight, other than the conspicuously missing table and chairs that left an empty spot in the common room. The innkeeper was back behind her bar, and she wasn¡¯t kicking any of them out so that was good. Her fox was hissing at Maryam though, who was just a bit embarrassed remembering the small rampage she had. They all went up to the second floor and entered Shuka and Xorvos¡¯ room. They found it wasn¡¯t empty though as Ralisdor was sitting in a chair facing the door reading a book. When the door opened he looked up at them and had a very cross look on his face. It was the kind face a parent might give to their child after catching them trying to sneak out past curfew. Shuka recognised it well, as her caretakers at the orphanage gave it to her every time Maryam convinced to go on a night time adventure. Not once did they ever succeed, but the caretakers didn¡¯t seem all that upset with them when they tried.


    ¡°And where exactly have you two been? I believe I recall telling you to stay here and not get in trouble, and yet when I return you are nowhere to be found.¡±


    The tone of his voice told Shuka that he was much angrier than her caretakers were. He wasn¡¯t going to give a chuckle and tell her to try again next time, he was serious. Xorvos saw how mad he was too and tried to explain everything before Maryam interrupted him.


    ¡°Well you see Ralisdor, what happened was-¡±


    ¡°What happened was your rules were dumb so we decided to break them.¡±


    God dammit Maryam, don¡¯t piss him off more.


    ¡°And you are? Some meddling miscreant who decided to put their nose into our business? This is none of your concern.¡±


    ¡°What, can¡¯t a gal help out a friend? I bet I¡¯ve done more to help her tonight than you have, you bossy old man!¡±


    ¡°Hey, everyone just calm down.¡± Xorvos interrupted. ¡°Theres no need for an argument right now, lets all just discuss what we have each done tonight without shouting at each other.¡±


    While neither side seemed to like it, they did both relent. Maryam had to almost physically stop herself from giving a snarky comment though. Ralisdor just redirected targets.


    ¡°A rare good idea Xorvos. Shame it only came to you now and not when you decided to ignore what we agreed upon. But fine, you want to know what I did? Exactly what I said I would do, searching for a mage capable of lifting curses. Not an easy task I assure you, especially discreetly. Of course I had some old associates who I went to and they pointed me in the right direction. Tomorrow I shall follow up on those leads, but it was getting quite late so I decided to return, only to find you two missing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame Xorvos.¡± Shuka said, speaking up in his defense. ¡°He was against leaving, but he came with us to keep me safe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m the one who suggested leaving, so don¡¯t get on his ass about it.¡±


    Ralisdor seemed a bit irked at Maryams less than polite language, so he focused back on her again.


    ¡°And just who are you anyway? Some foul mouthed brat intent getting my apprentice into trouble?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m no brat! I¡¯m the daughter of an archmage you know.¡±


    ¡°Truly? You are? Well then, I¡¯m sure she must be very disappointed in you.¡±


    What the hell is going on, why is Ralisdor being such an asshole? This isn¡¯t like him at all. Is he really that mad?


    ¡°Ralisdor, wait. This is Maryam, she¡¯s my friend from the orphanage. We met in the inn by chance and she was only trying to help me.¡±


    ¡°And how exactly did she help you?¡±


    ¡°She¡­ took us to the library. To meet the librarian there.¡±


    Ralisdor let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°I was worried about that. I was hoping not to have the most dangerous person in Lancrin have their eyes on you, but I suppose it¡¯s too late for that now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    When he says it like that I suppose he has a point. But she can still help us, can¡¯t she?


    ¡°We talked for a bit and she offered us a job, but she let me go without a problem when I didn¡¯t accept it. We took a bit of a risk, but it didn¡¯t end badly.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t ended badly yet, but just you wait. She is a danger even I can¡¯t save you from, pray I won¡¯t need to.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Seven

    Chapter Twenty Seven


    Validus was training. He tried to train for at least two hours every day unless he had a good reason not to. Normally that reason was he was hunting down a villain, but he was currently a bit stuck on that front. He was no tracker, so if his quarry escaped from him, he couldn¡¯t do much about it unless he knew where they were going. Of course, normally he would employ the use of those who could track, through both magical and mundane means. Those were resources that had to be allocated to him though, and this time they¡­ weren¡¯t. Not for a book thief and especially not if they have ties to the thieves guild. So here he was, practically alone looking for what might be a threat to the entire empire.


    Why don¡¯t they see her for the threat that she very obviously is? She may not have done much yet, but who knows what she will do if left alone.


    It frustrated the paladin how powerless he was to stop her. He had been searching all over the countryside, but was no closer to finding her than he was a week ago. So he trained. The door to the room Validus was training in opened and a man he recognised walked in. Validus frowned, not because the man who entered was unpleasant, but because he already knew what he was here for. He was a bald man, human but youthful despite his age. He looked thirty, but Validus knew he was at least twice as old. He had a serene expression on his face that never quite left, even in combat. And you could tell he knew combat, even if it wasn¡¯t obvious to those who didn¡¯t fight themselves. Validus saw it as plain as day though. A strong body hidden by loose fitting clothing that took care not to restrict his movements, and a certain grace to the way he walked. There was a sense of perfection to it, and to everything he did for that matter. He carried no weapon, but only because he didn¡¯t need one.


    ¡°Here to tell me to go back to Sidus, Arlom?¡±


    ¡°That is what they sent me here for yes. I know better than to think it will work though. Let us talk for a moment.¡±


    Validus sighed, but stopped his training. There was only so much swinging a sword at a training dummy did for people at his level anyway. Arlom strode over to a bench and sat down in it, and Validus soon followed.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this about? You¡¯re not the type of guy to do pointless things, so you must have your own reason for coming here.¡±


    ¡°True. I must admit, I am curious about this girl you are chasing and her companion.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡±


    This surprised Validus more than anything else. He had already talked to many of his peers about the threat she possessed, but none of them saw her as anything more than a common book thief. Nothing the Grand Paladin should be wasting his time on. And yet that was what he was doing.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me what has piqued your interest about her? She does not seem to be that dangerous, and yet you hunt her. It is clear that there seems to be more going on here than one would think.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s just something about her I don¡¯t like. I know her abilities may be¡­ paltry. But she obviously has evil intentions.¡±


    ¡°And what are these evil intentions of hers?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s not petty thievery that¡¯s for sure. There is some bigger plan going on, I just can¡¯t figure out what it is.¡±


    Arlom was nodding along. Everyone else had either dismissed Validus¡¯ worries or argued against them, but he was listening. Even then though, he had his own points to make.


    ¡°Her crimes so far have been theft, correct? What exactly has she stolen.¡±


    ¡°A few forbidden books from the library in Rainsburg. She also robbed the bank in Rockmarsh, but I don¡¯t think I ever found out what she stole.¡±


    ¡°What were the specific books that she stole from Rainsburg?¡±


    ¡°I-¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    How did I not think to check? And in Rockmarsh too. No wonder no one thinks I should be the Grand Paladin. Whats the point of being the strongest paladin in the empire if I¡¯m not smart enough to catch anyone.


    ¡°Do you think your decisiveness to be a flaw?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The question surprised Validus. Arlom had this uncanny ability to always know what you were thinking that he could never get used to. It wasn¡¯t mind reading, just a near superhuman ability to read people.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my decisiveness that¡¯s the problem. I¡¯m just¡­ not smart enough.¡±


    ¡°I disagree. You are a smart man, no genius I will admit, but smart. You simply act before you think and never look back. That is not a flaw, it is a character trait.¡±


    ¡°No one else in the holy order seems to think so. Even when I get a job done, all they tell me is how I could have done it better.¡±


    ¡°And yet if you spent the time to think of the perfect way to do it, the job wouldn¡¯t have been done at all. They compare you to your predecessor and his sharp mind, but they forget that he too had flaws. Flaws you don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Validus had good memories of Alexander, the previous Grand Paladin. He always had the perfect solution to any problem and never made any mistakes. Even after his body was wracked with age and he could no longer fight he still advised the rest of the order with his brilliant plans. It had only been a few years since he finally died, but already his loss was felt everywhere.


    ¡°Do you remember what the Thieves guild was like twenty years ago? You might have been a bit too young to know the specifics, but it was far more brutal than it is now. Murders, rapists, and serial killers were all allowed to roam free in those guild halls, and if the law tried to interfere, they were murdered. There was no bribes or threats, just death.¡±


    I knew things were bad back then, but that bad? Why didn¡¯t he stop it?


    ¡°So what happened?¡±


    ¡°He did what he did best of course. He planned. He sent in spies and gathered intel and did all of the things a smart man does for two years. For two whole years he did nothing to help those who were being hurt by the guild because that would expend the resources that he needed for his plan. But before he could execute his perfect plan the leader of the Thieves Guild was overthrown by a person who had only joined a few months earlier. All of that planning was wasted because someone more decisive than him had acted first.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the guild be weakened by the infighting? Why didn¡¯t he just use the plan on the new leader?¡±


    ¡°Because then it wouldn¡¯t have been perfect. It had been built to capture the old leader not the new one, and while I¡¯m sure it would have probably still worked, it would have been sloppy. To Alexander, that was as bad as it not working at all, so he did nothing. If it was you in his position I¡¯m sure you would have gathered every guard in the city and gotten the entire holy order to back you on a raid against the Thieves Guild the moment they went too far. The problem would have either become solved or unsolvable in a day. Or, if you didn¡¯t want to risk that you would have helped everyone you could while waiting for an opportunity to take them out, like for example, a bit of infighting. More people would have died, but the problem would have been solved a lot sooner.¡±


    ¡°Is that even better than? What point are you trying to make?¡±


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    ¡°The point I¡¯m trying to make is that everyone is telling you to be Alexander, but that is not who you are. You have great talents that should be praised, not shunned, but they are all blinded by a false perception of what you should be like.¡±


    Huh, I never thought about it that way. I guess I always assumed I should be exactly like Alexander too, even if I wasn¡¯t very good at it. And I never knew the stuff about the Thieves Guild.


    ¡°So then what am I supposed to do about the witch? Just continue chasing her blindly?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t think that is the most effective way to go about it. This is one of those situations where a thinker would go a long way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ didn¡¯t you just tell me that I didn¡¯t need to think?¡±


    ¡°Think of it more like there are situations where you need to carefully consider what to do, and some situations where you need to act immediately. When you first encountered this witch, acting could very well have been the correct decision. Now that the situation can no longer be resolved quickly though, perhaps it would be better to take another method.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to leave this job to someone else then? Even though I¡¯m the only one who actually cares about it?¡±


    ¡°I want you to ask for help. Find someone to negate your weaknesses with their strengths. And you can do the same for them. It¡¯s why adventurers never go into dungeons alone, and its why the twin queens of the sea were unbeatable. One thought and the other acted. The one thing you did inherit from your predecessor is the stubborn refusal to ask others for help.¡±


    ¡°I ask for help! I¡¯ve been asking for help but the holy order won¡¯t send me any.¡±


    ¡°You have been asking for resources from an organisation. Find a person who can help you and ask them directly as an equal. It may not work every time, but keep trying and you will find the help you desire.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about you then? Did you come here to offer me your help?¡±


    ¡°No. Or at least not yet. I want to meet this witch of yours and her companions before I make judgments on them. And besides, I don¡¯t believe I can provide you with the help you need. I¡¯m not good for much other than giving advice I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! You¡¯re one of the best fighters I know, even I can only beat you on a good day, and that¡¯s with magic.¡±


    ¡°True. But it is not combat ability that you need, is it? Don¡¯t worry, you can do much better than me, I even have a recommendation.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    If Arlom is recommending someone they must be very good at what they do. Would they really help me though? I can¡¯t think of anyone who would want to work with me


    ¡°You might know her actually¡± Arlom stated. ¡°She¡¯s the High Priestess of Lancrin. Aurulin I believe her name was. I admit I have only met her a handful of times, but I have heard much of what she has done.¡±


    Validus did actually know her, although not well. As a High Priestess she attended many of the meetings and holy rituals he did but she never stood out to him.


    ¡°Really? I can¡¯t think of anything that she did. I¡¯m sure she has helped the people of Lancrin, but she sort of fades into the background a bit doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she does, but that just means you have to look a bit closer. I can¡¯t guarantee she would help you, but I do think she has exactly what you need.¡±


    ¡°You mean a brain?¡±


    ¡°I mean a plan. One that requires someone competent like you to work.¡±


    ¡°Alright fine, I get it. What are you going to do then? Go back to your monastery?¡±


    ¡°Actually I think I may head to Lancrin as well. I am still curious about this girl you are hunting and I would like to meet her, even if just once.¡±


    This got the paladins attention and he stood up immediately upon hearing it.


    ¡°She¡¯s in Lancrin!? Then I must go find her.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Validus. It is simply a guess.¡±


    ¡°A guess? What led you to it?¡±


    ¡°Well simply put, the fact that you found her in Rockmarsh. If she only wanted to hide from you after Rainsburg then she would have avoided big cities and stayed in the wilderness or small towns. I don¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t, but there might be something she wants that she can only find in a city. If she is leaving Rockmarsh then her two closest options are Star Harbour and Lancrin. I don¡¯t have any reason to pick one city over another, but I though it might be nice to at least travel with you instead of alone, and so I have chosen Lancrin. Of course I might be wrong, and she might¡¯ve ignored both and gone straight to Sidus, or not gone to a city at all, but I¡¯m in no rush.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well in that case I suppose I can travel with you. If we are going to go then we should go now though. Now that I have something to work towards, there¡¯s no reason to be idle.¡±


    *


    It had taken a few days, but Validus had finally arrived in Lancrin. It was rather late by the time he reached the city gates, but he knew the clergy practically lived in their temples so he was sure he could find Aurulin in the Lancrin temple. He was on his way there when he noticed someone suspicious lurking in the streets. At first he thought they must have been the witch he had been hunting, but this person was obviously male and had a scaled tail trailing out behind them. They were also obviously up to no good. They wore a dark cloak obscuring most of their features and had a nefarious presence to them. They looked around as if watching out for witnesses, and then upon seeing Validus, cursed under their breath and ran around a corner.


    Who was that and what are they up to? Aurulin can wait, this requires investigating.


    Validus chased the shady figure around the corner just in time to see them go through a door. It led into a surprisingly nice building, not some shack or run down bar like Validus expected. Still, all that meant was they were successful enough at their misdeeds to afford such a building, which was all the more reason to investigate.


    This looks serious, with a building that big who knows how many people might be in there. Should I go get Arlom? He could at least help me prevent anyone from escaping. No, I¡¯ve been seen already, if I go back to get him they might be gone by the time I get back. I just have to be careful not to kill them until I know how serious what they are doing is.


    Taking out his sword and shield Validus strode up to the door. On the way he started filling his body with the holy strength of Humanus. It wasn¡¯t any specific spell necessarily, but it did enhance his body to an almost superhuman level. He didn¡¯t want to free up his hands to turn the door knob, it was probably locked anyway, so instead he rammed his shoulder into it smashing the door open in an instant. Expecting an ambush, he immediately raised his shield to protect his face, but found no attacks arrived. In fact there was no one at all in the foyer. He did hear quick footsteps from another room though. A door opened and a red scaled Drakkin in aristocratic cloths stepped through. He held a simple wand in one hand, but was otherwise unarmed.


    ¡°What in the world is going on!? Who are you and why have you broken down my door? I will have you know I am an ambassador on official business, so if you are some common thief you will have the wrath of two kingdoms on you if you do me any harm.¡±


    Did I get the wrong building? No I¡¯m sure this was the right one. And besides, there aren¡¯t many Drakkin in Lancrin, so this can¡¯t be a coincidence. He must be confident in his ability to hide his misdeeds if he is lying like this. Besides, if I¡¯m wrong and he is innocent, then I can just apologize.


    ¡°I need to investigate for illegal activities or possessions. I am here in an official capacity, so do not resist.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that; we have committed no crimes! This must be illegal; I will have you reported.¡±


    We? So there are more in the building. He looks scared too. It might just be because I broke down his door though, but I can¡¯t take any chances.


    ¡°Complain all you want; it will fall on deaf ears if you do it from jail.¡±


    Validus pushed past the ambassador, ignoring his complaints, and found the rest of his companions. All Drakkin, with a variety of colours among their scales. They were also all very well dressed and very nervous. Nothing out of place if they really were ambassadors, but that wasn¡¯t enough for the paladin so he kept searching. Eventually he found a locked trap door hidden under a rug.


    ¡°Where does this lead?¡±


    The Drakkin from the foyer was watching him. Either to make sure he doesn¡¯t break anything or to stab him in the back when he saw the opportunity, Validus wasn¡¯t sure which. He kept his guard up just in case it was the latter.


    ¡°Just into the basement. It came with the house and we decided to store some stuff from home there.¡±


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    The Drakkin hesitated for a moment, but then replied almost dejected.


    ¡°Fine, you would probably just break the lock if I refused anyway.¡±


    He took out a key and unlocked the door before stepping away from Validus. Opening it the paladin found wooden steps leading into a dark room below. He couldn¡¯t see much from where he was, so he entered as cautiously as he could. Halfway down the steps the trap door above him closed and he could hear it being locked again. Then he sensed the use of a spell as he saw a magical shimmer cover it.


    Looks like I found what they were hiding and now they are trying to keep me trapped here. Let¡¯s hope whatever spell they put on the door is weak enough for me to break.


    He was about to walk back up the stair when he heard something behind him. His eyes were still not used to the darkness, so Validus lit up his shield with a spell and looked around for the source. It only took him a moment to find it. On the far side of the room was a large cage with several humans inside it. Each one had a steel collar around their necks. There must have been a silence spell on their collars because despite the fact that their mouths were moving, not a sound could be heard. Validus didn¡¯t need to hear a thing though, their faces said everything he needed to hear. Desperation, fear, and just a little bit of hope.


    Did they throw a rock to get my attention because they couldn¡¯t speak? How cruel to rob them of their voice. Don¡¯t worry, I will let your feelings ring loud and clear, for everyone to hear.


    Validus¡¯ heart roared with a righteous fury that had no end. Humanus roared with him and the paladin¡¯s prayer was answered with power. His sword glowed white hot, but not with flame, like it so often did. That was used to punish, but not kill. What filled his sword now could only destroy. He swung, and a moment later a poorly enchanted trap door was nothing but splinters. The sound of its destruction was deafening. It was still quieter than the words Validus shouted next.


    ¡°YOUR EVIL HAS COME TO AN END, NO MORE SHALL YOU HARM ANOTHER!¡±

 Chapter Twenty Eight

    Chapter Twenty Eight


    Four days. Four days of searching and asking question, even cashing in old favors that Ralisdor had saved up all for nothing. He even took Shuka and Xorvos along with him, although Maryam still couldn¡¯t come. Shuka had hoped that things would get better between them, but if anything, they only got worse. Despite that, Shuka still thought that bringing her along with him was a good sign, even if they weren¡¯t getting anywhere. Maryam just said he was only doing it to keep an eye on her though. But after four days spent in vain, Shuka got a letter. It came from Visia and it told her that Validus was about to arrive. If she was going to accept her deal, now was the time. Ralisdor and Xorvos were both against it, but it was becoming clear that they were running out of options. Even then, they almost didn¡¯t accept, until Maryam told them that Shuka was going to go with or without their help, and if they wanted her to be safe, they better go too. That wasn¡¯t quite Shuka¡¯s actual plan, but she did appreciate the help. And now here they were on the fifth day since arriving, having completed the job without a hitch.


    Was it really that easy? All I did was look around for a bit and then run over to a door. I didn¡¯t even go in it, although I guess Ralisdors illusion did make it look like I did. I guess now I just have to hope Visia follows up on her end of the deal. Well first I should be hoping that Validus actually finds something incriminating.


    Just as she had that though, there was a loud crack of an explosion and wood shattering, and then the roar of an angry paladin that soon followed afterwards. Shuka and everyone who came with her had started to leave the moment Validus had entered the building, but they could still hear him clearly even halfway back to the inn.


    Never mind, he clearly found something.


    ¡°Man, what where you even so worried about Ralisdor?¡± Maryam exclaimed perhaps a bit too loud. ¡°That was so easy I bet we didn¡¯t even need you.¡±


    ¡°Tricking Validus in this way is child¡¯s play, that was not what I am worried about. Don¡¯t think Visia will be so willing to give up her books, she has something planned I am sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re asking to keep the book, just read it for a bit. She has absolutely no reason to betray us like that so why would she do it.¡±


    ¡°No reason that you know of. I, for one will have no part in this deal you have with her past what I have already done. Even then I feel I have involved myself far too much.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hold on! You¡¯re not bailing on us now are you? All we gotta do now is talk to her and get our reward but you can¡¯t even do that?¡±


    ¡°I am not ¡®bailing¡¯ on anything. This was always your job and your deal. I should never have been involved in the first place.¡±


    Why is Ralisdor so resistant about this? I get that Visia is dangerous, but is he really more scared of even talking to her than he is of tricking the Grand Paladin? I guess he can deal with one easier than the other, but still.


    ¡°I understand you think this is a bad idea Ralisdor. But this is my choice to make and I¡¯ve chosen to make the deal. I don¡¯t like taking a risk like this, but its better than doing nothing.¡±


    Ralisdor reacted to Shuka¡¯s statement with a resigned sigh.


    ¡°Alright. I will be waiting at the inn for you to get back. Just make sure that you do come back.¡±


    Shuka nodded at his statement and then watched as he split off from the group. As he was walking away, Shuka¡¯s keen ears picked up someone behind her muttering under their breath, quiet enough that she was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t meant to hear it.


    ¡°If you want her to come back safely, then why don¡¯t you try protecting her.¡±


    Looking back Shuka was surprised to see it wasn¡¯t Maryam who said it, but Xorvos.


    Even Xorvos is mad at him? When did our group start falling apart?


    *


    The second trip to the library wasn¡¯t much different from the first. The one difference was this time the door to Visia¡¯s office opened up much quicker after knocking on it. Visia herself was also how Shuka remembered. Calm, composed, and incredibly terrifying.


    ¡°Did this ¡®Ralisdor¡¯ friend of yours not decide to come along? Shame. Regardless, you did a wonderful job with the task I gave you. I suppose you are here for your reward?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Without another word Visia opened a drawer on her desk and took out a thick book with a blank cover. Then, with her other hand she pointed at the book with her wand and with a swirl of magic, the book changed. What was once a boring gray cover with nothing on it was now a dark black cover with the title ¡®Beginner to intermediate guide to the dark arts volume 3: curses¡¯ in a stylized font.


    ¡°You¡¯re payment. You have exactly twenty four hours starting now to read this book before the illusion disappears and you are left with it¡¯s original blank form. Don¡¯t bother returning the blank book to me, they are worthless.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second, what¡¯s stopping you from putting whatever you want in that book?¡± Maryam stated. ¡°If it¡¯s an illusion then you can just change it¡¯s contents on the fly, or just give us false information from the start.¡±


    ¡°I could also give you a real, physical book that is also filled with false information. But yes, this spell does give me more control, and thus more leverage to use against you. I could ask you what the point of that would be, but instead I¡¯ll ask you this. What are you going to do about it?¡±


    Maryam thought for a moment, and then went to say something before Shuka interrupted her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we are very grateful that for the reward. Please don¡¯t think too badly of us.¡±


    ¡°Be grateful your friend stood up to me to help you, not for the bad deal that I¡¯m giving you.¡±


    Did¡­ did she just call me out for trying to deescalate the situation? I thought she would be mad at Maryam for questioning her, was I wrong?


    This time Xorvos had something to say about the deal.


    ¡°If even you know it¡¯s a bad deal, could you give us better terms? I understand letting us keep the book might be too much, but surely you could lend us the original copy to satisfy your own sense of honour.¡±


    ¡°I could, but my sense of caution comes first. The last time I lent out my books with nothing but threats of death they were all destroyed when his ¡®secret¡¯ base was raided. I trust the three of you far less than I did him, and so you will take an illusion, or you will take nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°This deal is fine, we¡¯ll take it.¡±


    I know this isn¡¯t ideal, but it¡¯s not like there¡¯s much I can do to make it better. If anything, bargaining with her will only make things worse.


    ¡°Then it seems our business is concluded. But before you leave, I have one final offer to make towards you. Don¡¯t worry though, your part in this offer is much less dangerous than the last one.¡±


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    ¡°What¡­ are you offering me?¡±


    ¡°The name and location of the most likely person in this city to be able to lift your curse. As luck would have it, they also would be willing to help you. As long as you get on their good side that is.¡±


    That is incredibly tempting. If this person really can help me then it might even be a better reward than the book. That¡¯s only if they can help me though, which doesn¡¯t seem guaranteed, and I still have to convince them to lift the curse in the first place. If they are willing to help me then that means they are probably another criminal too, so it would be a risk even going to them. Well, I guess it¡¯s a risk going to non criminals too with this curse on me. Still¡­ if we only have a day with the book, I¡¯m not sure if any of us can learn enough about curses to be able to remove them before the book disappears.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really. I am just going to ask you a series of questions, and all you must do is answer them truthfully. You do not even need to know all of the answers, as long as you are telling me the truth when you say you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a really good deal. What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    Visia¡¯s lips oh so subtly curled up into a smile.


    ¡°Well would you look at that, you¡¯re learning. That catch, my newly made outlaw, is that every single question I ask will be about your friend Ralisdor.¡±


    *


    The questions were surprisingly benign, but worryingly specific. She asked things like how tall he was, if his glasses were functional or aesthetic, and if she had ever seen him bald before. There were some more expected questions too, like what he did in Lancrin and how long ago he had come to Rainsburg. Shuka knew that if Visia ever asked a question that was just a bit too dangerous for Ralisdor she could just not answer it and give up on the recommendation, but that question just never came.


    Or maybe every question she asked was dangerous for Ralisdor and I just couldn¡¯t see why. Well, I didn¡¯t even know the answer to half the questions she asked anyway, so I¡¯m not sure how much she even got out of it. Seriously, how am I supposed to know if his glasses actually help him see better or not? How did she even know he wears glasses, I thought she had never seen him before?


    Still, for all the questions she asked surprised Shuka, Visia¡¯s reward surprised her even more. Aurulin, the High Priestess of Lancrin. It wasn¡¯t that she could remove the curse that surprised her, but rather that she would be willing to.


    I¡¯m not exactly in the Celestial Orders favor right now, why would one of their High Priestess¡¯ help me? I guess I could try to hide my identity, but the curse is going to make it very hard to convince her I¡¯m up to no good even if that works. And here in the city of magic it¡¯s going to be a lot more likely for them to see through any spell I cast. Maybe even a spell Ralisdor casts, although something tells me he¡¯s not going to be very happy about the idea of seeing her. Ugh, whatever, I¡¯ll think about it tomorrow.


    Shuka, Xorvos, and Maryam were walking back to the inn now. It was pretty late at night now, as it was already dark out by the time they tricked Validus. Normally Shuka would have been worried walking through a city that late, but with Xorvos and Maryam with her she figured there were easier targets for anyone with bad intentions. All the various dark alleys and shaded corners still had her on edge though.


    ¡°Hey, wanna go over to that alley and start reading the book?¡±


    It was Maryam who asked the question while pointing towards what had to be the shadiest alley in all of Lancrin.


    ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    ¡°I just said, didn¡¯t I? To read the book.¡±


    ¡°No, but I mean why read it there and now? It must be midnight by now, and we can just read it at the inn, not in some dingy alley.¡±


    Shuka was tired, weary of all the talking, and thinking, and most of all the worrying. She wanted to sleep, but Maryam had a youthful energy that Shuka lacked, despite them being the same age.


    ¡°Come on, Shuka! Aren¡¯t you excited? A valuable book about a rare form of magic? Who wouldn¡¯t want to read it as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an illegal and harmful form of magic Maryam.¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°This isn¡¯t something to be excited about, we are only learning this because we have to.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on Xorvos, no kind of magic is ever really ¡®bad¡¯ there are just bad things that are done with them. I bet curses can be used for good, just like all other magic.¡±


    Xorvos had a look on his face that said the very notion was absurd.


    ¡°Well I get that you are excited, but I still don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t just read it at the inn. It¡¯s not that far away, you would only have to wait a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon Shuka, isn¡¯t it obvious? The moment we walk into our rooms Ralisdor is going to nag at us about making deals with Visia, and then hog the book all for himself. I bet he¡¯ll even say some crap about being ¡®the most adept practitioner of magic¡¯ as if a hard-core illusionist like him would know jack shit about anything outside his specialty. A generalist like me would have a much better chance of learning the magic than him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you only know combat magic though? That¡¯s not exactly a generalist.¡±


    ¡°Hey, combat magic covers a lot of schools okay! And besides, I know a fair bit about enchanting too. I mean I¡¯ve never actually put a permanent enchantment onto an object before, but I¡¯ve done just about everything before that step.¡±


    It might have been a compelling argument, or it might not have been, but Shuka was too tired, mentally and physically, to care either way.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to the inn. If you think you have a shot at removing the curse yourself then your free to talk to Ralisdor about it. I don¡¯t know, maybe read it with him.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t allow that in a million years and you know that!¡±


    Even in her fatigued state Shuka knew that she was probably right. It had only been a handful of days since they had met each other, but at times they seemed like mortal enemies. Ralisdor may be a less obvious about it than Maryam, but Shuka knew him well enough to know that the feeling was mutual.


    ¡°Can¡¯t this just wait until tomorrow? I would be happy to argue on your behalf then.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you just want to wait until tomorrow then fine. Just go back to the inn and I will read it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before she could react Maryam reached into Shuka¡¯s bag and grabbed the book before running off to the alley. Shuka hesitated for a moment before going after her with Xorvos close behind. Maryam was a much better runner than Shuka though, and with the head start she had she was already sitting down with the book open by the time she arrived.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t very polite you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it worked, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, I guess it did. If you¡¯re just going to do what you want regardless of what I say, then I guess I might as well do it with you.¡±


    With a slightly defeated sigh Shuka sat down beside Maryam, ready, if only slightly, to pursue the tome. Xorvos on the other hand was less content with the situation.


    ¡°Maryam, you can¡¯t just take peoples things like that, it¡¯s not right. And the meeting with Visia took longer than we expected because of all of the questions, if we delay even longer than Ralisdor is going to get worried about us. He might already be worried. And this alley looks dangerous, what if someone tries mugging us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about getting mugged? You¡¯re a seven foot tall Quanso, who would try mugging you? And me and Shuka aren¡¯t exactly easy targets either you know. As for Ralisdor, let him worry, it might convince him to have a more vested interest in the well being of his apprentice.¡±


    He does care about me; she just can¡¯t see it. Not that I can blame her, Ralisdor hasn¡¯t really been the nicest to her.


    ¡°Xorvos, please I don¡¯t want an argument right now. And Maryam, try to give Ralisdor some slack, you weren¡¯t exactly the nicest person to him on your first meeting.¡±


    There was a disgruntled silence between the three of them for a moment. They all had more they wanted to say, but none of them wanted to start another argument. Eventually it was Maryam who broke the silence.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m just going to get started reading then if no one¡¯s going to stop me. Lets see, I can skip the opening remarks, chapter one¡¯s just an introduction to magic, ah here we go. Chapter two, ¡®what is a curse.¡¯¡±


    Shuka looked over Maryams shoulder as she flipped through the pages of the book. When she finally landed on a page that had useful information, Shuka started reading along side her. She knew that she probably didn¡¯t have a chance of actually being able to use any of the magic in the book, but she still wanted to learn a little more about her affliction. The first few pages she read didn¡¯t seem to have any useful information though, it was all either information she already knew, or wasn¡¯t relevant. That was until she got to the page on actually applying curses. That had an interesting passage in it.


    To apply a curse onto your target you require three main components. The first component is a piece of their body. Now before you start taking out your ritual knifes to go chop off some fingers, it doesn¡¯t need to be flesh or blood. While a chopped off finger would work, it is much easier and simpler to retrieve a stray hair, some dead skin, or perhaps even finger nail clippings. The second component is your targets name. Preferably their face too, but that only makes it easier, it is not strictly necessary. The third component is a ritual circle. As previously stated, curses target the soul, and souls are notoriously hard to affect. This is because souls themselves are intensely magical and could be considered a sort of spell themselves. As every spellcaster surely knows, magic is near infinitely harder to manipulate when it is not your magic. To do something as complex as modifying a soul when it is not even your own soul simply cannot be done without extensive preparation. Even for an expert such as I it takes at least an hour for just the casting itself, and days or weeks of preparing beforehand.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. It says a curse needs a piece of the targets body, their name, and a ritual circle, but I don¡¯t think the witch had any of those when she cursed me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°Those are sounding like pretty hard requirements to me, but you definitely seem cursed. Are you sure you didn¡¯t just miss them or forgot or something?¡±


    ¡°Well she might have gotten a piece of my body without me noticing if all it requires is a strand of hair, and she might have known my name beforehand somehow. But there definitely wasn¡¯t a ritual circle. And the whole thing happened in minutes, not hours. Actually, it seemed like a spur of the moment thing for the witch.¡±


    The whole thing was so confusing that Shuka didn¡¯t know what to think. Was the book wrong? Were her memories? Or was there something else going on that she didn¡¯t understand? She wished she knew.

 Chapter Twenty Nine

    Chapter Twenty Nine


    They didn¡¯t stay in the alley for long. Even Maryam recognised it was late, and they all had a bit too much on their minds to continue reading. When they finally got back to their rooms, they found Ralisdor waiting for them. They all expected him to shout, but he did something else instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re back. Are you all right? Did she trap you in some sort of deal, or go back on her word? Please tell me everything went well.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine Ralisdor. All things considered things went surprisingly we-¡±


    Shuka was cut off from finishing her sentence by the door behind her getting kicked open. Shuka couldn¡¯t see who had done it, but judging by Ralisdors look of shocked terror, it couldn¡¯t have been anyone friendly. The ear ringing shout that soon followed only strengthened that suspicion.


    ¡°WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY BOOKS!?¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t need to turn around to know who was now standing in the room with her, but she did anyway. There Visia was, wrath in her eyes, with a wand in each hand. Not pointed at anyone yet, but Shuka knew that didn¡¯t mean much. What truly scared her though was the magic. Pure mana, blue as the sky, was coiled around her arms in perfect lines. They spiraled down to her wands, and then curledaround them too. At the tips of the wands, where all the lines coalesced, was a small orb of mana so condensed, that the intensity of its glow hurt to look at. If that was all then Shuka would have been scared. What terrified her though, was that she didn¡¯t sense the mana coming off of her at all. To even manifest mana in a visible form required a tremendous amount of it, so much so that some of that mana would inevitably leak into the environment. Visia went far beyond that, and yet kept it all contained. That level of control was nearly unthinkable.


    ¡°H-hold on Visia.¡± Xorvos stammered. ¡°We didn¡¯t steal anything, a-and we held up our end of the deal, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    In less then the time it took to blink one of Visias wand was pointed at his chest and the spirals of mana on that arm were now spirals of flames.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t cross me if you tried, and I wouldn¡¯t recommend making that attempt now. Your blood would need to be blue at least to piss me off. Isn¡¯t that right, ¡®Ralisdor¡¯?¡±


    Though her body moved, Visias gaze never waivered. The entire time it was locked solely on Ralisdor.


    Blue blood? What the hell is she talking about? And what did Ralisdor to get her this mad?


    ¡°I assure you; you have the wro-¡±


    Ralisdor disappeared. One moment he was talking and the next, there was nothing but air. Maybe not even that, as Shuka then felt a slight breeze, as if a wizard shape vacuum was being filled in front of her. It was only after a moment that she noticed that Visias other wand was now outstretched, pointing towards Ralisdors last location.


    ¡°What did you do to him!?¡±


    ¡°Nothing lethal. Yet. I just sent him to a place where pesky ¡®laws¡¯ and ¡®contracts¡¯ won¡¯t get in the way.¡±


    Visia didn¡¯t stay around after answering, instead she activated some sort of spell and disappeared just like Ralisdor did.  It had been less than a minute since Shuka was about to tell Ralisdor how well things were going. Now she just felt like a fool.


    What am I going to do without him? He was the only one who could actually get the better of Validus, and I might¡¯ve gotten him killed. He warned me about Visia and I didn¡¯t listen, this is all my fault.


    She didn¡¯t have long to worry as less than ten minutes after he disappeared, Ralisdor reappeared. Shuka knew this as soon as it happened because he fell face first into the ground from a few feet in the air. Shuka almost thought it was his corpse hitting the ground, but a grunt of pain relieved her of her worries. Still, he obviously didn¡¯t get out of the encounter unscathed. His clothing was scorched, and as he started to get up, Shuka saw the front of his robe was covered in bright red blood.


    ¡°Shit, Ralisdor are you okay? Quick, drink this potion, you¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    Shuka took out her potion of healing, but Ralisdor pushed it away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Shuka, I already drank one before she teleported me back. She never intended to kill me; I wasn¡¯t in any real danger.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say that. I was still deciding on whether or not to kill you when I brought you into my demi-plane.¡±


    It shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise that Visia came back too, and yet it was. Maybe it was the way she didn¡¯t make even a single sound, even to Shuka¡¯s keen ears.


    ¡°It seems my business here has concluded. If I ever meet any of you again, it had better be for a good reason. Goodbye.¡±


    And she was gone. Flickered out of existence like she was never even there in the first place.


    *


    A new day dawned on Lancrin, bright and sunny, as if it was in defiance of the night before. Xorvos normally woke up early enough to see the dawn but not today. Today it was almost noon by the time he got out of bed. Not that he slept the whole night uninterrupted. He found it¡¯s a bit hard to sleep after your room gets raided by a pirate queen.


    It was that easy for her. We were all there and none of us could do anything, not even Ralisdor. Have I always been this useless? What have I done this entire journey? It feels like even Maryam has done more than me, and she¡¯s only been here for a week.


    He looked over at Maryam, doing stretches in their room. She had her own room in the inn, but slept here this night. He didn¡¯t blame her; he wouldn¡¯t want to be alone either. Not that being in a group would have helped, as he had recently experienced. Their eyes met for a moment, before Maryam stopped her stretches and came over to the window Xorvos was looking out of.


    ¡°Hey Xorvos, lets hang out.¡±


    ¡°Uh, now?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re doing anything right? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was astonishing she was still so energetic. She was even smiling, to Xorvos¡¯ surprise.


    ¡°What about Shuka? Shouldn¡¯t we wait until she wakes up?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? She¡¯s always so grumpy in the morning, there¡¯s no way she will want to go out with us.¡±


    Well, I can¡¯t say she¡¯s wrong. Why does she want to go out with me so much though. Is there something she wants to talk to me about? Considering everything that¡¯s been happening it¡¯s probably important.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go then. Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. I was thinking of just taking a walk and seeing what we find.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t have an objection to that, so he soon found himself following behind his friend. She led him into the city where she started looking around for something fun to do. What she found was a food stand selling meat skewers.


    ¡°Two meat skewers please. Or do you want two since your so big? Actually, better question, do you even eat meat? I don¡¯t really know if animals count for Quanso¡¯s whole ¡®no killing¡¯ rule.¡±


    ¡°It depends on the Quanso, but I have no problem with meat. And I will just buy my own skewer, there¡¯s no need for you to pay for my food.¡±


    ¡°You sure? They¡¯re a gold each.¡±


    ¡°A gold!?¡±


    For the first time Xorvos actually looked at the menu attached to the food stand and saw it was advertising food made of magical creatures. Of course there was no way to tell the meat was magical, or tasted good even if it was. Those were small details though, nothing for a customer to worry about.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you spend that much money on my account, especially for something so small. I will simply go without one.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be like that. I got so much money it barely has any meaning to me anymore, one gold is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Still, I do not wish to impose.¡±


    ¡°Well too bad, because I want to be imposed and you¡¯re just gonna have to deal with it.¡±


    Maryam put down four gold coins on the food stall and picked out three skewers. One for herself and two for Xorvos. The extra gold she paid was a tip, but she mostly just paid it to be extra imposed upon.


    ¡°Here. Now if you don¡¯t take these you will be wasting the money I already spent on you. Enjoy.¡±


    ¡°¡­You really like putting me in difficult situations, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Xorvos was sighing as he said that, but he also took the two skewers with a slight smile on his face.


    ¡°Yeah well your politeness is still holding you back. You still gotta learn to just say thanks when getting a gift instead of saying you don¡¯t want it. That¡¯s what feels ruder to me. But hey, what do I know? I¡¯m the rude one.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know about that. I think your prestigious position as the ¡®rude one¡¯ might have been stolen by Shuka, even if she has some outside assistance.¡±


    ¡°Ack, you¡¯re right! And that Ralisdor fellow is some pretty nasty competition too as long as he¡¯s in a pissy mood. That¡¯s it, we gotta cure that curse asap, I need to get my title back.¡±


    They were laughing as they talked, walking through the city and munching on skewers. It actually tasted better than Xorvos expected. He had thought that magical creatures wouldn¡¯t actually taste better than normal meat and the whole thing was just a scam. Well, admittedly the meat wasn¡¯t necessarily better than its more mundane counterpart, just different. But whoever had made the skewers clearly knew what they were doing. The good food and better conversation was already causing Xorvos¡¯ mood to rise.


    ¡°So I¡¯m assuming you want to talk to me about something right? There is too much stuff going on right now for you to just want to hang out.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is something I want to talk to you about, but I do want to hang out too. Just because there are important things to be done doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t have some fun in between doing them right? And besides, Ralisdor already got his grubby little hands on the book so there¡¯s not much I even can do right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I guess I can assume that you wouldn¡¯t be here talking to boring old me if you could be reading that book?¡±


    Maryam gave him a devilish smile to go with her answer.


    ¡°You know it!¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ so what did you want to talk to me about then?¡±


    ¡°Ralisdor.¡±


    Her answer didn¡¯t surprise Xorvos. The man had been on his mind too, and after last night there was a lot to talk about.


    ¡°I actually had something I wanted to ask you about that. Visia said something about needing blue blood to be able to make her mad. Do you know what she meant by that? She seemed pretty mad at Ralisdor so I think he might be related to it.¡±


    The line had been bothering the Quanso all night, among other things. It felt like a hint to a puzzle, but he didn¡¯t have enough pieces to put it together.


    ¡°Yeah, well it could have two meanings actually. The first is that blue blood can refer to royalty, or even nobility in a ¡®we are inherently better than you peasants¡¯ kind of way. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what she meant since I¡¯m pretty sure she doesn¡¯t give two shits about the nobility.¡±


    I don¡¯t know Visia very well, but that does sound about right. I can¡¯t imagine even a king could do much against her.


    ¡°So if you don¡¯t think she¡¯s talking about royalty, then what do you think she meant?¡±


    ¡°Archmages.¡±


    ¡°Archmages?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Theres a saying that you only truly become an archmage when your blood runs blue. And this time it actually has some basis in reality.¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re going to have to explain this one to me. Do archmages actually have blue blood?¡±


    Maryam was starting to get that sparkle in her eye that she would get when she talked about magic. Even after all the years apart, Xorvos still recognised it from when they were kids.


    ¡°Okay, so it¡¯s not exactly blue blue, but it does start to turn purple. So you know how condensed mana is blue? Well since mana is stored in the body it actually gets in your bloodstream, so if you have enough mana in your body the blue mana mixes with the red blood to create purple. Of course, theoretically if you had enough mana then your blood would go past purple and you would have actually blue blood. I think the farthest anyone¡¯s actually gotten is a fairly blue shade of purple, but in the magic community any shade of blood that¡¯s not red is considered blue blood.¡±


    ¡­Who are the current archmages again? I think I remember Ralisdor mentioning the archmage of illusion, but I can¡¯t remember his name. Oh right, isn¡¯t Maryams mother an archmage?


    ¡°If archmages have purple blood, is that true for your mother too? And didn¡¯t you say the ritual she did on you involved giving you her blood? Is your blood purple?¡±


    ¡°Um, kinda? My mother¡¯s blood is purple, but that actually because she is a purple dragon, not because of her mana density. All dragons have blood the same colour as their scales you see. And I do have dragons blood in me, but if she just injected me with super magical dragon archmage blood I would have died from mana poisoning. My body has to adapt to it before it can actually flow through my veins without killing me, so my blood only turns purple when I am very transformed. Even then, it¡¯s still only purple because it came from a purple dragon, not because it came from an archmage.¡±


    How in the world did Maryam go from being as magicless as me to having colour changing blood she got from an archmage? Whatever, I think we¡¯re getting sidetracked.


    ¡°So, wait. Was Visia implying Ralisdor is an archmage? Or just very powerful?¡±


    ¡°It could be either. I know for a fact that Visia¡¯s blood is far from red and she¡¯s not an archmage, so she could just mean a powerful mage. But then she would have probably just said purple blood as it would be more accurate. I think she specifically said blue blood to go along with the saying about archmages. I could be wrong though. Either way though, he¡¯s been lying to us this whole time and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    It was a lot to think about, but Xorvos had the distinct feeling he was the wrong person to be thinking about it. He was spared from thinking too much more about it, or more realistically asking Maryam about it, by the sound of a bell. It was a high pitched noise coming from a pouch on Maryams belt. What was odd was that she wasn¡¯t moving around all that much, so there wasn¡¯t much of a reason for a bell on her to be ringing. There was also the fact that he had never heard the sound of this bell from her before, so when did she get it? Maryam herself obviously seemed to know what it was though, and it did not seem good.


    ¡°Aw crap.¡±


    Maryam took out, not a bell, but a small stone from her pouch. It was smooth and had some sort of arcane symbol painted on it.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°A speaking stone.¡±


    ¡°You mean one of those artifacts that let you talk to people across great distances? Who¡¯s the person on the other end?¡±


    ¡°Only one person it could be. My mother.¡±


    *


    ¡°Heeeey mom. How ya doing?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Right, so about that. So you see I was on my way back home when my horse got sick, and you¡¯re always telling me not to waste money even if I can afford to. So I decided to wait until the horse got better instead of buying a new horse. I swear I am making my way back home as soon as possible though; don¡¯t you worry about that!¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why is it you are currently wandering around Lancrin telling a Quanso about archmages?¡±


    Shit, is she scrying me? I though my necklace was meant to prevent that. Although, I guess if she made it, she would know how to get past it.


    ¡°Yeah, so the horse got sick in Lancrin, and the Quanso was just curious about archmages so I was telling him about them.¡±


    ¡°Maryam. You know better than to lie to me.¡±


    The voice was stern, but not harsh. Still, Maryam knew better than to push her luck.


    ¡°Alright, fine. I met some old friends from back when I was still in the orphanage and I decided to help them out with something. It¡¯s important though, I wouldn¡¯t be sticking around so long if it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see. And why didn¡¯t you tell me of this?¡±


    ¡°Wel¡­ I was worried you would tell me to forget about it and return.¡±


    ¡°Did you not think I could have helped with this problem? There are few issues an archmage cannot solve.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ would you? I mean they are strangers with barely any money. It¡¯s not an easy problem to solve either. Why would you help them?¡±


    ¡°They are the friends of my daughter. What other reason would I need? Come back home, I will help your friends free of charge.¡±

 Chapter Thirty

    Chapter Thirty


    ¡°This is great, I bet even Ralisdor won¡¯t have anything bad to say about this.¡±


    Xorvos was obviously ecstatic at the new information, but Maryam didn¡¯t share his excitement.


    ¡°Hold on Xorvos, I don¡¯t think we should tell Ralisdor.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°You know why, he¡¯s suspicious as fuck.¡±


    ¡°I know he can be a bit mean, and obviously he¡¯s lied to us about some things, but I do think he wants the best for Shuka. If this is it, then I don¡¯t think he would get in the way of it.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that. Something about all of this isn¡¯t adding up, and he is a part of it. He might not be an enemy, but if he is and we did nothing, we would only have ourselves to blame. I say we get Shuka and head to my mother without him.¡±


    Maryam was dead serious, and that almost surprised Xorvos more than what she was proposing.


    ¡°You want to ditch him? over what, a hunch he might be bad? We need him Maryam, we would have died already without him. I want him to be more honest with us too, but don¡¯t you think you are taking this too far?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re not taking it far enough. What reason does an archmage have to hide his identity in a small town like Rainsburg? And I doubt he got Visia hunting him because he was being too good of a person.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s an archmage or not. I mean, we saw his blood yesterday and it was red.¡±


    ¡°That was an illusion, it must have been. I saw the magic all over him, and even without being an archmage that is something any decent illusionist can do.¡±


    What she didn¡¯t say was that she couldn¡¯t tell what kind of magic she saw. Her draconic eyes could only tell her when magic was present, not what it did. For all she knew it could have been residue from a spell Visia had cast. Considering how scorched Ralisdor was, he definitely got hit by a few.


    ¡°So he might be an archmage, doesn¡¯t that mean having him help us is even better then?¡±


    ¡°Not if he¡¯s who I think he is.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Sandrin, the previous archmage of illusion. Ralisdors skill with illusions is legit, even if I haven¡¯t seen him do anything archmage worthy. Only a few of the other archmages are even human, and people would have noticed if any of then decided to play pretend in a nowhere village for three years. The only archmage that could afford to do that is one that everyone thinks is dead.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and what¡¯s so bad about that? Was he a criminal, because you didn¡¯t seem to have a problem getting help from Visia.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a criminal, or at least not as far as I know. But that¡¯s not the problem, the problem is how he died. The Grand Priest raided his home out of the blue with a kill squad of the holy orders most elite fighters, including Validus and another archmage. They never said why, but whatever it was must have been serious since they didn¡¯t even arrest him or hold a trial or anything. They don¡¯t just do that for tax evasion Xorvos.¡±


    The thought of the holy order just walking into someone¡¯s house and murdering them disturbed Xorvos, but then he realised that Validus was doing something similar with Shuka. When there was justice to be done, they did it. Almost seemed virtuous until you remember that they were killing people in the process.


    ¡°If the order went so far as to kill him without a trial, how do you know the raid was even justified in the first place? The Grand priest might have had ulterior motives and Validus could have been tricked like with Shuka. It would also make Ralisdor justified in hiding his identity if revealing it meant getting hunted by the Grand Priest again.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ alright that¡¯s possible I will admit, but what if it was justified? The consequences for doing nothing when he is secretly evil are a lot more dire than the consequences ditching him when he¡¯s actually good. And we haven¡¯t even gotten to the fact that he might have been the one to curse Shuka yet.¡±


    ¡°What? Why do you think he cursed Shuka?¡±


    ¡°The book we read yesterday described curses in a way that made how the witch did it impossible. But Ralisdor could have just made an illusion of that witch and actually cursed her before or afterwards.¡±


    ¡°But then why would he help Shuka lift a curse that he put on her? What reason would he even have for cursing her in the first place? And would he even be able to put this curse on Shuka? If it¡¯s an advanced enough curse that even Visia cant lift it then an illusionist shouldn¡¯t be able to cast it even if he is an archmage. Besides, weren¡¯t you the one that said Visia could just fabricate whatever¡¯s in the book she gave us, that information might not even be accurate. I find it more likely that either the witch is tricking us, or Visia gave us false information.¡±


    Damn, that¡¯s actually a good argument. I still think Ralisdor is behind it all, but I don¡¯t think I can convince him of that if I can¡¯t disprove his theories. If neither of us can prove we are right then this argument is just going to keep going around in circles and we won¡¯t get anywhere. I guess I just can¡¯t leave it up to an argument then.


    ¡°Alright Xorvos, how about this. You want to tell Ralisdor and I want to ditch him. We can argue about this all day but we simply don¡¯t have the time. So instead, lets fight. The loser has to follow the winners plan and we don¡¯t have to spend any more time on this.¡±


    ¡°You want a duel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And if I win you will trust Ralisdor?¡±


    ¡°No. But I will trust you.¡±


    Xorvos thought for a moment, but then nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°Then I accept.¡±


    *


    The two friends found a nearby park for their fight. The soft grass and open space lent itself well to an impromptu duel, although it was a little too public for Xorvos¡¯ tastes. Still, it didn¡¯t look like anyone was going to get in their way.


    I need to focus. I don¡¯t think Maryam is going to care about spectators, so I can¡¯t either. Just focus on the fight and everything will go well.


    They took their places with about twenty feet between them. Maryam took out a coin and placed it on her thumb, ready to flick it into the air.


    ¡°We start when the coin hits the ground, got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And no magic before the fight starts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Don¡¯t expect me to hold back though.¡±


    And with that Maryam flicked up the coin. She quickly got back into a readied position before the coin landed, but when it did, it was Xorvos who acted first. As soon as the duel had officially commenced he activated the grieves he got from the dungeon and shot towards Maryam in an instant. The last time he used that ability in a fight it ended badly, but he had practised since then. This time he got the distance just right to where he stopped right before impacting Maryam. Taking her by surprise, Xorvos grabbed her, before taking her to the ground with a practised grapple. During the fall, he activated his gauntlets to send electricity racing through his friends body. For the first time in a long time, this trick of his actually had an effect. Validus always seemed to tough his way through it without caring, and Videon never even got hit. This time however, he saw Maryam convulse and wince in pain.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Can I actually do this? As long as I hold this grapple for long enough, she should surrender right? Theres no way she can get out now that I¡¯ve got her.


    What Xorvos forgot was that he was fighting a mage. While at first he easily had enough strength to keep Maryam trapped all day, she was getting stronger by the second. Soon enough, she managed to break free of his hold on her and put her newly clawed hands on Xorvos¡¯ breastplate. A moment later she launched him flying straight up with a purple blast of raw magical force. Now fifteen feet in the air and starting to fall, Xorvos watched his opponent get up from the ground and do something that worried him. She drew back her fist for a punch. Xorvos was caught between trying to soften his fall and blocking the incoming attack, and in his indecision did neither. Maryams fist, now covered in scales, landed square in Xorvos¡¯ chest, hurting even through the armour and sending him into the ground at an angle instead of straight down. The Quanso wasn¡¯t the only one in pain though.


    ¡°Ow, fuck! How can punching through armour hurt so much?¡±


    Xorvos couldn¡¯t find it in himself to feel too sympathetic considering he was currently in much more pain than her. She was shaking her hand in pain which gave Xorvos enough time to get off the ground and create some distance. He knew he wasn¡¯t in a good position though, with how much everything hurt. His armour saved him from the worst of it, but he knew he was the worse one off between the two of them.


    If she¡¯s stronger than me now, then how am I supposed to grapple her? I might have better technique, but with her magic that won¡¯t really matter much. Should I switch to striking to try to take her out quickly? But I don¡¯t want to hurt her too much, and I don¡¯t know how much is too much for a human. I don¡¯t have much of a choice though, I will just avoid her head.


    He approached again; this time much slower than before. His boots took an hour before they could be used again. Without his previous speed and surprise Xorvos was a lot more careful. Still, with both of them fighting unarmed, but Xorvos being almost two feet taller, he had the rare advantage in reach. He stopped just outside his own reach and waited for Maryam to enter it. Maryam took the bait, dodging the first punch, but having to block the second. What she couldn¡¯t block though was the pulse of electricity Xorvos sent through his gauntlet the moment he hit. It caused her to abort her assault and back off before Xorvos could press his advantage. It almost seemed like she was reconsidering her approach. Instead she got a crazed look in her eyes and charged, smiling like a madman. It freaked Xorvos out so much he punched purely on reflex, forgetting he was meant to not be aiming for the head. This time she didn¡¯t even bother dodging though, instead covering her body with magical armour. Fist met face, and magic or not it still hurt and the sickening crunch that came from her told Xorvos he probably broke her nose. He had a moment of panic for her safety, until he felt her claws dig into the flesh of his outstretched arm. Broken nose or not, Maryam was still smiling. She turned, and then heaved and Xorvos found himself in the air again as Maryam used all of her magically enhanced strength to throw him in an arc and straight into the ground. With the wind very much knocked out of him, Xorvos was helpless as his opponent put one claw against his throat.


    ¡°Looks like I win Xorvos. Wanna go again after a break?¡±


    Going again was just about the last thing Xorvos wanted to do. It took him a moment to recover enough to say as much though.


    ¡°How¡­ how can you want to go again after that?¡±


    ¡°Well it was fun so why wouldn¡¯t I want to go again? I still have plenty of mana left, and I can afford to buy some potions to heal us up.¡±


    Even with potions it seemed like insanity to Xorvos. He was used to sparring, but this went a little past that. He was still laying on the ground where he was thrown and Maryam was offering him her hand to help him up. Her arms were covered in scales up to the elbow, but he didn¡¯t let that discourage him and took her hand.


    ¡°Thanks. I think I¡¯m still going to say no to round two though. I¡¯ve had enough fighting for one day.¡±


    ¡°Aw man, but I¡¯m still itching to go.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that fun for you? Your nose is broken, that can¡¯t be pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it hurts like a bitch. I¡¯ll probably have to use a potion just for that, I don¡¯t want it healing weird. Nice punch by the way, you¡¯re pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Am I? I still lost. What¡¯s even the point of all this strength if it¡¯s not enough to win?¡±


    ¡°Well if you wanna get better then lets have another go at it. C¡¯mon, if you hit me in the face twice this time I might go down.¡±


    The utter glee with which she said that was throwing Xorvos off a bit. She was still smiling, even as she was wiping blood of her face.


    ¡°All right, this nose is starting to get annoying now, potion time!¡±


    She fished a vial of red liquid from a pouch on her belt, uncorked it and took a sip. She didn¡¯t drink much, not nearly the whole potion, but it seemed to be effective enough. There was a unsettling crack as her nose unbroke itself that made Xorvos flinch from the noise, and Maryam from the pain.


    ¡°Did that little potion really heal you completely? It must be pretty good.¡±


    ¡°It is good, but not that good. Fully healing after exercising gets rid of all the muscles you would get though, so I try not to do it unless I¡¯m in real bad shape. My nose still hurts a whole lot, but that¡¯s worth being able to throw you even harder next time.¡±


    She is so positive about such a painful endeavour. Whenever I sparred with my father it was never this harsh, but is this how she usually trains?


    While they were chatting, the two friends were approached by a man. He seemed to be in his thirties, and had a bald head with a kind face.


    ¡°Excuse me, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice your sparring match and I felt I had come by and meet you two. My name is Arlom, I¡¯m a traveling monk.¡±


    ¡°Um, hello? I¡¯m Xorvos and this is Maryam. Sorry if we disturbed you.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t be sorry, I was glad to watch your duel.¡±


    Xorvos normally would have been a bit uncomfortable talking to a stranger, but there was something about this man that was welcoming. Apparently Maryam wasn¡¯t worried about him either because she approached him with a huge smile on her face.


    ¡°Hey, wanna fight?¡±


    What is she doing? You can¡¯t just ask strangers if they want to fight you! What if he thinks we¡¯re some kind of battle maniacs? Why would she even want to fight him, he doesn¡¯t look like a mage and he isn¡¯t carrying any weapons.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ no, I don¡¯t think I do.¡±


    ¡°Aw, what? Come on, I bet you could kick my ass, lets just go one round.¡±


    ¡°It is not out of fear of losing that I am refusing your offer. Perhaps you should ask yourself why you are propositioning strangers to fight, and if there are things you value more you should be doing instead.¡±


    ¡°What are you going on about? There is nothing more important to me than fighting right now.¡±


    ¡°Maryam, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s going a bit far?¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°What about Shuka? And Ralisdor? There was a reason we even had that fight in the first place remember.¡±


    Maryam got a sort of quizzical expression on her face. Not one that didn¡¯t know what he was saying, but one that didn¡¯t know why it mattered.


    ¡°I mean, yeah that¡¯s important and all¡­ but I can deal with all that later. I can only fight this guy now though, so that makes it more important right?¡±


    ¡°But why do you need to fight him in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Because fighting is fun.¡±


    It was like talking to a wall. Xorvos knew her dragon blood made her obsess, but he didn¡¯t know it would be this bad. The stranger didn¡¯t seem perturbed by it though.


    ¡°Fun as it may be, entertainment should not get in the way of helping your friends. Letting your obsessions interfere with the rest of your life is an unhealthy habit.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you sound like my mom. Jeez what do you think my elixirs are for?¡±


    ¡°You have medicine for this problem of yours? It seems like a poor solution if you refuse to use it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, the elixers work just fine, I just don¡¯t see the need to use it when my transformation will wear off on its own.¡±


    Maryam was getting mad, and combined with her desire to fight Xorvos was getting worried she was about to turn to violence.


    ¡°If you refuse to take your medicine, perhaps what you need is motivation instead. If you spend the rest of the day only focusing on helping your friend, without drinking your elixir, then I will duel you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of deal is that? Are you just going to follow me around all day? Or am I just supposed to trust that I¡¯m even going to meet you again. How about we just fight right now, and then I¡¯ll help Shuka out.¡±


    ¡°If we do that then you will never learn control. Either take your medicine, or control your urges yourself, but this is not sustainable.¡±


    Now Maryam was looking frustrated along with angry. She wanted to fight, but not with an unwilling opponent. She looked an inch away from either punching him or drinking her elixir, but something was holding her back. Perhaps it was a little voice in the back of her head telling her he was right, or maybe just her draconic pride that refused to back down from a challenge.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take your deal, but I better get my fight after this. Come on Xorvos, lets head back to the inn.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking of having some words with you too.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    What could he want with me? I¡¯m not anything special like Maryam. Maybe he just see¡¯s how many problems I have and wants to help me them like Maryam. The only thing he¡¯s seen from me so far is my fighting and that certainly wasn¡¯t very impressive.


    ¡°Yes you. I was wondering if you would like to spar with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡±

 Chapter Thirty One

    Chapter Thirty One


    ¡°Why would you want to spar with me? I¡¯m not very good, I doubt it would be a good match.¡±


    ¡°You may be right, but it is not a fight I am looking for, but a sparring match. The goal of sparring is to learn and I believe we might both learn a thing or two from a match.¡±


    ¡°Really? What could I possibly teach you?¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t know how strong this man was, but he guessed that he was at least as good as Maryam judging by his conversation with her. Teaching was not something that was normally done to people who knew the subject better than you.


    You don¡¯t give fighting lessons to people stronger than you, that¡¯s absurd. I might learn something from him though.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise I can teach you anything, but I will spar with you if you wish.¡±


    ¡°What the hell man, why do I have to go through a whole test and everything, but he just gets a fight for free? And now I gotta watch it!¡±


    Maryam was just a bit frustrated and was maybe going slightly crazy. She had just resolved herself not to get into any frivolous fights, but here Xorvos was, doing just that in front of her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to watch it; you can go back to the inn. I¡¯m sure Shuka is awake by now, and I can just catch up afterwards.¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡¯m not leaving you with this guy alone. Helping out my friends means helping out all my friends. I don¡¯t know who this guy is and you don¡¯t either, so I ain¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    It might have been touching if she didn¡¯t say it like it was some sort of grand injustice. Maryam started pacing in an attempt to keep her mind off the impending fight while Xorvos focused back on the man in front of him.


    ¡°Well then, shall we start?¡±


    Xorvos nodded and they began. This fight started much slower than his last. Both participants took their stances and simply stared at each other for the first few seconds, waiting for the other one to act. It was Arlom who made the first move, stepping forward and throwing a simple and steady punch. Simple though it may be, it was fast enough that Xorvos barely had enough time to react, even when he was waiting for it. He dodged out of the way, and then belatedly tried grabbing the arm to get into a grapple, but was too slow. Instead of continuing the attack, Arlom took a step back and began to speak.


    ¡°Good reaction time and technique. A slower opponent would have been caught.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ alright. My grapples aren¡¯t very good anyway and this move doesn¡¯t work if they are faster than me like you. And besides, a mage isn¡¯t even going to let me get close enough to use it.¡±


    Arlom gave Xorvos a look, like he was studying some problem. Or perhaps some person.


    ¡°You seem very critical of yourself. Why? Against the average opponent this would win you the fight.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it would work in some fights, but never in a fight that matters. There is only so much technique can do against magic.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, perhaps. But mages are not unbeatable. Show me an attack now, I want to see how good your offence is.¡±


    Xorvos almost forgot he was sparring. He took a swing right at Arloms face, but it was a feint. Once the monk went to defend himself, Xorvos went down low for a tackle. Arlom almost insultingly took the bait, opening himself up perfectly for Xorvos. Once they were both on the ground Xorvos went to work restraining all four of Arloms limbs and found it¡­ easy. It was almost like he was practicing against a training dummy how little he was resisting. After a moment or two, Xorvos released his grapple and got up from the ground.


    ¡°You let that happen, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. It wouldn¡¯t be a very good test if I didn¡¯t get caught after all. Your feint was a bit predictable, but fast enough to make up for it and the grapple itself was very well executed.¡±


    ¡°But it only worked because you let it happen. And well executed or not you could have probably escaped anyway.¡±


    ¡°True. But am I really the standard you have to beat? It is okay to aspire to be better, but do not dismiss your current abilities simply because they could be better. Train, and the strength you desire will come.¡±


    ¡°But too slowly. I need to be strong now, not in a decade. No matter how much I train though, I¡¯m never going to be strong enough to beat someone like Visia.¡±


    ¡°And what makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°They can use magic. I can¡¯t.¡±


    It seemed obvious to Xorvos. The last few weeks had been nothing but defeat after defeat for him, and he finally found out what the problem was. Magic. Other than Videon all his opponents used magic in one form or another and he couldn¡¯t think of a way to beat that.


    I can¡¯t even learn magic myself because I¡¯m a Quanso. Is there even a place in the world for people like me who only have their body to rely on?


    Arlom seemed to have a different opinion on the matter.


    ¡°So? Magic does not win fights, mastery of it does. You simply need to have mastered your body more than they have mastered their magic.¡±


    ¡°But there is a limit to the body that doesn¡¯t exist for magic. I might be able to beat Maryam with a bit more skill, but one day she will be stronger than what it is possible for me to achieve.¡±


    ¡°I disagree. She uses magic to make up for a lack of innate physical prowess. It is a valid fighting style, but not a superior one. You will only fall behind her if you don¡¯t believe you can beat her. Not even archemages are guaranteed to win a fight against their more martially inclined peers.¡±


    ¡°But how!? Visia can teleport and shoot lightning and do all sorts of things that I can¡¯t even come close to competing with. There isn¡¯t a person in the world who could deal with that without magic of their own.¡±


    ¡°Her sister can.¡±


    Xorvos had forgotten. When he first found himself in front of Visia¡¯s office there was a sign that mentioned the ¡®Twin Queens of the Sea.¡¯ Twin as in two. He hadn¡¯t really considered what the other queen was like, but he never would have assumed she was as mundane as him.


    ¡°Is she really as strong as Visia without magic? Are you sure she doesn¡¯t just enhance her body with spells like Maryam?¡±


    ¡°Well she might have some magic items that help her out in that regard, but she doesn¡¯t cast them herself. Even without the artifacts, I am sure she is still a match for Visia though.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem possible.¡±


    ¡°Only because you have only seen what the peak of spellcasting looks like, and not the peak of martial combat. I may not be as good as either of the pirate queens, but let me show you what can be done without a single spell being cast.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t know what he meant by that and was even more confused when Arlom started walking towards a small pond. It wasn¡¯t the water he was interested in though, but the pebbles on its shore. The monk calmly collected the small rocks until he had around twenty or thirty all piled up in one hand. Then he went over to a nearby tree. With his free hand, Arlom punched the tree with a reverberating crack that caused it to shake violently. A light shower of leaves began falling from the tree¡¯s branches as Arlom took a few steps back. He got a focused look in his eyes, one so intense Xorvos wasn¡¯t sure if it was even possible to distract him from his task. Whatever that task was. Then, as the first leaves to fall were halfway to the ground, Arlom burst into action, or at least his hands did. They moved so fast all Xorvos saw was a blur as every single stone he took from the pond was thrown with unerring precision. In just a few seconds over two dozen rocks were thrown and over two dozen leaves were hit without a single miss.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°That, was the power of ki. It is a power you too may posses. In fact, you already do.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve never even heard of ki before, and I definitely can¡¯t do anything like what you just did.¡±


    ¡°Ki manifests itself in many ways. I used it for speed, although it can also be used for strength or toughness. You use it to activate your gauntlets.¡±


    ¡°I do? I thought they ran on mana.¡±


    ¡°Well strictly speaking that is what ki is.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was a power I could use? Quanso can¡¯t use magic, how is this ki any different from a spell?¡±


    I¡¯m confused. Do I need magic to be strong or not? What¡¯s the point of showing me what ki can do if I can¡¯t even use it?


    ¡°The difference? Some would claim that there isn¡¯t one, but I disagree with that notion. A spell is made by forcing the mana into the shape you desire, but ki is different. It moves freely within your body, flowing naturally like the blood within your veins. What Quanso can¡¯t do is cast spells, because the mana won¡¯t leave their body and that is where the spell must be crafted. But ki has no such restriction. You can manipulate mana, your gauntlets are proof of that, you just need to learn how to use it.¡±


    Xorvos remembered when his father taught him how to activate his gauntlets. He never said ki, or even mana, all he was told was that they gave Quanso their own little piece of magic. Now he understood why.


    ¡°So then¡­ how do I use it? Can you teach me?¡±


    ¡°I can. Most warriors learn how to strengthen their body with ki naturally as long as they train long and hard enough, but it is possible to learn it early with guidance. Normally it might take a year or two to learn even with a teacher, but you are already halfway there due to your training with Quanso weaponry. Still, don¡¯t expect to master these techniques today, it will still take time.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, there are two main ways you can use ki. The first is to simply circulate the ki throughout your body instead of letting it gather in one place, stagnant. This will give your body a myriad of general improvements to speed, strength, durability, and stamina along with just generally making you healthier. It¡¯s a bit tricky to learn, but once you have mastered it, it will become as natural as breathing.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you did throw all of those rocks so fast?¡±


    ¡°No, what you gain from circulating ki isn¡¯t so extreme. What I used is the other method of using ki. Instead of circulating ki across the entire body, you focus it into one spot and concentrate on the specific benefit you want. In my case, I focused it into my hands and gave myself speed. Other common uses are giving your arms strength, or your body toughness, I¡¯ve even heard of someone improving the vision of their eyes with this method. This is a much harder technique to pull off though, especially consistently, but you have seen firsthand how effective it can be.¡±


    I remember when I was in the dungeon Videon threw an iron ball through a door. I thought it must have been a magic item, but could this be what gave her that strength?


    ¡°I will teach you a few training routines for you to practice on your own. If you have mastered ki circulation by the time we meet again, we may begin focus training. Now, listen closely.¡±


    *


    Maryams scales were starting to go back into her arms, but she still felt the effects they had on her mind. She was sitting in the grass arranging rocks in a pattern. Not for any particular reason, she just needed to be doing something while she thought.


    Gah, how can he talk to me like he knows me? I haven¡¯t caused a serious incident in years; my control is just fine. Whatever, that isn¡¯t important right now, I need to figure out how to convince Shuka to ditch Ralisdor. I don¡¯t know if she would listen to him over me. Maybe I need to do something to get in her favor. But what? Hold on, who was it that Visia recommended to her? Aurulin? Maybe I can go over to her and get her to help. I bet if I paid her a couple thousand gold, she could at least supress the curse, right? Hmm, if she can fully remove the curse then we wouldn¡¯t have a reason to ditch Ralisdor anymore though. Do I ask her to only supress it then? That way I gain Shuka¡¯s favor and we still have a reason to leave Ralisdor behind and go to my mother. No, wait. I think that might be an asshole thing to do, I¡¯m not sure if that monk guy would accept it as helping.


    Every once in a while, she glanced up to look at him training with Xorvos. Much to her disappointment they were talking more than they were fighting so it wasn¡¯t as distracting as she originally thought it would be.


    Goddamn it, he better not talk that much when we fight.


    When Xorvos finally seemed to be done ¡®sparring¡¯ with Arlom, Maryam abandoned her rocks and went over to him.


    ¡°Hey, your done? Good, here¡¯s the plan. So first we are going to head over to the temple to talk to that Aurulin person. We are gonna see if she can help with the curse and then go back to the inn and tell Shuka about it. Also, I need you to distract Ralisdor for me while I talk to her.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on. Why do we need to go to Aurulin? I thought your mother could help.¡±


    ¡°She can, but I need Shuka to trust me more than Ralisdor, so helping her with this will make her like me more. Also, it¡¯s not like my moms just living next door, if this priestess can supress the curse a bit it will be useful while we are traveling.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but are we going to talk to Shuka as soon as we get back? We still need to hear Ralisdors side of the story don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No we don¡¯t he¡¯s just going to lie to us. If we can¡¯t trust anything that he says, why would we let him talk?¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem right to Xorvos, but he did lose the duel so if her plan was to not even talk to Ralisdor, he had to follow that plan.


    ¡°Alright fine. Do you know where the temple is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s close by. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    *


    The Temple of the Celestial Order was a grand building, with pointed spires and stained glass windows. It was actually one of two temples in the city, with the other being a temple to Xyloth, the god of magic. Maryam wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure which temple Aurulin would be in. Since she was the Grand Priestess of Lancrin and not the High Priestess of Xyloth though, she guessed she would be in the temple more aligned to the Celestial Order. It was open to the public, so Xorvos and Maryam just walked in.


    ¡°Hey, excuse me. Do you know where the High Priestess is? We wanna talk to her.¡±


    Maryam just walked up to one of the priests and asked them that. It was a bit too direct for Xorvos, but there was nothing he could do about it now.


    ¡°High Priestess Aurulin is currently in her office. I could see if she is available.¡±


    ¡°Really? Yeah, go for it. Oh, and thanks.¡±


    The priest went off to Aurulins office and Xorvos and Maryam were left alone with each other. Xorvos took this opportunity to ask his friend some questions.


    ¡°So¡­ how are we going to convince her to help?¡±


    ¡°A whole lot of money. Maybe a favor or two from my mom or something.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t seem to work too well on Visia. I don¡¯t want to get roped into doing another job as payment when we could just be leaving Lancrin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. If we can¡¯t get a good deal then we¡¯re just leaving.¡±


    The priest came back after a short period of time.


    ¡°It seems you came at a good time. The High Priestess is ready to see you.¡±


    ¡°Great, lets go.¡±


    They were led to Aurulin¡¯s office and brought inside. It was a large room that had a warm and welcoming interior. There were several comfy looking chairs placed in front of a nice looking desk that the High Priestess herself sat behind. She was a beautiful human woman with golden blonde hair and eyes that matched. Her skin was pale and free of blemish¡¯s and she had a kind, almost motherly smile on her face. Her clothing seemed surprisingly humble, not that different from the rest of the priests and priestess¡¯ in the temple. Regardless of that, she did have a presence to her that told people that she was in charge. She was a leader people wanted to follow though. When she spoke, her words seemed almost angelic, soft and beautiful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe we have met. I am Aurulin, it is very nice to meet you two. May I have your names?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Maryam, and this is Xorvos. We have a friend who has a problem that we think you might be able to help with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s terrible. Tell me more about your friend. Who is she, and what is this problem of hers?¡±


    ¡°Her names Shuka¡± Xorvos told her. ¡°she¡¯s a hunter who was cursed by a witch. We were hoping you could lift the curse, or maybe reduce its effect in some way. Even just a temporary fix would be helpful.¡±


    ¡°I see. I would be happy to help. I may not be able to fully remove the curse if it is too powerful, but I believe I can lessen its strength. Bring her to the temple and I will begin preparing for the purification ritual.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! What do we owe you?¡±


    ¡°As much as you are willing to pay. I only wish to help those in need, gold has little value to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, we are very grateful for your help.¡±


    It almost seemed too good to be true. She did say that she wasn¡¯t sure if she could fully remove it, but it was still a huge step forward. Xorvos and Maryam got up to leave, but as they reached the door, someone on the other side knocked a few times before opening it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your meeting Aurulin, but here is something important I must speak with you about.¡±


    Validus stood in the doorway. He was about to walk in when he noticed Xorvos. And stopped in his tracks. In a moment his sword left its sheath and burst into white flame. It was pointed straight at Xorvos.


    ¡°Theres nowhere to run, Quanso. You won¡¯t escape this time.¡±

 Chapter Thirty Two

    Chapter Thirty Two


    Validus approached Xorvos, sword pointed forwards, ready to impale. Xorvos, not wanting to be impaled, was backing up, but he could only go so far until he hit Aurulin¡¯s desk. Maryam looked ready to pounce, but Validus had his eye on her too. Aurulin got up from her desk looking very distressed at the impending violence.


    ¡°Validus please, there is no need for this. These two people came to me seeking help, I can¡¯t have you attacking them in my office.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being tricked Aurulin. That Quanso is working with a witch, he needs to be captured and interrogated.¡±


    ¡°Even so, please don¡¯t fight. I¡¯m sure this can all be resolved peacefully.¡±


    She had gone around her desk now, trying to get between the paladin and his target.


    ¡°As long as he surrenders, no harm will come to him.¡±


    Should I just surrender? I can¡¯t see us getting out of this with him blocking the way to the door, and if Shuka isn¡¯t here I might be able to explain that this is all a misunderstanding.


    It seemed like surrendering was the best option, at least to Xorvos. Maryam on the other hand, had a different opinion on the matter.


    ¡°Like hell are we just going to give up! I¡¯ll surrender when I¡¯m dead, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°A fight it is then.¡±


    Scales began to creep back up Maryams arms as a shimmering shield of magic coated her body. At the same time, Validus¡¯ shield began to glow to go with his already flaming sword. Before either of them could strike the other though, Aurulin activated some magic of her own. She spoke a single arcane word and a set of normally hidden runes that ran along the walls and floor of the room lit up in bright red. The effects were immediate as all the magic Validus and Maryam were putting on themselves vanished in an instant. Maryams magic shield was one thing, but her arms were magic now too, and whatever Aurulin did made them fall limp to her side. The flames on Validus¡¯ sword were put out, and his shield stopped glowing. Apparently he also had an invisible helmet too, because one appeared on his head. His helmet wasn¡¯t the only thing that was invisible though, as twelve crossbowmen in black robes with covered faces appeared. They had their backs to the walls, and half were aiming their weapons at Validus, while the other half were split between Xorvos and Maryam. The only person in the room who didn¡¯t have at least three crossbows aimed at them was Aurulin. She had managed to get right up to the Grand Paladin and put a stiletto to his throat in the confusion. The tip of the long thin dagger had gone right between his helmet and his breastplate to reach vulnerable flesh.


    ¡°¡­What is the meaning of this Aurulin?¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of you fucking up two of my operations in two days asshole?¡±


    Gone was the nice and kind priestess, now there was steel in Aurulin¡¯s eyes. Validus refused to be cowed though, even with a dagger at his throat.


    ¡°Two? Were you working with the slavers then?¡±


    ¡°No you dumbass, I was going to kill them. In a way that wouldn¡¯t piss off Draconia or give our resident pirate queen any new books either. But I guess thinking that far ahead is a bit too much for your little brain, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I did what I believed to be best at the time. How was I to know you even knew of their existence, let alone that you had a plan.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe you should have tried asking then. I would have been happy to tell you not to be an absolute moron.¡±


    What is going on right now? Why is Aurulin saving us from Validus, aren¡¯t they supposed to be on the same side? Is she even saving us at all? These crossbowmen look ready to kill, I hope Maryam doesn¡¯t try to fight back.


    Worriedly Xorvos looked over to his friend and found she wasn¡¯t going to start any fights. She looked like she could barely stand. Her arms were limp and her skin as sickly and pale. All the energy she normally had was gone. Neither the priestess, nor the paladin had noticed in their argument.


    ¡°H-hey, I think Maryams not doing so well. Is that supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Shit, fucking dragon blood. It must be reacting badly to the anti-magic zone. Hey, put some anti-magic cuffs on her and the Quanso. Validus, are you going to start some shit if I turn the magic back on?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? You obviously can¡¯t be trusted and I don¡¯t know what your intentions with the witch are. Give me one reason why I shouldn¡¯t try to stop you.¡±


    ¡°Because even you¡¯re not that dumb right? If you start a fight here and now, what are you going to achieve? Listen, I can get a lot more information out of those two than you, so leave them to me for a bit, and we¡¯ll see what happens afterwards okay? I¡¯ll even get you Shuka too, if she really is as dangerous as you say.¡±


    ¡°Shuka?¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t fucking believe you didn¡¯t even know her name. Look, you need me on this case if this is how much you have figured out on your own.¡±


    Xorvos was still a little disorientated by Aurulin¡¯s sudden personality shift, but he was more worried about Maryam at the moment. Two of the crossbowmen had broken off and were approaching with manacles that were engraved with runes.


    Aurulin¡¯s not going to turn off the anti-magic field until me and Maryam are restrained and magicless, and she can¡¯t heal her until she can use magic herself. Aurulin seems¡­ meaner. But it doesn¡¯t look like she wants us dead.


    After thinking about it, Xorvos decided not to resist. Maryam might¡¯ve if she had the strength, but whatever was happening to her was leaving her helpless. The manacles were on, but the anti-magic zone in the room stayed. Aurulin and Validus were still arguing. Maryam was looking worse by the minute, and Xorvos didn¡¯t know how bad it was going to get. Doing nothing wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°Validus.¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°Maryam has done nothing wrong, and she needs help. The longer you argue the worse it gets.¡±


    That got his attention. For the first time the paladin really looked at Maryam and saw the condition she was in. Finally, he relented.


    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t cause trouble, but only if you help the girl.¡±


    ¡°That was always my plan, asshole.¡±


    Aurulin said another arcane word and the glowing runes that lit up the room vanished, although the runes on Xorvos¡¯ and Maryams manacles started glowing in their stead. Taking the dagger away from the Grand Paladins throat, Aurulin went over to Maryam and started inspecting her.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ She doesn¡¯t seem to be getting better, but she isn¡¯t getting any worse either. Good, I was worried the cuffs word affect her as well. This may take a moment but I believe I can heal her.¡±


    Relief washed over Xorvos as he heard that. He couldn¡¯t relax too much though, he still had crossbows pointed at him. Validus wasn¡¯t giving him a kind look either. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Xorvos saw the door to the office open. It was Ralisdor of all people who walked in, almost nonchalant. What was even odder was that no one else seemed to notice. He walked right past a few crossbowmen who did nothing to stop him, or even acknowledge his existence. It was incredibly odd, but Ralisdor was kind enough to clear things up.


    ¡°I have altered the perceptions of everyone in the room so, you are the only one who can see me right now. They won¡¯t notice any odd actions you take either so it is safe for you to talk right now. We need to leave though, I can¡¯t keep this up forever, and someone might notice you aren¡¯t acting normal.¡±


    ¡°¡­How did you know we were in trouble? Actually no, you can explain later. Hopefully Maryam has been healed enough to recover on her own by now.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Xorvos moved to retrieve his friend who was currently being healed by Aurulin, but Ralisdor stopped him.


    ¡°We can¡¯t bring her. The spell can¡¯t bypass touch, so if Maryam starts moving around they will notice something is up and reactivate the anti-magic zone. She¡¯s an archmages daughter so the worst they will do is detain her for a bit an ask her some questions.¡±


    ¡°Validus won¡¯t. As long as he thinks she is involved with Shuka he isn¡¯t going to just let her go. It might be a bit risky, but as long as I just grab her and run I think I can make it to the exit in time.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? It¡¯s suicide and I will not be a part of it. We would have a better chance of breaking her out of jail afterwards, lets just leave without her.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t break her out of jail.¡± Xorvos replied ¡°They will notice I¡¯m gone and the whole city will be on high alert after that. The moment we regroup with Shuka you are going to take us out of Lancrin because it will be too dangerous here. We won¡¯t get another chance, so either help me take it, or watch me die trying.¡±


    *


    Shuka was alone. Maryam and Xorvos were already gone when she woke up, and Ralisdor left around half an hour ago. She never used to mind being alone, but she was never in so much constant danger either. She knew everyone would be back soon, but she was still worried. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ralisdor rushing into the room with a rare frantic look on his face.


    ¡°We need to leave now. Validus is on to us.¡±


    Before he even finished his sentence Shuka was up and grabbing her things. In less than a minute she was out the door following her teacher.


    ¡°What about Xorvos and Maryam? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°There is no time to explain.¡±


    She was worried before, but that one answer doubled her anxiety. Still, she didn¡¯t slow as she rushed out of the inn and onto the street. There, to her relief, she saw Xorvos and Maryam. Neither looked alright though. Xorvos was bleeding from a cut on his arm as he was unhitching his horse from the inn¡¯s attached stable. Maryam was already on her horse, but looked incredibly sick and pale. She was sitting on the saddle, but was leaned forward so far that her upper torso was being held up by the horses neck. They both also were wearing steel manacle¡¯s that connected their wrists with a short chain. Maryam in also had purple scales going up her arm past her elbow.


    ¡°What the hell happened? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ if you think I look bad now¡­ you should have seen me ten minutes ago. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Maryam was speaking slowly and laboriously in a way Shuka had never seen her do before. It was not encouraging.


    ¡°Catch up later, we are leaving immediately.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t need to be told twice. She got her own horse from the stable and quickly mounted it. By the time she was done everyone else was too. They had attracted a crowd of onlookers, but no one was moving to stop them. The ominous sound of guards stomping down the street had appeared though, so any notion of safety was quickly dispelled. All at once four horses galloped off with Ralisdor in the lead. He was casting magic as he rode too, concentrating for just a moment before cloaking all four riders and their horses in invisibility. The clopping sound of hooves on stone also disappeared, making it seem as if they didn¡¯t even exist. Shuka started to panic, seeing all of her friends disappear around her, until she saw that she could still see their outline. It seemed Ralisdor accounted for that when he cast the spell. The problem was there was still large crowds of people who couldn¡¯t see the four horses about to trample them. Ralisdor had a solution for that too though. A few seconds after he turned everyone invisible, Ralisdor created a shimmering bridge of transparent light right under the horses hooves. The bridge went high into the air and over the crowds of people.


    Can only we see the bridge? Making us invisible would be kind of pointless if he didn¡¯t. This is some very advanced magic though, could Ralisdor always do this? Making us all invisible seems about right, but he made the horses invisible too. That¡¯s eight creatures, and four of them are pretty big, while also maintain an illusionary bridge. Would I be suspecting him if it wasn¡¯t for last night though?


    Regardless of her thoughts on the matter, Shuka couldn¡¯t just ride off the bridge and break her horse¡¯s legs. Trying her luck without Ralisdors help didn¡¯t seem all that appealing in the first place. Things were almost going smoothly, until Shuka heard the sound of a solitary set of hooves thundering in the distance. She looked behind herself, and almost regretted it. Validus was there, riding his horse much faster than she was riding hers. He was coming straight for her.


    ¡°Ralisdor, aren¡¯t we invisible? Why does he know where we are?¡±


    Or at least that was what she wanted to say, but the silence muffling her horses¡¯ hooves also muffled her voice. Nothing came out. Ralisdor didn¡¯t need to be told Validus was chasing them though. He turned in his saddle and began casting once more. Shuka didn¡¯t see what happened when he finished. All Validus did was lift up his shield as if to block something, but continued to ride towards them. He was catching up too, and fast. Just then, Shuka heard Ralisdors voice in her head. He wasn¡¯t talking, at least not that she could see, but she could still hear him.


    ¡°He is able to track us somehow and my illusions are less effective now that he knows he is fighting an illusionist. I have a spell that will get us to safety, but it will take some time to cast. Do not die until I am finished.¡±


    The bridge that Shuka and the rest were riding on and constantly creating itself in front of them, and also uncreating itself behind them. Now though, it extended forward right into Lancrins wall far in front of them. Everyone¡¯s invisibility also dropped, leaving them visible for all to see. Validus especially.


    I hope Ralisdor knows what he is doing. If it¡¯s a spell big enough that he can¡¯t concentrate on the invisibility spell while casting it, then it better be good.


    Validus, who was getting closer and closer, stuck on the ground or not. He was looking up at Shuka with an intense conviction, and his sword lit up with pure white divine flame as he approached. Once he was close enough, he swung his sword in a long arc and flung the fire right at Shuka. She moved her horse to dodge it, but found that wasn¡¯t even necessary. The holy flame splashed harmlessly against the underside of the bridge.


    That¡¯s right. We might be visible now, but the bridge must still be invisible for Validus. Thank the gods the fire doesn¡¯t seem to have much force behind it, I can¡¯t imagine an illusionary bridge is as tough as a real one.


    Undeterred by his foiled attack, Validus lit his word aflame yet again. This time he launched the fire off to the side, past the bridge. It missed Shuka by a mile, but she was still worried it would redirect itself towards her. It didn¡¯t seem like that was within the paladin¡¯s capabilities though, because it just continued past her until the fire dissipated. Having learned all that he needed to, Validus used another spell. Not on himself, or even his weapon, but on his horse. A fierce steed already, it only became fiercer as the muscles on the horses body bulged with magically granted strength. A moment later, it jumped. The horse leaped impossibly far, landing halfway up the side of a building, its hooves somehow finding purchase on a vertical wall. It stayed there for less than a moment before jumping again, this time flying through the gap between the bridge and buildings. He landed, with perfect accuracy, right in the center of the bridge, just a short distance behind Shuka and her group. His sword was on fire again.


    Shit, is Ralisdor still casting his spell? What am I supposed to do, shoot him? I¡¯m not very good at horse archery, and my arrows don¡¯t seem to do much against him anyway. I guess I could aim at his horse, but even if I hit, I don¡¯t know how much it would even slow that beast down by with whatever spell Validus has enchanted it with. It¡¯s wearing barding too, so unless I hit its eye, I don¡¯t think I could kill it by hitting its head. Wait, if an arrows not going to do the trick, there¡¯s something else I can use.


    Shuka rummaged through her bag and found what she was looking for. A glass vial, filled with an amber liquid. She held it in her hands for a moment and concentrated on a spell. She covered the bottle in an illusion of purple flames, hiding it completely. She turned to throw it, but had to quickly duck and a wave of white flame almost hit her. Memories of the pain that fire has caused her almost made Shuka lose concentration on her spell, but she managed to maintain it. Before Validus could attack her again, Shuka spoke the activation phrase for the bottle of alchemists fire and threw it. Validus had seen Shuka throw purple fire before, and he knew it was an illusion, this time he made no effort to block or avoid it. The bumpy horse ride threw off Shuka¡¯s aim by quite a bit anyway. The small ball of illusionary fire, with a vial of liquid fire inside, fell a bit short and landed just in front of the paladin and his horse. That suited Shuka¡¯s needs just fine though, as the ground was quickly covered in some very real fire. There wasn¡¯t enough time to stop or move around the fire, so Validus¡¯ horse rode straight through it. Whatever liquid that made alchemists fire must have been very sticky, because it seemed to stick to the horses hooves and catch the horse on fire. No horse, not even Validus¡¯ could remain calm in that situation. It stopped chasing Shuka and began to stomp around on the bridge in a futile attempt to extinguish the alchemically created flame. Validus himself even dismounted to save his steed from its fiery fate.


    Did¡­ did that work? Even if Validus can put out the fire and heal his horse, this should at least buy us enough time for Ralisdor to finish his spell right?


    With the crisis seemingly averted, Shuka turned back around to see if Ralisdor was done or not, and found that they were all moments away from slamming into the wall surrounding Lancrin. They were reaching the end of the illusionary bridge and the only thing left was enchanted stone. Shuka was just about to pull on the reins of her horse to stop, when Ralisdor finished the spell he was working on. The wall twisted, or at least a small part of it did. It twisted in a circle, just wide enough for the bridge. Then, in the center of the distortion, a hole appeared. Only small enough for a bug to pass through at first, but it grew very rapidly. Rapidly enough that by the time Shuka reached it she could pass through easily. The bridge itself went through the newly made hole and the party followed it. Soon enough they were all on the other side, and Ralisdor who seemed to be straining really hard to maintain the spell, let go of it. In an instant the wall was back to normal, with everyone on the other side of it still on a bridge of light. Safe. Or at least as safe as you could get. But there was just one thing that was bugging Shuka.


    If that spell was the spell I think it was, then Ralisdor is definitely stronger than he lets on. Just who is he?

 Chapter Thirty Three

    Chapter Thirty Three


    The four of them didn¡¯t stop riding after they escaped the city. Ralisdor re-cloaked everyone and they kept on riding for the next couple of hours. Shuka was worried Validus was going to find them again, but it never happened. Whatever spell he used to track them before had either only lasted for so long, or they were outside of its range. They set up camp an hour or so after the sun went down with Ralisdor setting up all of their usual precautions. It gave Shuka some time to think of what she wanted to say to him when he was done.


    I really want to know what happened while everyone was out, but somehow that isn¡¯t the most pressing issue right now. I still don¡¯t even know what was up with him and Visia. Is that my first question? Or do I ask about the spell he used to put a hole in the wall. It could just be an advanced transmutation spell, but¡­ Ralisdor isn¡¯t a transmuter. He would have to be as good at transmutation as he is at illusions to pull that off on a enchanted wall, and I¡¯ve barely even seen him use transmutation. If it''s not that¡­ then it can only be a true illusion.


    Shuka was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice Maryam walk up to her.


    ¡°Hey, can we chat?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, sure.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Maryam sat down in the grass next to her. She was looking a lot better now. Whatever affliction she seemed to have back in Lancrin was gone and she was back to being her usual energetic self. Xorvos was also nearby, although it didn¡¯t look like he was involving himself in the conversation yet. He was listening though.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Alright, so don¡¯t freak out, but I think we should ditch Ralisdor.¡±


    ¡°Why would I freak out?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Maryam didn¡¯t seem to expect Shuka¡¯s response. She looked prepared to give a big argument and fight tooth and nail to convince her, but Shuka wasn¡¯t all that opposed to the idea in the first place.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fully on board with the idea, to be clear, but I am willing to hear you out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well first of all, he has clearly been hiding his identity and his full capabilities from us.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m pretty sure he is actually Archmage Sandrin.¡±


    It was a conclusion Shuka had come too while they were riding away from Lancrin, although the thought had crossed her mind after the night Visia kidnapped him.


    ¡°Well¡­ yes. That was going to be my next point. But do you know how Sandrin supposedly died?¡±


    ¡°He was killed when the celestial order raided his home for an unspecified crime. Since we have no idea if the raid was justified or not, I¡¯m just going to go with what I have seen myself. Which is that it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Alright fair, but he¡¯s an illusionist right? We know how you got cursed doesn¡¯t add up with how they actually work, what if it was all just Ralisdor tricking you.¡±


    ¡°He certainly could if he wanted to. Still, even with all that, I want to believe it wasn¡¯t him. I can¡¯t think of any reason why he would curse me, and he isn¡¯t that kind of person anyway. I¡¯ve known him a lot longer than you Maryam, and he wouldn¡¯t waste his time hurting others like this. Besides, we kind of need him right now. No one else can stand up to Validus and he is the only person who knows anyone in Sidus.¡±


    Maryam was out of arguments to make and achieved¡­ approximately nothing. Xorvos decided it was time for him to give his own argument.


    ¡°Shuka, there is something you don¡¯t know. When Maryam and I got caught, Ralisdor saved us. But he only came to save me. He wanted to leave Maryam behind. The only reason why she is still with us is because I saved her without him.¡±


    That¡­ that can¡¯t be true, can it? But Xorvos wouldn¡¯t lie, especially about something as serious as this. I know Shuka and Ralisdor don¡¯t get along, but that goes too far.


    ¡°If he did it once he will do it again.¡± Maryam commented. ¡°And besides ditching him in the middle of the night may be rude, but if he really is innocent then it can be fixed by an apology. But if he really is behind the curse, then the consequences of staying with him might be too serious to fix.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. But what are we supposed to do without him?¡±


    ¡°My mother contacted me today. I thought she wouldn¡¯t be willing to help, but apparently, I was wrong. We can go to her instead of Sidus and she can lift the curse. Probably. At the very least she can hire someone to do it.¡±


    ¡°Really? In that case¡­ I guess your right. When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°Tonight. Not right now, we¡¯ll wait until he is asleep, but it looks like he drained his mana with that big spell from before. Since he kept us all invisible all the way here his mana regeneration must have been slow, if he gained any mana at all. Best case scenario we don¡¯t get noticed, but if we do I would prefer to run away from him while he is drained rather than at full mana.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    It was good that their conversation ended there because Ralisdor had just finished setting everything up so they wouldn¡¯t be found. He came over to the group and sat down on the ground near them.


    ¡°That should hold the night. I was extra careful with the illusion this time since we are so close to Lancrin, even a detect magic spell wouldn¡¯t be able to find us. I also set up anti scrying measures around the entire camp.¡±


    ¡°Could you always prevent scrying? That¡¯s definitely not an illusion spell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it isn¡¯t. Ralisdor couldn¡¯t cast it, but I have no need to pretend to be him anymore. I am sure at least some of you have figured it out by now, so let me re-introduce myself. I am Sandrin, Archmage of Illusion.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise to Shuka, but it still shook her a bit hearing him say it.


    I can¡¯t believe an archmage has been training me this whole time. I also can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to go without his help. How much can I trust him though? He didn¡¯t trust me enough to tell me he was an archmage. I guess I can understand that if his identity getting revealed would put him in danger, but he didn¡¯t trust me enough to tell me Visia was looking for him either.


    Ralisdor, or Sandrin, continued after a sufficiently dramatic pause.


    ¡°I would prefer it if you continued to call me Ralisdor though. ¡®Sandrin¡¯ is dead, and there are some people who would go to great lengths to keep him that way. Please understand though, that I am no more guilty of my supposed crimes than you are of yours, Shuka.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ were the crimes you were being accused of?¡±


    ¡°Demon summoning. Apparently, they though I was on the verge of summoning an archfiend or some such thing. How they came to that conclusion I haven¡¯t a clue, but I suspect I was being framed. Of course with the Celestial Empires¡­ history with demons, it is no surprise that they are so jumpy on the subject.¡±


    Shuka was no historian, but even she knew that eight hundred years ago the northern half of the Celestial Empire was nothing more than a demon infested wasteland.


    If the Celestial Order thought someone was trying to put the empire back into the demon¡¯s control, then it¡¯s no wonder they reacted so harshly. Still, how many innocents have they wrongly convicted? No wait, Ralisdor was only wrongfully convicted if he¡¯s telling the truth. I still can¡¯t dismiss the idea that he might be lying.


    This time, Maryam asked him a question.


    ¡°So if you got caught for demon summoning, what got Visia so mad at you? I doubt she would have cared much even if you did plunge the empire into chaos. Did you dogear one of her books? I bet that would have pissed her off.¡±


    ¡°I did nothing. I just happened to have some of her borrowed books when my tower was raided. Books on illusion magic mind you, not all of her tomes are illegal, but they are all high quality. Apparently the ones I had didn¡¯t survive the attack though, and so now she hates me. I did not think it would be a problem since as far as she knew I was dead.¡±


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    ¡°How did you fake your death anyway? I¡¯m sure they would have brought plenty of ways to check for illusions if they were raiding the archmage of them.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s quite simple. The corpse of me they found was real. As real as you can get. Not a trick of the light, or some mental hallucination, it wasn¡¯t even a mana construct. It was real flesh and blood that even had a soul leaving its body, since I knew at least one of them would probably check for that.¡±


    Shuka knew what he was talking about, and the words left her mouth without her even meaning for them to.


    ¡°It was a true illusion.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°What the hell is a true illusion and why has Shuka heard about it but not me?¡±


    ¡°She knows about true illusions because I have given her many lectures on the subject. I do not blame you for not knowing what it is though, it is a rare magic for even archmages to learn. The last known user of it died centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, but you are just so talented and special you learned it no problem, right?¡±


    ¡°I claimed no such thing. I am not even capable of casting true illusions. Well, not true true illusions. The spell is not yet complete, and so I cannot claim any great accolades just yet.¡±


    ¡°What even is a true illusion?¡±


    It was a good question, and one that Ralisdor/Sandrin was more than happy to answer.


    ¡°True illusions are illusions so realistic that they trick reality itself. When properly cast the only limit to what the spell can do is your own knowledge of the world. If you want something created, you can create it. if you want something taken away you can do that too. If you want a wall to have a convenient hole in it, all you have to do is tell the world that there should always have been one there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense, an illusion can¡¯t put a hole in a wall. It can make it look like it did, but it can¡¯t just remove a chunk of stone like that.¡±


    ¡°And yet we all rode through that hole unimpeded.¡±


    ¡°That could just as easily have been a transmutation spell. And besides, didn¡¯t you just say you can¡¯t even cast true illusions?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. A real true illusion is permanent and becomes a new part of reality, where I can only maintain the spell temporarily. My version of the spell is also much more expensive, since I am essentially recasting the spell every second to keep it up. It also takes far too long to cast. Since I must target a location and not a thing, moving objects, especially erratically moving objects such as people, become near impossible to target. If that wasn¡¯t the case then I would have simply turned Validus into a chicken. That requires me to know the exact location he would have been in at the end of the spell though.¡±


    It might have been hard for Shuka to believe if Ralisdor hadn¡¯t already taught all this during her short apprenticeship with him. Xorvos knew it was impressive, but all the magic talk was going over his head, so it was only really Maryam who was struggling with the concept.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t believe it, even if you are an archmage. Maybe if it was a transmutation spell, or even a conjuration spell it would make sense, but not an illusion.¡±


    ¡°Well if you say it then I suppose it must be true. After all, I am only the Archmage of Illusion, what could I possibly know on the subject. Please, teach me the ways of this school of magic that I am sure you must have extensive knowledge of.¡±


    Maryam got the message and shut up.


    ¡°Now, are there any other questions you have of me?¡±


    ¡°I have one.¡± Xorvos answered. ¡°How did you know Maryam and I were in trouble?¡±


    ¡°I know it may seem like I was spying on you two, but in fact it was Validus I was spying on. Since we knew he was in the city, I was keeping an eye on him to see if he was on our trail. As it turns out, he was not, but ran into us anyway.¡±


    His answer made sense to Shuka¡­ if it was the truth at least.


    Do I really have to question every single thing Ralisdor says now? I want to believe in him, but should I? If he lied once, he can lie again. But everyone¡¯s lied at least once in their life, right? Well, maybe not Xorvos, but I know I have. And Ralisdor had a good reason to lie at least. If his story about why he had to hide his identity is true that is. I just want to know the truth. Was it him that cursed me? Was it someone else? Is Ralisdor getting framed again, or was he ever even framed in the first place? And why did he only want to save Xorvos? It can¡¯t just be because he was the more convenient person to save, can it? Or is his grudge for Maryam really that deep?


    The questions swirled around in Shuka¡¯s mind as the conversation died down. There was no end to the things she didn¡¯t know, and the answers she got, she didn¡¯t know if she should believe.


    *


    It was late into the night when Maryam cam to get Shuka from her bedroll. She was a bit proud of the fact that she had not, in fact, fallen asleep while waiting. It had come a bit close a few times though. Shuka got up as quietly as she could, and sneaked with Maryam to Xorvos. He had managed to stay awake too. With all of them ready, the three friends stalked their way over to their horses. Luckily, they had been kept saddled and prepared for riding in case Validus found them and they needed to leave quickly. After a few minutes of them very quietly packing up their essentials and loading them onto their horses, the three of them were ready to leave. The horses, thankfully, seemed to be too tired to be making much noise. How long that would last though, was anybody¡¯s guess.


    Leading her horse by its reigns, Shuka was slowly walking out of the camp. She half expected to see Validus jump out of a bush and point his sword at her the moment she left Ralisdor¡¯s illusion, but that didn¡¯t happen. Then she expected Ralisdor¡¯s voice from behind her asking her where she was going, but that didn¡¯t happen either. Nothing happened in the first minute. Then the first ten minutes. Then after the first hour of slowly creeping away they finally mounted their horses and rode. Shuka was tired, but the tension and anxiety kept her awake all the way until the sun rose.


    Crap, is it morning already? I¡¯m so tired, but we are still so close to Lancrin. If they find us while we are asleep, there won¡¯t be anything we can do. Maybe we should have waited a few more days to leave. Or not leave at all.


    ¡°Maryam, what¡¯s the plan? We have to sleep at some point, but we are too visible with the sun out. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to last until night like this.¡±


    There weren''t a whole lot of places to hide. Some hills, and maybe a few trees, but no thick forest or rocky outcropping that might actually hide them from people searching for them. It wasn¡¯t a problem with Ralisdor, he was an illusionist after all. But now they didn¡¯t have him and they needed to hide the old fashioned way. Maryam didn¡¯t seem worried though.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve got this for.¡±


    Maryam took out a small smooth stone from a pouch and showed it to Shuka. It was a bit hard to see it clearly since they were still riding, but it looked like it had an arcane rune engraved on it.


    ¡°Is that an illusion stone? I¡¯m a bit surprised you have one, they¡¯re only really useful for illusionists.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not mine. I took it from Ralisdor before we left.¡±


    ¡°You what!? Maryam, that was the illusion stone that was keeping us hidden, without it Ralisdor will be completely exposed while he¡¯s sleeping.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an archmage, he¡¯ll be fine even if they do find him. We need this though; we don¡¯t stand a chance without it.¡±


    While she had to admit Ralisdor¡¯s chances of survival were much greater than theirs, she still didn¡¯t like stealing from him like that. There was something else bothering her too.


    ¡°Can you even use it? It¡¯s not the kind of magic item you can just activate, you have to put the illusion in yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t try to lecture me on magic items, I know more about them than you by a mile. Why would I be the one to use it though, you¡¯re the illusionist.¡±


    ¡°Me?!¡±


    ¡°Yes you. The only illusion I know is a basic light spell, so unless you want our camp to be glowing like a lighthouse you are going to use it.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve never made such a large illusion before, or one so complex. And besides, the illusion stone needs all the mana that would be used to maintain the spell all at once, and I don¡¯t think I have that much mana in me. Not for more than maybe an hour at most.¡±


    Shuka had seen Ralisdor use the illusion stone when they camped out in the wild enough times that she knew how it worked. The problem was she also knew it took a lot of skill, and even more mana. Two things that she lacked.


    ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re the Archmage of Illusions apprentice, this should be child¡¯s play. And if you need more mana then drink a mana potion, I¡¯ve got plenty.¡±


    ¡°I was only his apprentice for what, a year and a half? Actually, less than that! Most of that time was spent teaching me the basics, I¡¯ve only actually been able to cast magic for a few months. Something like this is way outside of my skill level.¡±


    ¡°So, what, you¡¯re not even going to try? It doesn¡¯t have to be as good as Ralisdors, just good enough to trick a dullard like Validus. You¡¯ve tricked him before; it should be easy.¡±


    ¡°Not on this scale. But fine, I¡¯ll try. Your mana potion is probably going to be wasted though.¡±


    ¡°Better used in a failure, then not used at all. You learn from one, you don¡¯t from the other. Or, at least that¡¯s what my mom tells me.¡±


    More than anything else, that adage was what motivated Shuka to try. The group found a nearby spot for them to put up the illusion. It was at the base of a grassy hill with no trees or rocks around to minimize the number of unique things Shuka would have to account for in her illusion. With the hill at their backs, she could essentially just make a grassy ball and hope it¡¯s not seen from the side. Or hope that they mistake it for a mossy boulder or something.


    This is never going to work. A mossy boulder? Is that really what I¡¯m going for? Still, it¡¯s better than a band of fugitives.


    Shuka accepted a mana potion from Maryam, and then started to visualize exactly what she wanted the illusion to look like. She circled around the area where she was going to put it and took in every detail. Then, once she had everything figured out, she chugged the potion and immediately began casting. She knew that the potion was going to put her above her natural mana capacity and give her mana poisoning if she didn¡¯t use the excess mana quickly, so pouring it into the illusion stone was the first thing she did. Then, once it was filled up with the necessary mana to maintain the spell, the apprentice illusionist started shaping what she wanted the illusion to look like. It was difficult, working with something so much bigger than she was used to, and even more difficult since she had to channel the spell into the illusion stone. It wasn¡¯t anything she didn¡¯t already know how to do though; it was just harder. Sweat poured down her forehead, but bit by bit, a grassy, or perhaps mossy, boulder started to appear around her. Ralisdor could make his illusions opaque from the outside, but transparent from the inside so they could see all around them while hidden, but that wasn¡¯t something Shuka knew how to do. Light came through her illusionary walls, but not sight so she couldn''t see outside the illusion. It took Shuka almost three times as long to make an illusion only half the size of what Ralisdor usually made, but she did it. Drained of every drop of mana, and already fatigued from a lack of sleep, Shuka was exhausted, but successful. The image of the illusion was a bit blurry, and if you looked closely you could tell that it was fake, but from a distance it was mostly convincing. Mostly. It was mostly meant to blend in with the grassy background, which it did passingly well. Xorvos and Maryam were congratulating Shuka and giving her words of encouragement, but she was too tired to care. Shuka knew that the illusion would barely last long enough for a full night¡¯s rest, so without wasting any more time she went to bed, safely hidden. She didn¡¯t know how long she slept for, but she was woken up by the sound of many thundering hooves.

 Chapter Thirty Four

    Chapter Thirty Four


    Validus found himself back in Aurulin¡¯s office, sternly disgruntled. It hurt his ego a bit, having the witch escape yet again. To make matters worse, she seemed to have gained some more allies, with one of them at least being a fairly powerful mage.


    Is that what she came to Lancrin for? To gather allies? I haven¡¯t heard of any major robberies like in Rockmarsh, but I haven¡¯t been in Lancrin for very long. Maybe Aurulin will know, but can she even be trusted?


    At that moment, Aurulin herself walked into the room. She had told him to wait in her office while she handled something, and against his better judgement, he had. Now she had returned, and walked over to her desk where she sat down in an ungraceful slump.


    ¡°Well would you look at that, you actually did what I told you to do. I guess even the Celestial Orders most undisciplined dog can still follow commands.¡±


    ¡°I am here at my own will, not because you told me to. Why did you stop me? If you hadn¡¯t, then it would have been unlikely that they would have escaped.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and then all we would have to worry about is the most powerful dragon outside of Draconia asking what we did to her daughter. Do you have any idea how bad it would have been if you chopped off her arm or some shit? Neither of us would get out of that situation alive.¡±


    ¡°Dragon? Do you mean the archmage, Servianna? I was not aware she had a daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t seem to be aware of a lot of things.¡±


    Validus ignored the comment and thought about what that meant for a bit.


    Was that woman a dragon in disguise? No, it would have been undone when the anti-magic zone was activated if that was the case. She must be adopted then. Does that mean Vondoom is involved, or is she even related to him now that she isn¡¯t an orphan? Whatever the case may be, the witch now has the support of an archmage, even if indirectly. Along with the support of the Thieves Guild and whoever that new illusionist is, her influence is expanding at a worrying rate.


    ¡°Do you know why Archmage Servianna has chosen to support the witch? While I admit I may not be an expert on matters outside of the empire, I have not heard any unsavory rumors about her.¡±


    The corner of Aurulin¡¯s mouth twitched slightly


    ¡°You¡¯re not an expert on matters inside the empire either. As for why she would support Shuka? I don¡¯t think she is. Maryam, her daughter, is a bit¡­ wild and impulsive. Servianna might not even know of her daughter¡¯s recent escapades, and if she does, I doubt she approves of them. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that there would be hell to pay if something happens to her though.¡±


    ¡°So what am I supposed to do to her then? Give her a stern talking to then send her to her mother to be grounded? She won¡¯t get special attention just because her mother is important.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything permanent you halfwit. Hit her with your shield, not your sword.¡±


    While Aurulin seemed at least a bit nicer than their earlier meeting, Validus still didn¡¯t appreciate her tone, or her words. He wasn¡¯t sure how much he wanted her help if it came at the cost of constant insults and condescension


    ¡°Is the only reason you called me here to insult me? Because so far, I have heard much criticism and not much of anything else.¡±


    ¡°You want something useful? Fine, here you go. Around a week ago, Shuka, Xorvos, and Maryam, that¡¯s your witch, her Quanso friend and Servianna¡¯s daughter, in case you¡¯ve already forgotten their names, had a meeting with Visia. What the meeting was about, I have no idea, and Visia isn¡¯t likely to snitch. Then, yesterday, they had another meeting with Visia. Apparently something went wrong though because later that night Visia raided their room. I don¡¯t know the details behind that either. What I do know, is the entire time they¡¯ve have been in Lancrin, they haven¡¯t contacted the Thieves Guild, and have committed no known crimes.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get all of this information?¡±


    ¡°Partly from my own spy network, but mostly from the Thieves Guild. That¡¯s the business I was attending to while you were waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°The Thieves Guild? Why would you go there for information, they¡¯re just going to lie to you. And that¡¯s only if they even let you through the door without stabbing you in the back first.¡±


    Aurulin raised an eyebrow. She obviously didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get shanked every time you talk to them then maybe you should stop being such an asshole. As it turns out, they don¡¯t hate members of the Celestial Order, they just hate you. I can understand why.¡±


    Validus bristled at the comment, but forced himself to stay calm. He knew she was just trying to get under his skin. The problem was, it was working.


    ¡°Even if they¡¯re a bit more willing to work with you rather than me, what reason would they have to help in this matter?¡±


    ¡°What reason would they have not to? In case you have forgotten, which given your tendency towards stupidity is worryingly likely, there is an alliance between the guild and the order. Not a truce, or a cease fire, but an alliance. We help them, and they help us, that¡¯s how it works. I asked them to help me with Shuka, and they did, because I have helped them before. They don¡¯t help you because you sneer at them harder than I am sneering at you.¡±


    True to her word, Aurulin was indeed sneering and it wasn¡¯t subtle. She was being very clear about her distaste of him. Although, Validus realized, he wasn¡¯t much better. If not in words, then in his facial expression at least. Even now he found his face was stuck in a displeased grimace, and it had been since she had entered the room.


    ¡°If you hate me so much, then why are you even helping me with this? You wouldn¡¯t be the first to hear my plea and ignore it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m helping you, because unlike everyone else I looked into this matter beyond the first glance. When I was at the Thieves Guild I also looked into what this witch of yours was even doing in Rockmarsh. Apparently they had her doing a job for them, and before you start pointing fingers, they roped her into it, not the other way around. The job wasn¡¯t anything serious either, just a bit of spy work, sure as shit not the heist she pulled off.¡±


    ¡°I have been telling people that she stole something from the Rockmarsh vault, but all that did was raise her bounty. If it was just that you still wouldn¡¯t care, so what¡¯s the real reason?¡±


    ¡°The real reason, is what she stole. Twenty pounds of pure kallium.¡±


    ¡°Kallium?! How did Rockmarsh even have that much to steal, it¡¯s meant to be destroyed on sight!¡±


    Validus was beginning to shout. He didn¡¯t know a lot, but he did know all about the most illegal substance in the Celestial Empire. It was a rare mineral that was extremely effective as a material component for demon summoning.


    Just one pound of that stuff can summon a dozen demons. Or, one really big one. What can someone do with twenty pounds? At least this conforms my suspicions though, the Grand Priest and the Emperor will have to listen to me now.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Look, I figured Rockmarsh probably had a bit stashed away, those greedy little fucks, but I¡¯m as surprised as you are by this. The Thieves Guild had no idea they had so much either, I think even you know that Asheli wouldn¡¯t leave something so dangerous just lying around waiting to be stolen.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­ do you have any other information on Shuka or her companions?¡±


    ¡°Yes actually. Xorvos and Maryam came to me in an attempt to get a curse removed from Shuka. I was using a truth spell, so I don¡¯t believe they were lying, although Maryam might have had a way to bypass it. Still, it seems a dumb thing to lie about. I have no idea what the curse could be but they said a witch put it on her. Infighting perhaps? Or maybe just a backfired spell.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Shuka doesn¡¯t seem the most¡­ talented. Maybe she is an apprentice who double crossed her teacher and got cursed in retribution.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? A rare good idea from you? Don¡¯t get too many of those, you¡¯ll take my job and I¡¯ll have to replace you as the idiot with a big metal stick.¡±


    ¡°Can you please just let it rest for one moment. We have a job to do and your abrasive attitude isn¡¯t helping.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well you better get used to it because you are going to be working with me until we catch her.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope for both of our sakes that that will happen soon.¡±


    *


    Shuka was awake in an instant. She quickly looked around for the source of the sound of hooves, but all she saw was the inside of her illusion. It confused her at first, until she remembered what it was.


    Good, the illusion is still up. Hopefully it¡¯s good enough to trick whoever that is outside.


    She could have peeked outside the boulder to check herself, but didn¡¯t want to risk being discovered. Xorvos and Maryam had woken up too, and were both just as tense as Shuka was. The noise was getting louder, as the horsemen were obviously approaching their position. The ground started to shake, as what sounded like around twenty horses galloped across it. Slowly though, right when it was at its loudest, the noise began to stop. That worried Shuka more than anything else; she had hoped they would ride past them without stopping. They were close enough to the illusion that Shuka could hear the panting of their horses, and the clanking of their armour. A grizzled man¡¯s voice cut through the noise, but it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t directed at Shuka or her friends.


    ¡°Connor, report. Why have we stopped?¡±


    ¡°The trail ends here Captain. I believe they used a spell to hide their tracks.¡±


    ¡°Could they be hiding nearby instead?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but every minute we spend searching for them, the farther away they get if they didn¡¯t decide to hide.¡±


    Both of the voices were unfamiliar to Shuka, but it seemed clear that they were soldiers of some kind.


    ¡°Whether they are hiding their location, or hiding their tracks, it looks like they are trying to cross the border. Why else would they be heading east so intently instead of leaving Lancrin¡¯s search radius as soon as possible. If we reach the border before them then we can intercept them before they can leave our jurisdiction. Connor, send a message to the Grand Paladin and inform him of our findings. Tell him I want every man he can spare on the border from here to the Ashgray Mountains.¡±


    ¡°Understood Captain.¡±


    Sounds like they haven¡¯t noticed us, but did he say they are going to the border? Shit, how are we supposed to get to Maryam¡¯s mother then? We might¡¯ve been able to sneak past them with Ralisdor, but I don¡¯t like our chances with just the three of us.


    Hooves began to pound onto the ground once more as the soldiers started to leave. It took a long while before anyone dared to talk, and it was Maryam who did.


    ¡°Well fuck, what do we do now?¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t know. They couldn¡¯t go back to Ralisdor now, if they could even find him again, and getting to the other archmage that could help didn¡¯t seem like it would be easy. But then Shuka had a thought.


    If we can¡¯t get to Maryam¡¯s mother, then what if she came to us?


    ¡°Maryam, you said you talked to your mother, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°Can you still talk to her? You could ask her to fly over to us and pick us up.¡±


    ¡°Oh! that¡¯s a great idea, alright just give me a minute.¡±


    Maryam went searching in her bag for a moment. Then a moment more. Then she starting taking everything she had out of it looking for her speaking stone. She didn¡¯t find it.


    ¡°Shit, shit, SHIT! Where the hell is it?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Did you lose it?¡±


    ¡°Fuck no, it must have been stolen. Was it Aurulin? Or that rat Ralisdor.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, what reason would he have for stealing it? If he knew we were leaving he would have stopped us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Well why would Aurulin have stolen it and nothing else. If she was going to take my stuff, she would have taken all of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, who else could it have been? Validus?¡±


    Tensions were high and it was causing Shuka and Maryam to argue again, but Xorvos intervened before it got too bad.


    ¡°Hey, calm down, both of you. This isn¡¯t the end of the world. Maryam, your mother knows the general situation, right? If you go long enough without contacting her, or if she tries to contact you and you don¡¯t respond, she is going to look for you. We just have to hide until she gets here.¡±


    ¡°Well sure, but how long is that gonna take? A week? Two? Ok no, she would come looking for me before two weeks pass, but still. At the very least we gotta get out of Lancrin¡¯s search radius while we are waiting.¡±


    ¡°What direction are we going then?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°North? North-east? West even?¡±


    When they had left Lancrin it was through the western wall, but Ralisdor had pretty quickly changed their direction to head north-west, towards Sidus, the capital. When they left him though, the group rode straight east, aiming to get over the border and into the Karvan Alliance where Maryam¡¯s mother lived. They were currently just north of Lancrin, with the city barely visible on the horizon.


    ¡°I say we just head straight north, maybe a bit north-west. If we are just waiting for my mom, then our first priority is to get as far away from Lancrin as we can. She will be able to find me no matter where we are, so let¡¯s just find somewhere isolated.¡±


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    With a plan decided, the three friends packed up and got on their horses. Shuka took one last look at the City of Magic, and then rode on.


    I hope I can visit again when all of this is over.


    *


    Servianna didn¡¯t want for much. Actually no, she wanted for a lot, she just got most of it. But it was all simple stuff really- a mountain of gold to sleep on, some of the most powerful artifacts in the world to decorate her cave with; she even had a small country to rule and she hadn¡¯t even tried to get that. The one thing that seemed to evade her though, was a daughter that didn¡¯t get into trouble the moment she took her eyes off her.


    All she was meant to do was make a simple transaction with a trusted merchant in Lancrin, and now she is tangled up in all this crap.


    The large purple scaled dragon was curled up on her aforementioned mountain of gold staring at a small speaking stone she was levitating in front of her face. She had been doing that for the last couple of hours, wanting to use it, but restraining herself. She had just called her daughter the day before after all, and she knew Maryam didn¡¯t like it when she was too clingy.


    Maybe I will just scry her. That way I will know she is safe, but she won¡¯t get annoyed at me calling her all the time.


    Servianna put the stone down in its little alcove and retrieved something else instead. A round, glass scrying orb. It seemed a basic enough spellcasting implement, if incredibly well made, until you realised it was scaled up to Servianna¡¯s size. This made the almost unassuming glass sphere about the size of a small house. She also retrieved a vial of red blood, Maryams blood, to increase the strength of the spell. With everything prepared, the archmage began casting. It wasn¡¯t flashy or impressive, she had long since learned how to cast subtly, and she wasn¡¯t a fan of theatrics. The scrying orb simply filled with a gentle fog; before it cleared up to reveal¡­ the floor of the cave. The spell had failed. She tried again, but nothing changed, she still couldn¡¯t scry her daughter.


    What happened, is she dead? No, the spell did take hold of something, it was just blocked; I wouldn¡¯t have even gotten the fog if she was dead. Was she kidnapped or imprisoned? My magic is powerful enough to get past amateur spellcraft, so she wasn¡¯t caught by some bandit on the road at least. Visia could block me though, and probably the Lancrin prison too. Maybe it¡¯s not that bad, maybe she is just passing through a scrying warded area. I¡¯ll call her and see who answers.


    Moving the scrying orb out of the way, Servianna retrieved her speaking stone again and activated it.


    ¡°Maryam?¡±


    She made sure to hide the anxiety in her voice, it wouldn¡¯t do to show how worried she was no matter who was on the other side. After a short moment she got a reply.


    ¡°Hey mom, what up?¡±


    All of the built up tension left the dragons body as she heard her daughter¡¯s voice. She then quickly gathered herself and replied with a stern confidence.


    ¡°Why can I not scry you?¡±


    ¡°Well, why do you think? I want my privacy, so I bought a new anti-scrying artifact. And hey, apparently I didn¡¯t even get scammed since it looks like it¡¯s good enough to block you. That¡¯s Lancrin for ya I guess.¡±


    Servianna was annoyed, but¡­ more relieved than anything. All it was, was a misunderstanding.


    ¡°We will discuss this when you return, and please, no more delays.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but uhh¡­ it might still take a bit. My friend¡¯s still being chased, so we might need to take some detours or hide out somewhere for a bit.¡±


    The anxiety returned, but Servianna didn¡¯t let it control her. She didn¡¯t let it show in her voice either.


    ¡°Prioritise your safety over speed, but I will be calling you every day to make sure you are safe. If things seem too dangerous then I will come get you myself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you say, mom. I¡¯ll be fine though, seriously. You have nothing to worry about.¡±


    For some reason, that felt like a lie.

 Chapter Thirty Five

    Chapter Thirty Five


    It had been a month since Shuka had fled Lancrin and there had been no sign of Maryam¡¯s mother. She didn¡¯t know what was taking her so long, and Maryam didn¡¯t either.


    Maybe she is already in the empire and she just doesn¡¯t know our exact location.


    It was a faint hope, but a hope all the same. It made camping in the forest a bit less grueling. If it was bad for Shuka though, who practically lived in the woods anyway, it was even worse for Maryam and Xorvos. There was a nearby town that they did visit for the occasional bit of supplies, but they didn¡¯t dare stay there. Xorvos was just getting back from one of those visits now, carrying two bags full of food and drink. Shuka was fine eating unseasoned meat and drinking water from a river, but her companions were not. Maryam had enough money on her that they didn¡¯t have to be worried about being stingy on buying things that simple. They had to buy horse feed for their mounts anyway.


    ¡°Hey, did you hear anything about my mom in town?¡± Maryam asked.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not sure if anyone would have even known. Apparently, the biggest recent news is their local baker having a midlife crisis and becoming an adventurer. I don¡¯t think they really know much outside what happens in the local area.¡±


    Shuka knew what Xorvos meant. News traveled to Rainsburg slowly, if at all. She hadn¡¯t learned about Archmage Sandrin¡¯s death until Ralisdor told her about it, and that was over a year after it had happened.


    ¡°Oh, there was one thing though.¡± Xorvos continued. ¡°I saw some gnolls in town. I asked about them and apparently there is a tribe nearby that comes to buy supplies every now and then like us. Although I think they are probably a lot more well off than we are.¡±


    Shuka looked around at their ¡®camp¡¯ which consisted of three tents and a fire pit, and couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    ¡°Maybe we could see if we can trade with them rather than the town. They would be a lot less likely to snitch on us to the guards at least. Did you learn where their tribe actually is?¡±


    ¡°East, at the base of the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous? I thought some of the Ashgray mountains were volcanic, aren¡¯t they worried about an eruption?¡±


    ¡°I heard that they were all volcanic, and it¡¯s just that some have been active for centuries.¡± Maryam cut in. ¡°Still, seems needlessly risky to me. Maybe they just like the aesthetic of living on a volcano?¡±


    Shuka could see the Ashgray mountains looming over her through the trees. The mountain range lined the empire¡¯s eastern border from its northern coast to about one-third of the way down the Empire.


    ¡°Should we even stick around here long enough for that though?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a month and we still haven¡¯t seen your mother. How long would it take her to get here, because it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It took me a bit to make the journey, but that was on horseback. She can fly, and pretty quickly I think, so maybe a week? Could be less though, she doesn¡¯t travel a lot so I¡¯m pretty much guessing.¡±


    ¡°Well then she definitely should have arrived by now, right? Even if we say it took her a week to notice something was up and a week to get here, she is still two weeks late.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but maybe she isn¡¯t coming herself. If she scried me and saw that I¡¯m not in any immediate danger or arrested or anything, then she might have just hired some adventurers to pick me up. If that¡¯s the case, then it would make sense that they haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but I still don¡¯t like how long we have stayed here. I say we give your mother another week, and if she doesn¡¯t arrive by then, we leave.¡±


    There was a lull in the conversation as everyone thought about that. That lull was soon broken when the sound of a twig snapping reached Shuka¡¯s ears. She looked over to the source of the sound and saw the glint of metal peeking through the foliage.


    ¡°They found us, RUN!¡±


    Immediately, everyone bolted upright and sprinted in a different direction. More because none of them knew where the others were planning on running rather than a coordinated effort to scatter. Shuka, for her part, decided to go in the exact opposite direction of the soldier she¡¯d spotted. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only one there though, as another soldier came out from behind a tree in front of Shuka. He was wearing simple chainmail with a gold tabard bearing the Celestial Empire flag over it. He was in the process of drawing his sword and was trying to get in Shuka¡¯s way to block her. Shuka didn''t bother with her weapons and ran ahead at full speed, not wanting to slow down or get distracted. The soldier finally managed to wrestle his blade out of its sheath and he swung it at the young huntress in a wide arc. Shuka ducked under the sword at the last second, crouching down low she went back to running away as fast as she could. Looking behind her she saw that several other soldiers were emerging from the woods, but she also saw her friends both managed to get past them.


    Good, they didn¡¯t get caught. We are getting separated now though, and that¡¯s not good. It looks like Xorvos and Maryam are going in roughly the same direction, as long as I make my way over to them, we should be able to group up again.


    That was easier said than done. Now that their ambush had failed, the soldiers were starting to pursue their targets, and there were several soldiers between Shuka and her friends. Even just catching up would be difficult, but the forest was her home. Shuka was no stranger to hopping over fallen logs and moving through a bit of underbrush. Everyone else there was. Nimbly moving through the trees, Shuka kept a wide berth from any swords pointed her way and followed behind her friends who were having a bit more difficulty getting away. One of the armored men even managed to catch up to Xorvos, whose large body was struggling to get through the undergrowth. Shuka was still too far away to do anything, but Maryam wasn¡¯t. She was a bit ahead of Xorvos, but when she saw the soldier approach she stopped, did a quick turn, and inhaled deeply. Shuka only had a moment to wonder what she was doing before she exhaled all at once and a deep purple wave of force shot out of her mouth. The wave hit the soldier square in his chest and he went flying back and tumbled into a bush with a grunt. It was all the opportunity they needed to start running again. Shuka caught up soon after.


    ¡°Where¡­ where are we going?¡± Xorvos asked breaths ragged from fear and adrenaline. ¡°Do we just try to lose them in the forest?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shuka replied. ¡°They¡¯re going to find us eventually if we just hide, and we left our horses at our camp so trying to outrun them won¡¯t work either. I say we go to the gnoll tribe. They¡¯re semi-independent from the empire, so they might be willing to protect us.¡±


    ¡°Might?¡± Maryam didn¡¯t seem too convinced. ¡°How likely are they to actually help us? What reason would they even have to risk their necks for us?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Each tribe is a bit different, but some are so fiercely independent that they would help us just to spite the empire. Even if that¡¯s not the case though, they might at least hear us out before throwing us to the wolves. It¡¯s not like we have many alternatives anyway.¡±


    It was hard to argue with that when the soldiers were still giving chase while yelling at them to stop. Of course, no one did, but the danger was still present. Now it was just a matter of whether they had enough stamina to reach the tribe before their legs gave out from under them.


    *


    As it turns out, they did, even if just barely. They were lucky in that the soldiers chasing them also got tired, so they weren¡¯t sprinting the whole way there. Still, after a several hour long marathon, everyone was ready for it to end, both soldier and fugitive. Shuka was a bit worried about the final stretch though, as there was a large patch of open land between the treeline of the forest and where she thought the gnoll tribe would be. It would be impossible to ride a horse at any reasonable speed through the thick forest, but they could very easily wait outside of it. Soldiers wearing heavy armor Shuka could outrun. Soldiers riding horses, she could not. As luck would have it though, there wasn¡¯t a horse in sight. There also wasn¡¯t a tribe of gnolls in sight though, which put a bit of a damper on things. All that Shuka saw in front of her was the looming presence of the Ashgray mountains. True to their name, the rocky mountain range was an ashy gray color that almost seemed to blend together into one, large, gray mass. With guards still giving chase, Shuka had nothing else to do but start running, uphill now, up the mountain. Already exhausted from the marathon she¡¯d just run, and now having to go up an almost forty five degree angle, Shuka barely made it ten minutes before collapsing. Xorvos and Maryam weren¡¯t in any better of a position either, with only Xorvos having any sort of energy left. Not enough to carry them the rest of the way to¡­ somewhere. The soldiers weren¡¯t following them up the hill though. They were just staying at the foot of the mountain, waiting.


    Why aren¡¯t they following us? Are they afraid of the volcano? Or the tribe? Maybe they are just too tired to pursue, it¡¯s not like them collapsing next to us is going to help them. And to be fair, waiting us out isn¡¯t a bad plan. It¡¯s not like we have anywhere to go, and there aren¡¯t many good hiding spots either.


    Even with danger so close this was still an opportunity to rest, which Shuka and her friends gladly took. A few minutes went by, then a few more. Ten minutes passed and the soldiers didn¡¯t move. No one was ready to start walking up the mountain again, but they all gained enough energy to talk at least, with Xorvos being the first to speak.


    ¡°So¡­ what do we do now? Finding the gnolls didn¡¯t work. Should we just hand ourselves in? If me and Maryam do the talking, we might be able to convince them we are innocent.¡±


    Shuka couldn¡¯t help but be pessimistic about that plan.


    ¡°They might listen. But only after they throw us in a cell and inform Validus. There will be no convincing him of my innocence.¡±


    ¡°What if we bribed them?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°I can just give their captain a hundred gold and tell him to pretend we got away.¡±


    Xorvos looked like he wanted to say something about the bribe, but he stayed silent.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but if they don¡¯t take the bribe we¡¯re screwed. Let¡¯s leave that as a last resort in case we get caught.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but then what is our plan to not get caught? Wander around the mountain range looking for a tribe of gnolls we don¡¯t even know will help us?¡±


    ¡°And why would you think we would help you, hmm? Ahh, don¡¯t answer that, I think I already know.¡±


    An unfamiliar voice appeared from behind the small group of friends, and they all spun around to see a large gnoll, mere feet away from them, crouched low with a steel spear pointed their way. Most of his body was covered by a full length cloak, in several shades of gray, so if it wasn¡¯t for the long, brown-furred snout that peeked out of his hood, she might have mistaken him for a large human. Even most of his face was hidden, but she did see his eyes. Two amber orbs that stared directly at her.


    ¡°Fuckin shit man, how long were you there?¡± Maryam shouted in surprise.


    ¡°Long enough to hear your entire conversation. I will take you to the chieftain if you wish, but I warn you, she may not take kindly to your presence.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ is that a she will kick us out not take kindly to us, or a she will kill us not take kindly to us?¡±


    ¡°Who can say? I suppose we shall just have to find out, won¡¯t we? Unless you would rather take your chances with your friends down below.¡±


    Shuka very much did not rather do that so she shakily stood up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with you. Uhh, slowly though. We¡¯re all pretty tired right now. I don¡¯t suppose the tribe is just around the corner, is it?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, it is.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? I don¡¯t see it anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Without another word, the gnoll turned and began walking up the mountainside. Five other ¡®rocks¡¯ nearby also got up and revealed themselves to be gray-cloaked Gnolls. Thankfully, the gnolls did take it slow in consideration for their new very tired companions and the tribe really was much closer than Shuka thought. Just a bit farther up the mountain was a collection of large rocks that jutted up from the ground. Those rocks were actually a wall, one hiding a small settlement of gnolls. On top of the wall were several gnolls also wearing that same gray cloak that made them blend into the scenery. If Shuka hadn¡¯t been specifically looking out for them she wasn¡¯t sure if she would have seen them. The entrance into the settlement was another thing she probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed if she wasn¡¯t looking for it seeing as it was made of the exact same stone as the rest of the mountain. The gnoll who was acting as their guide shoved the sturdy rock to the side and led Shuka and her friends through. After they had all entered, he moved the stone door back in place and finally removed his cloak, hanging it on a large coat rack with more of the same cloak. Shuka also saw that while the outside of the cloak was gray, the inner lining of the garment was actually a mottled green.


    Oh, I see. They keep their cloaks gray for when they are in the mountains, but when they go to the forest they can turn it inside out and still blend in. That¡¯s so cool, I¡¯m definitely going to have to remember that.


    Tearing her eyes off of the cool double-sided cloaks, Shuka started to look around the actual settlement. The ground was, thankfully, flat. The whole tribe was placed on a large plateau that went right up against the vertical cliff face of the mountain. The buildings of the settlement all consisted of wood and leather tents that ranged from large to small, and simple and complex. It seemed almost nomadic to Shuka, which was odd, since the wall implied this was a more permanent location.


    Maybe they have multiple places like this that they go between. Or maybe they just like tents.


    Of course, tents weren¡¯t the only thing on the plateau. There were all sorts of tanning racks, campfires, and workstations scattered all around the settlement. It looked like the gnolls were hard at work too, with men and women milling about doing whatever it was that needed doing. With so many of them around Shuka finally got a good look at them. They were large, not as tall as Xorvos, but just as wide, if not wider. Even the women seemed to be muscular, although it was hard to tell with all of the fur in the way. And they were covered in the stuff, from hyena-like heads, to their animal paws. Shuka only saw fur in varying shades of brown, but each gnoll had a different fur pattern that gave them a unique look. Combined with digitigrade legs and a tail, they looked quite bestial. It was almost like looking at a bunch of wild animals walking on two legs, but their clothing and generally well-kept appearance went far in humanizing them. It wasn¡¯t long before Shuka and her friends were escorted all the way to the opposite side of the settlement, directly to the cliff face where she now saw there was a small cave entrance. Walking through, Shuka found that the camp was bigger than she initially thought, with more tents and gnolls being found inside the mountain. Admittedly there seemed to be far fewer gnolls in the caves, but she had no way of knowing how extensive it was. In fact, she barely got to see any of the cave at all since she was immediately brought into a large tent near the entrance.


    The inside was surprisingly comfy, with pillows and rugs aplenty. It was lit by a single hanging brazier lit with a flame. The tent wasn¡¯t empty either. Sitting on the ground cross-legged was, unsurprisingly, a female gnoll. The chieftain, presumably. She was an imposing figure, even sitting down, her muscles obvious despite the fur covering them. Her fur was a dark brown, like bark, but at her hands, feet, and the tip of her tail it turned an ashy gray. The first non-brown fur colour Shuka had seen. It wasn¡¯t the fur that really caught her attention though, it was her eyes. They almost seemed to glow a bright orange, reminiscent of flames. Even in the somewhat dim lighting of the tent, they stood out, two radiant rings of fire. And the look they gave Shuka was intense, like there was a raging inferno just behind her gaze.


    Oh great, here we go again.

 Chapter Thirty Six

    Chapter Thirty Six


    The gnoll chieftain was staring holes into Shuka. But then she turned her gaze onto the gnoll that had brought Shuka to her in the first place.


    ¡°Why do you always have to bring people to my tent at the most inconvenient of times. Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m eating?¡±


    To Shuka¡¯s surprise, she really was. She hadn¡¯t noticed before, but there was a plate of what looked like some sort of meat dish on the ground that she was eating from.


    ¡°I just thought this might be a bit more important than your fifth snack today. I¡¯ll come back in an hour and interrupt your sixth snack instead.¡±


    ¡°Watch your words, I¡¯m still stronger than ten of you.¡±


    ¡°And yet a decade ago you were stronger than fifteen of me. I wonder what happened? It must be your darn rebellious daughter, and not at all your fault.¡±


    ¡°Sass me again and I¡¯ll have you working in the daycare for a month.¡±


    Despite the threat, the tone was very lighthearted. This was obviously a level of banter that both of them were very used to, it almost seemed like a conversation between a mother and her son.


    Actually, are they related? It¡¯s a bit hard to tell with all of the fur, but I think the chieftain might be old enough to be his mother. Maybe fifty or sixty years old? Somewhere in that range at least.


    The Chieftain moved her plate of food to the side and let out a bit of an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°I suppose I should be doing my job, shouldn¡¯t I? I am Chieftain Asheron of the Ashfire tribe. Who is it that stands before my sight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Xorvos.¡±


    ¡°Names Maryam.¡±


    ¡°¡­Three people and not a single last name among them. At least put a little more effort into your fake names.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not it. Technically my last name is Vondoom, but I don¡¯t really have anything to do with them anymore so I don¡¯t usually introduce myself that way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I was adopted by a dragon and dragons don¡¯t have last names, so I don¡¯t have a last name.¡±


    ¡°Quanso don¡¯t have last names either.¡±


    All three of them were frantically trying to explain themselves, but Asheron was simply chuckling.


    ¡°I was only teasing you. Even if they are all fake names, it makes no difference to me. Now, why are you here? Come to deliver a message?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ no.¡±


    Message? Who would we even be delivering a message for? Who does she think we are?


    The other gnoll, the one that first found them spoke up now.


    ¡°They were being chased by some guards. Not locals, they smelled unfamiliar. They didn¡¯t find the tribe by accident though; they were looking for it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Suddenly Asherons already sharp gaze sharpened even more. ¡°Did you think I would grant you sanctuary simply because of my daughter? Or did she tell you to come to me herself? I will not babysit her through this game she is playing, and I most certainly will not allow it to bring trouble to the tribe.¡±


    Shuka knew for certain now that there was a misunderstanding, but she worried that any word coming out of her mouth would just make it worse. She looked to her friends and prayed that one of them would say something instead. It was Xorvos who did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think there has been some sort of misunderstanding here. We have no idea who you are talking about, we were just passing through and learned about your tribe from the local villagers.¡±


    ¡°And we aren¡¯t looking for charity.¡± Maryam added. ¡°We can pay you to help us out.¡±


    ¡°I have no need of your gold.¡±


    ¡°Then we can work for it.¡±


    Asheron thought for a moment, then she leaned forward and gave a long, deep sniff of all of them with her long snout.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have her scent on you. But not all of her lackeys do. Why did you seek us out if not at her behest?¡±


    ¡°We were hoping you could keep us safe from the empire, even temporarily.¡± Xorvos replied. ¡°As we said before, we are willing to work for your help, but we have run out of options at this point.¡±


    ¡°And what is it they are chasing you for? They would not chase you with such fervour for a petty crime, and I have no inclination to safeguard the truly horrendous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding I swear. My friend here, Shuka, has been cursed and it has caused the empire to believe Shuka herself is up to no good.¡±


    ¡°What a convenient story. Let¡¯s see if it holds up to inspection. Lor¡¯gan, fetch Kalfar.¡±


    The gnoll who¡¯d brought Shuka and her friends to the chieftain, Lor¡¯gan apparently, let out a loud groan, but before he could complain Asheron gave him a look that allowed no argument. He left the tent in a huff and the chieftain put her attention back onto Shuka.


    ¡°This is quite the story you tell me, but even if it is true, you will still be putting my tribe in danger for harbouring you. What can you give me to make it worth it?¡±


    Shuka had a moment of panic, but calmed herself quickly. She had a bit of experience with this sort of situation, and Asheron was no more intimidating than Visia.


    ¡°We may not have much to offer ourselves, but as mentioned before, Maryam¡¯s mother is a dragon. We are actually waiting for her to find us, so you may be able to negotiate a proper reward from her, once she arrives. And in the meantime, we are all perfectly willing to help out the tribe in whatever way you need.¡±


    ¡°I am still skeptical of the existence of this dragon, and help with chores is hardly worth the task you are asking of me.¡±


    ¡°If you have any sort of difficult task, we can help with that too.¡±


    ¡°If I did have such a task, it wouldn¡¯t be entrusted to you.¡±


    ¡°What about the toll on your conscience for not helping us?¡± Xorvos interceded. ¡°We are three innocent people that need help that you are perfectly capable of providing. To not help us would put us in potentially fatal danger, and that¡¯s not something anyone would want on their conscience.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I believe there would be many unbothered by such a situation, but that is a moot point as I am not one of them.¡±


    Wait, was an appeal to her morality really the way to go? I can¡¯t believe that worked better than getting paid by a dragon.


    ¡°Still, that argument of yours is only valid as long as you truly are innocent. I believe my husband can shed some light on that subject though, and would you look at that, here he is.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    As if on cue, the flaps to the tent were pushed aside and in entered Lor¡¯gan with another gnoll trailing behind him. When Asheron mentioned that he was her husband, Shuka expected an older gnoll like her. What she didn¡¯t expect was a positively ancient one. The gnoll that entered might have had brown fur at one point, but now it was all grey, or even white. All gnolls had a slight hunch to them, but on him, it was even more pronounced, to the point where he had to use a staff just to keep himself from falling over. Wrinkles covered his body so severely that even his ragged fur couldn¡¯t hide them all. When he spoke, his voice rasped out with effort, and it sounded like he could burst out into a coughing fit at any moment.


    ¡°Oh, hello dear¡­ do we have guests? Oh, just let me make them some tea. I was just telling this young lad about the wonderful kinds of trees in the nearby forest. But I don¡¯t want to be a bad host.¡±


    The ¡®young lad¡¯, who must have been at least in his thirties, had a look on his face that seemed to say ¡®Save me.¡¯ Asheron on the other hand just had a good-natured smile on her face as she spoke to her husband.


    ¡°Tea is unnecessary, but don¡¯t worry, you will have plenty of time to tell Lor¡¯gan all about the local tree¡¯s when our business here is done.¡±


    Lor¡¯gan shot the chieftain a look of betrayal, but Asheron simply continued.


    ¡°These guests of ours claim that one of them has been cursed. Could you be a dear and check that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. Now lad, how did you end up with a curse?¡±


    The very old gnoll turned, not to Shuka, but to Lor¡¯gan. He started casting some sort of spell before the gnoll interrupted him.


    ¡°No, not me, her. The one with black hair.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, guests. I should go make some tea. We wouldn¡¯t want to be bad hosts.¡±


    Shuka was beginning to sense that maybe this old gnoll wasn¡¯t quite all there, and it was starting to worry her, but she didn¡¯t want to be rude by saying anything. Maryam on the other hand, didn¡¯t mind at all.


    ¡°Hey gramps, you sure you should be casting magic? You¡¯re a bit old.¡±


    ¡°I may have a few wrinkles, but I can still cast. I¡¯ll have you know, I am seventy-six years young.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ninety-three, dear. But you have nothing to worry about, despite his age, Kalfar is still the most competent shaman in the tribe. Now, the curse dear?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Curse?¡±


    After a bit more prodding and a few clarifications, Kalfar finally started casting his spell, at Shuka this time. As he weaved his magic, the shaman¡¯s dull amber eyes glowed a fiery orange for a moment. The tip of his walking stick glowed too, and he used its light to draw a glyph in the air in front of him. Once he was done with the spell, and all the glowing had faded, he gave Shuka a grim look.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry young lady¡­ but it seems you are cursed.¡±


    Shuka already knew that, but the pure genuineness of the old man¡¯s words threw her off a bit. He seemed to truly care for her wellbeing, even if he seemed a bit confused at times.


    ¡°What can you tell us about the nature of the curse, dear? What does it do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, from what I can tell, it affects one¡¯s perception. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m far too clear-headed for it to work on me, heh heh heh¡­¡±


    I think the opposite is more likely.


    ¡°Now¡­ when do you want this removed, young lady?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You can remove it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. I used to do this ritual all the time in my youth. No better way to purify a soul.¡±


    ¡°Dear, maybe you should inform her of the side effects of that particular ritual.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t I already tell her? Ah, I suppose you must have forgotten. The ritual will purify your soul through flame, immolating your body.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not always fatal.¡± Asheron clarified. ¡°But in your case, I imagine it would be.¡±


    Why would he suggest a method that would kill me?! No, don¡¯t blame it on him, I¡¯m sure he only had the best intentions. Still, I got my hopes up for nothing. What would that ritual even be used for?


    ¡°Now, it seems your story has been verified, but what shall I do with you? Innocent or not, you still-¡±


    In the middle of Asheron¡¯s sentence, a small gnoll child came running through the tent flaps, yelling at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°MAMA, MAMA, LOOK!¡±


    Held in the child¡¯s hands, was a small stick, scorched and burnt on one end. Only now, did Shuka notice that the child¡¯s hands were gray, just like Asheron¡¯s, although her eyes were ordinary. Coming in right after the kid was a much older gnoll woman who had heavy bags under her eyes and an exhausted look to her.


    ¡°I am so sorry chieftain, I tried to stop her. I will bring her back to the daycare right away.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. Now little Ashal, what do you have to show me?¡±


    ¡°THIS STICK! I BURNED IT!¡±


    ¡°With magic? That is very impressive dear. Now, you made sure nobody was harmed, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I was very careful mama.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a good girl?¡±


    Asheron¡¯s whole demeanour had changed when what Shuka could only assume was her daughter entered. Gone was the stern and calculating chieftain, and in her place was a doting mother. The nanny who came in chasing the girl saw things were under control, bowed, and left. Asheron was ruffling Ashol¡¯s hair when the little girl finally noticed Shuka and her friends and let out a very loud gasp.


    ¡°Are you outsiders? Wow, normally I only see humans when I¡¯m with big sis Asheli! Can you do magic?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°Show, show me, show me!¡±


    The gnolls eyes were sparkling in excitement and Shuka didn¡¯t have the heart to disappoint her. She decided to cast the first spell that came to mind, her purple flame illusion. That was obviously the right choice because the moment the oddly coloured fire appeared in Shuka¡¯s hand Ashol somehow got even more excited. In fact, she was so excited that she stuck her hand right into the center of the fire. Shuka instinctually pulled her hand, and the fire away, before remembering that it was illusionary and harmless. Asheron didn¡¯t know that though. She was on her feet, had her daughter in her arms, and pulled away in less than a second. There was a tense moment, but seeing Ashol was unharmed, Asheron slowly let her go and sat back down. She didn¡¯t take her eyes off Shuka though.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time we decide what we are going to do with you, isn¡¯t it? Hide you for a few days, or throw you to the wolves.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The old shaman made a confused sound. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to send her to Asheli? She asked so politely.¡±


    There was a moment of silence in the tent. Shuka was confused about who this Asheli was, but Asheron seemed surprised at his question.


    ¡°You have been in contact with Asheli? And she asked for this woman? When?¡±


    ¡°This morning. Or was it yesterday? It was definitely in the morning, but I can¡¯t remember which. Didn¡¯t I tell you? She told me to keep an eye out for a group like theirs and to send them to her. Something about demons too¡­ but I can¡¯t remember the specifics.¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Maryam interrupted. ¡°Who the hell is Asheli, and why does she want us?¡±


    ¡°Asheli is our sweet little daughter here.¡±


    Kalfar answered, ruffling Ashal¡¯s hair with one of his hands.


    ¡°Dear, that¡¯s Ashal. Asheli is in Sidus.¡±


    ¡°Is she? Well good for her.¡±


    ¡°Asheli is my big sis, and she is like, the coolest person in the world.¡± Ashal said.


    ¡°To answer your question,¡± Asheron continued, ¡°Asheli is indeed our daughter, but she is a fair bit older than little Ashal here. She left for Sidus many years ago to run a tribe of her own, although she calls it something else. I am loath to help her, she needs to be able to deal with her problems on her own, but I would rather you be her problem than mine. Besides, I think our little pyromancer could do with another trip to meet her big sister.¡±


    ¡°I get to meet Asheli again? Thank you mama. Thank you, thank you tha-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you are very thankful. You better not misbehave though, or you¡¯ll be sent right back here.¡±


    Ashol gave a very smug smirk before answering.


    ¡°Asheli won¡¯t tell on me, she told me snitches get stitches. I can do anything I want in Sidus and never get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So I suppose I shouldn¡¯t let you go in the first place then?¡±


    All of Ashal¡¯s smugness drained away as she realized what she had done.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, I will be good I promise. Please don¡¯t make me stay.¡±


    ¡°Well if you promise I will allow it. But remember, even Asheli knows the value of keeping your word.¡±


    ¡°Yes mama, I know.¡±


    Shuka felt like she was intruding in someone else¡¯s family life just standing there listening to them talking. Judging by the awkward expressions on her friend¡¯s faces, they felt the same. Maryam, of course, would never let a bit of awkwardness get in her way though.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t wanna interrupt your munchkin manipulation moment or anything, but¡­ you never did say what Asheli wanted with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we didn¡¯t.¡± Asheron replied. ¡°Kalfar dear, would you please tell our guests what Asheli wanted with them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, guests, I should go make some tea. We wouldn¡¯t want to be bad hosts, after all.¡±


    ¡°And there you have it. Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes actually.¡± It was Xorvos who spoke this time. ¡°Do we have an option of not being sent to this Asheli?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ so, um, now what?¡±


    ¡°Now, Lor¡¯gan will bring you three to a guest tent, and tomorrow morning you will be snuck out of the tribe and brought to Sidus. And don¡¯t try to escape while we¡¯re asleep, it¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    Shuka knew enough about gnolls to know she wasn¡¯t bluffing.


    Gnolls have a highly acute sense of smell, and we probably stick out like a sore thumb to their noses. It¡¯s not like escaping would even be a good idea, plus I doubt the soldiers have left already. We might be able to sneak past them at least, but that¡¯s a big risk just to be stuck in the same position we were in before. I¡¯m worried about the fact that Asheli is apparently looking for us, but if Asheron vouches for us, we might be safe. But that¡¯s only if she vouches for us. Maybe if we got Ashal to vouch for us that would be better.


    By this point, Lor¡¯gan was at the tent flap and was gesturing for Shuka, Xorvos, and Maryam to follow him.


    ¡°Well, come on then. Stay around here any longer and you¡¯re likely to get an earful. From any one of them, just in different flavours.¡±


    That earned him three glares, one each from Asheron, Ashol, and even Kalfar. Lor¡¯gan quickly left the tent after that and Shuka and her friends were forced to follow or be left lost.


    I have a good feeling about this. They seem like good people, and if this Asheli is from the same family, then she can¡¯t be that bad, right? Well, I guess I¡¯ll be finding out soon enough, whether I want to or not.


    <hr>

 Chapter Thirty Seven

    Chapter Thirty Seven


    The tent Shuka and her friends were brought to was¡­ less than ideal. The normally brown leather it was made from was covered in dull gray ash. You could argue it was another attempt at camouflage, except for the fact that it was the only tent in the whole camp that was like that. A quick peek inside revealed there was several inches of ash on the ground on the inside as well. At least Lor¡¯gan had the decency to look guilty about it.


    ¡°Right, so uh¡­ I sort of forgot that our guest tent was still covered in ash. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why is it covered in ash?¡± Maryam asked.


    ¡°Well, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, we live on a volcano. Now, lava hasn¡¯t come out of it in centuries, but it still spouts out ash every once in a while. When that happens we just pack up all our stuff and take it into the mountain for a bit. But who wants to pack up a whole tent that nobody is even using? And then who wants to clean it up afterwards? The answer is nobody, and if I¡¯m being perfectly honest, the whole tribe was putting it off until we needed to do it. Turns out, we needed to do it yesterday and we just didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°And how long has the tent been like this?¡±


    ¡°Around two months or so.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t bother cleaning it up that entire time?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no. Alright, alright I get it, here how about this? I¡¯ll get some of my buddies and get rid of all the ash and in the meantime, you can look around the camp.¡±


    Maryam finally relented, not happy, but this was better than sleeping in ash. Besides, Shuka at least appreciated a little time to explore. From what she saw, the gnolls lived a lifestyle similar to hers, at least from before the curse. It almost seemed like every other person in the camp had a bow slung over their back. Even if they didn¡¯t, they still looked a lot more at home in the wilds than even a more rural villager, like the ones from Rainsburg. Even the kids were involved, with one elderly gnoll overseeing a group of them fletching arrows. It all felt so welcoming to the young hunter, but Maryam was interested in something else.


    ¡°Look at the magic that shaman is using. It looks like a healing spell, but it¡¯s suffused with fire essence. I¡¯ve never heard of fire magic doing anything like that before. That really old shaman from earlier also did the same thing with the spell that let him see your curse. I wonder how it works?¡±


    Shuka looked over to where her friend was looking and saw a shaman, healing the injured leg of another gnoll, with a yellow-orange glow.


    ¡°Well shaman magic works a bit differently than ours. They get their mana from an external source instead of an internal one, so maybe instead of turning unattuned mana into fire-attuned mana to create a fire spell like we would, they are getting already fire-attuned mana from somewhere else and using that for all of their magic, fire based or not.


    ¡°Could that be why they live on a volcano? To siphon mana from it? Still, that can¡¯t be very efficient, fire wants to burn stuff, and the more you make it not do that, the harder it¡¯s going to fight you.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t know much about magic, so he usually left himself out of such conversations, but something Shuka said piqued his interest.


    ¡°Shamans get their magic externally? Does that mean they don¡¯t need any mana themselves? Maryam, you could have become a shaman to learn magic.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ no. I looked into it and shamans still need to use their own mana to gather and control the mana of whatever source they are using. It¡¯s not like a volcano is just going to light things on fire for you because you asked nicely, you still need magic to get it to do that. And why are you saying I could be a shaman, I already have my magic, it¡¯s you who¡¯s lacking it. Hell, I got this information from books written by quanso trying to figure out a way to cast magic themselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Could they? Use magic the shaman way I mean.¡±


    ¡°Kinda? Basically, they had to be touching the source to get its mana, but since so many of the mana sources shamans get their mana from are vague or immaterial, that¡¯s not always easy to do. It¡¯s not just the forest you¡¯re getting mana from, it¡¯s the spirit of the forest which is a little harder to touch. Even with this volcano, you would probably have to stick your hand in the lava to get any results.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m not really interested in using magic anyway, so I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    Maryam had the most profound look of mock pity and disgust on her face. The expression disappeared in an instant though, when she smelled something good in the air.


    ¡°Hey, smells like somebody¡¯s cooking something good. Let¡¯s go get some food, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Shuka was also starving so she had no complaints as she followed Maryam to wherever the food was being made. The smell of a hearty meal eventually led them to a large clearing with all sorts of campfires, cooking pots, and racks of food. While there were multiple fires currently being used, the one that drew the most attention was the large cauldron in the middle filled with a stew. It was currently being stirred by an older gnoll lady and there was a small crowd of hungry gnolls lining up to get a bowl of the stuff. Xorvos walked up to one of the people lining up to ask them a question.


    ¡°Excuse me, but me and my friends are quite hungry and we were wondering if this food was available for us to eat? We are guests, but we are only staying one night, and I¡¯m not sure if this food is for the tribe only.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, do not worry so much. If you are hungry, then eat. You are as welcome to a bowl as the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And with that, the three friends found some bowls and got in line. It didn¡¯t take long for them to make their way to the front and get their food.


    ¡°How much do we owe you?¡± Maryam asked the cook upon getting her food.


    ¡°Hmm? Owe? What do you mean?¡±


    The cook cocked her head to the side, looking genuinely confused at the question, which only led to Maryam getting confused.


    ¡°Err¡­ like how much money do you want for the stew.¡±


    ¡°I have no need for money.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is this a barter system then? Uh, let me see what I have to give you.¡±


    Maryam started looking through her things for something suitable when the old woman held up her hand for her to stop.


    ¡°I have no need for your things either. Food is a necessity, I would not ask for anything for it. If I want something I will ask for it. Ah, but not from you, you are a guest.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t that a really bad deal? For you I mean. I could eat all the food I want for free and I won¡¯t lose anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called generosity. Now move along, I have many gnolls to feed tonight.¡±


    Maryam realized that there was indeed a line behind her, so she took her bowl and got out of the way. Odd encounter aside, she really was starving so the moment she found somewhere to sit she started digging in.


    ¡°Oh damn, this is actually delicious.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect it not to be?¡±


    Shuka had gotten her own bowl and had just sat down next to Maryam. Xorvos was right behind her too.


    ¡°Well, no I expected it to be good, just not this good. Like, I would pay gold for this stew.¡±


    ¡°You would pay gold for a single meat skewer,¡± Xorvos replied, ¡°so I¡¯m not sure how much that means coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was a good skewer! Not as good as this though.¡±


    Instead of talking more Maryam just continued energetically eating her meal. Shuka and Xorvos followed suit. It really was a good meal despite all of the ingredients that went into it being rather basic. After scarfing down the stew in record speed, Maryam started to speak again.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°You know, I still can¡¯t believe they¡¯re giving food like this away for free.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that surprising.¡± Shuka answered. ¡°Gnoll tribes are basically like giant families. You wouldn¡¯t charge a sibling for a home cooked meal, so why would you charge a tribemate? That¡¯s the kind of sentiment they have.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know your quite a bit about gnolls, what¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know too much, and there¡¯s a lot of variance between tribes, but my archery teacher from the orphanage taught me a lot about this stuff. Well, it was more like a history of hunters in general, but gnolls were definitely included. Really though, I just think they¡¯re interesting.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well alright then.¡±


    There was a moment of silence. A moment of relaxation.


    I wish we could stay.


    *


    By the time they got back to their tent, it was clean. Or at least clean enough. Lor¡¯gan was waiting for them along with a few other gnolls, all covered in ash.


    ¡°Hey, perfect timing, we just finished up here. Hey, is that granny Shishko¡¯s famous stew I smell on you? Aw man, don¡¯t tell me you were stuffing your face with the best food in the tribe while we were working. She better have some left for us.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for the various gnolls to leave in pursuit of stew, some of them giving Shuka dirty looks of envy and resentment. Once they were all gone, the three friends found themselves inside their new tent. It was comfy, spacious, and already had bedrolls set up for them to sleep in. It wasn¡¯t the best accommodations they had had, but it was pretty good.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Maryam started. ¡°what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    The answer seemed obvious to Shuka.


    ¡°We go with them. Running seems like a bad idea, and we have nowhere to go even if we did. Going to Sidus is dangerous, but we have survived in cities without getting caught before, and it will be easier to learn anything about your mother there.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but how much can we trust this Asheli person? The fact that she wants to meet us is a pretty bad sign since the only reputation we have so far is a bad one. That means she is either working for the church or law enforcement, and wants to hand us in, or she¡¯s looking for some evil help for her own evil deeds.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ seems like an overreaction.¡± Xorvos said. ¡°She might just be looking out for her family, but once the people from her tribe tell her about the misunderstanding it will all be cleared up.¡±


    Maryam was less than convinced.


    ¡°Xorvos, buddy, that is incredibly optimistic. Judging by how the chieftain was talking about her, I¡¯m not sure she even has a good relationship with the tribe. We need to be prepared for the worst, which means we need to be prepared to escape.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Shuka said. ¡°I think we should wait until we are in Sidus though. Out on the road, gnolls would be able to track us wherever we might go, but it would be a lot harder to pick up our scent in a crowded city, and we would need somewhere better to hide than an inn. They could just visit each inn in the city and give them a quick sniff to see if we were there.¡±


    ¡°True. Maybe we could head to the Vondoom Orphanage? Me and you are both Children of Vondoom, and I doubt they would kick out Xorvos if he was with us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and since Not Margaret is a golem, she would probably be immune to my curse too. I¡¯m a bit worried about how well they would be able to protect us though. We don¡¯t know how important Asheli is, and I would hate to get the orphanage involved if Validus found out we were hiding there.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ are you serious?¡± Maryam asked incredulously. ¡°The orphanage is gonna be fine. Asheli could be the Grand Priestess and she still wouldn¡¯t be able to touch us. Validus probably can¡¯t even walk through the door.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? I know Vondoom is a demi-god, but that seems a bit extreme. Unless Vondoom himself intervenes, I don¡¯t see how they are going to stop someone like Validus, or even Asheli if she ends up being someone important.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ do you not know?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    Is she talking about the rumours about the orphanage being a front for something shady? She was an orphan there herself, she should know they aren¡¯t true.


    Maryam had a brief look of shock on her face before it turned into a slight panic.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ forget I said anything. If you don¡¯t know then I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    ¡°I just said I can¡¯t tell you. I¡¯m not even supposed to know, I can¡¯t be spreading the secret around willy-nilly.¡±


    ¡°But if I already know there is a secret then it¡¯s already too late, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That is not how it works, everyone knows they¡¯ve got a secret, what that secret is on the other hand, is a different matter entirely.¡±


    ¡°Alright fine, I¡¯ll drop it, but are you sure we will be fine if we go to them for protection?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As long as they actually decide to protect us. Frankly, neither of us have too strong of a connection to the orphanage anymore. Vondoom is all about making the lives of orphans better, but that¡¯s more of a preventing undeserved misery thing than a nothing bad can ever happen thing. If, as far as the people at the orphanage can tell, us getting chased by guards and gnolls is just the consequences of our own actions, they might not help.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ my curse is going to complicate things then. If I tell them ¡®I¡¯m innocent, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding¡¯ and they think I¡¯m lying then they¡¯re not going to protect us until they learn the truth. In the best-case scenario, we would only have to convince Not Margret who shouldn¡¯t be affected by the curse, but the moment we have to talk to a human we would be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Right. It might be better to leave them as a last resort.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Xorvos interrupted. ¡°I still think we should at least give Asheli a chance before we do all of this. If we run away from her before we even meet her then we will be making her an enemy when she might not normally be one. I say we meet her, and then if she seems like bad news, we escape and head to the orphanage, or wherever else we might be able to hide.¡±


    ¡°But¡± Maryam replied. ¡°It might be too late to run by the time we meet her. We might walk into the office and find Validus and two dozen guards waiting inside. That¡¯s a huge risk.¡±


    ¡°True. But it seems that everything we do is a huge risk. Escaping from our escort is a risk too, and so is seeking refuge in the orphanage. If we have to take a risk no matter what we do, then I would rather take the risk that believes in the best in people. Besides, we will have Lor¡¯gan to help us convince her.¡±


    Shuka found herself agreeing with Xorvos. She had too many enemies to be adding another out of paranoia. And besides, she didn¡¯t want to betray the kindness the Ashfire tribe had already given her.


    ¡°I say we go to meet her, but be prepared to run if it looks like a death trap. We don¡¯t even know where the orphanage in Sidus is, so if we run prematurely, we could end up wandering around the city lost until we get caught.¡±


    ¡°Gah, fine. It¡¯s not like we have any better options anyway.¡±


    Maryam conceded to the group sentiment, much to her own displeasure. Her own plan wasn¡¯t much better though, so she didn¡¯t see much point in arguing about it. Now all there was left to do was sleep, and hope. It was about all they could do.


    *


    Shuka was woken up bright and early by an energetic young gnoll girl jumping on her while screaming at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°HURRY UP, HURRY UP, HURRY UP! You¡¯re taking too long, let¡¯s go already!¡±


    Lor¡¯gan walked in afterwards, looking about as tired as Shuka felt.


    ¡°Ashal, please try to restrain your energy this early. The sun is barely up, we have plenty of time before we need to depart.¡±


    ¡°But I wanna go now! And you said we had to wait until they woke up, and now they are awake so we can go right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we were meant to wait until they woke up, not wake them up ourselves.¡±


    Shuka was still groggy, even through her rude awakening, but she could just about get what was going on. Xorvos and Maryam were also waking up from all of the high-pitched screaming.


    ¡°Uhg. Can you give us, maybe¡­ ten minutes? No, half an hour. Yeah, we will be ready in half an hour, alright?¡±


    ¡°Aww, but I don¡¯t want to wait that long. Is this because I woke you up? That¡¯s so mean!¡±


    ¡°What? No, we just need some time to properly wake up and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I still think you¡¯re mean.¡±


    Ashal was pouting as she angrily stomped out of the tent in an incredibly cute way. Not wanting to make the little gnoll any angrier, Shuka fought through her fatigue and started her morning routine. When she turned though, she saw her two companions were already fully awake and were partway through their chores.


    ¡°You know,¡± Xorvos commented. ¡°We probably only need ten minutes. You didn¡¯t have to say half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Maryam agreed. ¡°I bet we could probably do it in five if we rush. What, were you planning on falling back asleep? How cruel to keep the poor girl waiting.¡±


    Fucking morning people.


    Twenty minutes later Xorvos and Maryam dragged a still half asleep Shuka out of their tent and into the sunlight. Not that there even was much sunlight this early in the morning, the sun had only just risen above the horizon. Outside the tent was Ashal and Lor¡¯gan, which Shuka expected, but also one more gnoll who Shuka didn¡¯t recognize. He was male, obviously so with his bare chest, and looked like some sort of warrior. There were scars all over his body, some impressively large and some small, and he carried with him a long spear that glowed with fiery orange inscriptions. It was obviously enchanted, but that wasn¡¯t the most striking thing about him. It was his eyes. They were the same as the chieftains, glowing orange and intense. They actually looked a lot like the magical lines that adorned his spear. He walked directly up to Shuka and spoke in such a deep guttural growl that it forced her to wake up out of pure fear.


    ¡°Cursed woman. If you so much as think of harming my daughter I will hunt you down. I have your scent, and it is not one I will forget if she comes to harm.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ noted. Uh, just so I know, which one is your daughter?¡±


    His eyes narrowed and his grip on his spear tightened enough that if it wasn¡¯t enchanted, Shuka was sure it would be cracking right now.


    ¡°Ashal.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course, Ashal. You have nothing to worry about, I promise.¡±


    Shuka was worried that her voice was shaking, and it was only because of her encounters with Validus that she could talk at all.


    ¡°We shall see. Your actions will speak louder than your words.¡±


    And, much to Shuka¡¯s relief, he turned and walked off. Lor¡¯gan quickly took his place, he had a much more welcoming face.


    ¡°Ready to go? You better be, because any longer and Ashal is going to throw another fit, and you don¡¯t want that with her father so close by.¡±


    Shuka would have loved nothing more than to get moving, even if only to get as far away from him as possible, but Maryam had other plans.


    ¡°Wait, hold on. I thought Ashal was the chieftain¡¯s daughter, and she¡¯s married to that super old guy. How is he her father?¡±


    ¡°What, did you really think old man Kalfar is having any kids at his age? He¡¯s Asheron¡¯s first husband. That guy you just met is her second. Try not to piss him off by the way, he¡¯s a pretty nice guy once you get to know him, but¡­ he doesn¡¯t usually give people the chance.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Shuka could see the gears turning in Maryams head on the whole ¡®two husbands¡¯ thing. Xorvos, for his part, didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Ashal however seemed to care a lot. Not about the marital status of her parents, but rather the fact that everyone was still talking and not walking.


    ¡°Come oooon! What¡¯s taking so long?¡±


    ¡°Right, right, we¡¯re moving Ashal. No more delays.¡±


    And with Lor¡¯gan¡¯s assurances, they started to move. Off to another city full of danger.

 Chapter Thirty Eight

    Chapter Thirty Eight


    The week spent travelling to Sidus was surprisingly comfortable. Lor¡¯gan, Ashal, and the six other gnolls that were a part of the escort were friendly and polite. Although Shuka noticed they didn¡¯t seem to trust her much, she figured that was the curse at work. She learned quite a bit about their tribe through talking with them, although some things they refused to tell her. For example, Asheron¡¯s glowing eyes apparently came from a magic ritual she¡¯d done, which extended her life and slowed her aging. Any additional details about the rituals were kept from her though.


    It does make the large age gaps between Asheron and her two husbands make a little more sense. She probably married Kalfar back when they were both a similar apparent age and she aged slower than him. She might even be older than him now that I think about it.


    The small group was fast approaching the city of Sidus, its large walls dwarfing even those of Lancrin and Rockmarsh. These walls were pristine white, with gold adornments that made the city feel all that more, well, celestial. Shuka didn¡¯t have very long to admire it though, as Lor¡¯gan and the rest of the gnolls quickly left the main road once the walls were in view, back into the woods. It didn¡¯t seem like they simply wanted to enjoy nature either, they were looking for something. Shuka felt tempted to ask what they were looking for, but she figured she would find out soon anyway. After a few minutes of all the gnolls, except Ashal, shoving their hands into the side of a hill, one of them finally found what they were looking for ¨C a hatch in the ground, covered by grass to hide it. He swung it open, revealing a dark tunnel that dug into the earth. Shuka couldn¡¯t tell how deep it was or how far it went, but if she had to guess, she would say it went all the way to the capital. Lor¡¯gan walked over to the hole in the ground and gestured for everyone to enter it.


    ¡°I hope none of you are scared of tight spaces, because we¡¯re gonna be in one for the next couple of hours¡±


    *


    True to his word, it took several hours to get to the other end. Luckily there were magical lights that activated automatically once you got close to them, so the trip wasn¡¯t done in complete darkness. Still, with nothing but stone walls to look at, the trip became rather monotonous. Shuka didn¡¯t mind, but Maryam couldn¡¯t help but chat almost the entire trip. Mostly to Shuka and Xorvos, but her latest conversation was directed at their gnoll escort.


    ¡°So it¡¯s obvious this is some sort of smuggling route, but why do a bunch of gnolls who live out in the middle of nowhere know about it? You guys don¡¯t really seem like the smuggling sort.¡±


    ¡°Only a bad smuggler would seem like the smuggling sort. The best criminals look as unassuming as your friend Shuka looks nefarious.¡±


    Maryam thought back to Aurulin, the seemingly gentle and kind High Priestess who had an office full of invisible assassins, and found she couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°So what, are you saying you¡¯re a tribe of smugglers?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Smuggling you guys is actually the first crime I¡¯ve committed to be honest. No, wait¡­ is it illegal just entering the city like this? Because I have used the tunnel before, so that might be a crime I¡¯ve committed.¡±


    Xorvos seemed a bit uncomfortable at the casual manner in which Lor¡¯gan confessed to his misdeeds, so Xorvos asked a question of his own.


    ¡°If you were committing no crime, then why did you use this tunnel? Couldn¡¯t you have just entered the city normally?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did, but Ashal heard about a ¡®secret smuggling tunnel¡¯ the last time she was in Sidus and couldn¡¯t be convinced not to get a tour. I was the unlucky sucker that had to go with her. Somehow she kept her enthusiasm long enough to go through it both ways. That was a day I won¡¯t be getting back.¡±


    ¡°How are you not excited!?¡± Ashal almost yelled. ¡°This is like, the coooolist place ever!¡±


    Obviously she still hadn¡¯t lost her enthusiasm. Shuka envied how she seemed almost incapable of getting bored. Still, with each question Lor¡¯gan answered there seemed to be a new question that she had to ask.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t a smuggler yourself, then how did you even learn about the tunnel in the first place? This seems like the kind of thing that would be pretty well hidden.¡±


    ¡°Big sis Asheli told me about it. She¡¯s like, the second most important person in Sidus, so she knows a lot of cool things.¡±


    ¡°Wait, second most important? What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Mama told me. She said it like a bad thing though, but I think it¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°Why would being the second most important person in the capital city of an entire empire be a bad thing? It seems pretty great to me.¡±


    ¡°I know right!? But mama said that she needs to either be more important than the Grand Priest, or less important than the Emperor, but since she¡¯s not, she¡¯s failed.¡±


    What kind of standard is that? Isn¡¯t the Grand Priest the head of the entire Celestial Order? If I remember correctly, the Grand Priest is supposed to have a position equal to the Emperor. How are you meant to top that? And what did she mean by less important than the Emperor anyway? Doesn¡¯t that just include everyone?


    Shuka was very confused, and she wasn¡¯t alone in that.


    ¡°What do you mean by less important than the Emperor?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°That seems like a weird thing to aspire to.¡±


    Lor¡¯gan was the one to answer.


    ¡°Chieftain Asheron likes to keep a low profile. In her eyes, you should either be unimportant enough that no one bothers you, or so important that no one could even if they wanted to. It¡¯s why our tribe isn¡¯t even on most maps, and we barely interact with the empire. Or at least we didn¡¯t until Asheli decided to take a quarter of the tribe with her to Sidus.¡±


    ¡°Right, but¡­ why is the Emperor the cut-off point for not being important enough to bother with?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well he is a massive pushover.¡±


    ¡°The Emperor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for his royal advisers, anyone could go up to him and ask for anything and he would grant it. Not because he¡¯s really generous or anything, he just doesn¡¯t have the guts to say no. Or at least, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve actually met him myself.¡±


    It was hard to move on from having her mental image of the Emperor shattered, but Shuka was going to try anyway.


    ¡°So what does Asheli even do to make her the second most important person in Sidus then?¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you impatient? If you want to know so badly, ask her yourself; we¡¯re here.¡±


    To Shuka¡¯s shock, they were. She was too distracted by the conversation to notice, but the end of the tunnel was finally lit up. There was a short ladder that led to a wooden trap door in the roof of the tunnel. Lor¡¯gan climbed up the ladder and pushed on the trap door¡­ only to find it locked. A small slat on the door slid open to reveal a pair of eyes and a gruff voice.


    ¡°Password?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Uhh, crap, what was the password again? Wait, you haven¡¯t changed it since I was here last year have you?¡±


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    Without a word the slat closed and shortly after there was a grating scraping sound as if something heavy was being moved¡­ onto the trap door.


    ¡°Well¡­ shit.¡±


    It was quite obvious that that did not go quite as Lor¡¯gan planned. Maryam was very displeased and she wasn¡¯t afraid to make that known.


    ¡°Lor¡¯gan I am not walking all the way back through this damn tunnel just because you forgot that this ultra secret smuggling tunnel might need a password. You better get that goddam door open.¡±


    ¡°Well what do you want me to do, bash it open?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, bribe them or something.¡±


    ¡°With what? A song and dance?¡±


    ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Maryam was walking over to the ladder to have a go herself, when the scraping returned. The heavy object was being moved off the trap door again, and the slat opened a moment later. This time there was a different pair of eyes on the other side though. The new pair was a deep, glowing orange. Orange and yellow, like a burning flame. It was the same kind of eyes Shuka saw on Asheron.


    ¡°Asheli!¡± Lor¡¯gan called out. ¡°It¡¯s me, Lor¡¯gan. Mind letting us in, I uhh, may have forgotten the password. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is Ashal with you?¡±


    Her voice was deep and powerful, but also distinctly feminine. It was interrupted by a much higher-pitched voice coming from Ashal.


    ¡°Big sis, big sis, I¡¯m here! Are you excited to see me?¡±


    ¡°Is that little Ashal I hear? Let¡¯s get this door open then, I wouldn¡¯t want to keep you waiting.¡±


    The slat closed, several locks were removed, and the door opened. Ashal was already waiting at the bottom of the ladder, so as soon as she saw her sister, she bounded up the ladder rungs and leaped into Asheli¡¯s arms. Asheli herself was a big woman with a toned body rippling with muscles. Even her tail looked like it could hurt someone. Her fur was a lighter shade of brown, broken up with darker, almost black spots, but her hands, feet and the tip of her tail were gray, just like Acheron¡¯s.  She wore a simple sleeveless shirt of muted reds and oranges, which left her abs exposed, and a set of baggy pants. On her wrists were engraved metal bracers that Shuka was sure were enchanted. While she wasn¡¯t wearing any shoes, the shape of her animalistic feet wouldn¡¯t allow her to wear most anyway, she did have several anklets. Some were simple metal rings, while others seemed to be made of twine and had small bone charms on them. She had more accessories of a similar style in the form of earrings, necklaces, and even small bone beads that were tied into her voluminous mane of hair. All in all, her outfit was an odd mix of modern and tribal, that somehow still looked coherent.


    ¡°Ashal, how long has it been, a year? You¡¯ve only grown cuter in that time. Have you been a good girl?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°You took my lessons to heart then, I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    Ashal had a wide smile on her face and joy in her eyes, and Asheli was the same. Her moment with her little sister couldn¡¯t last forever though as a man by her side fitted out in leather armour and holding a loaded crossbow nudged her and asked her a question.


    ¡°Boss, what about the others? Those three in the back match the descriptions we got from Aurulin.¡±


    Isn¡¯t Aurulin that priestess Xorvos and Maryam went to see? That¡¯s not good, I don¡¯t think she would have said much good about us. I guess I just have to hope Lor¡¯gan and Ashal can convince Asheli not to hand us over to her.


    ¡°Hmm? Huh, you¡¯re right. So, mother actually fulfilled a request of mine, how surprising. You seem pretty lax in transporting them Lor¡¯gan. Only six gnolls and no restraints? You didn¡¯t even take their weapons. You wouldn¡¯t happen to be charmed by her, would you?¡±


    ¡°What, charmed? No.¡±


    Asheli held Ashal in one arm and used the other to grab one of her necklaces, a fancy metal one with an amythest set in it that was hidden under her shirt. She whispered a word under her breath and then extended her arm outward, down into the tunnel. A wave of barely visible purple energy emerged out of her hand and washed over everyone still in the tunnel. Shuka flinched when it reached her, but it seemed harmless, only leaving a slight tingling feeling, which was probably her body reacting to the mana in the spell. Asheli put the amulet back under her shirt before speaking again.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can come up. Everyone else, keep an eye on the two humans and the Quanso. And confiscate their weapons too.¡±


    The second bit was directed to her companions up top, most of which Shuka was pretty sure she couldn¡¯t see. Lor¡¯gan started climbing the ladder, then Shuka went after him. When she reached the top she found herself surrounded by a dozen men and women of various species, all with weapons and wands ready, if not pointed at her. The man with the crossbow from before stood in front of her and gestured to a nearby table.


    ¡°Put your weapons there. Make a move or cast a spell and I¡¯ll shoot you.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t need to be told twice. As much as she did not want to leave her bow with them, she wasn¡¯t about to start a fight over it. She was less sad about leaving her sword and hunting knife on the table. Her near-daily training sessions did little to make her appreciate the sword, and the knife was just a knife, she could buy a new one. Maryam was next, but all she had to hand over was a single dagger. Shuka was surprised she didn¡¯t have a wand, she could have definitely afforded one. Xorvos was last, and also the most apprehensive. His gauntlets were rare, and Shuka knew they were a gift from his father. Xorvos hesitated for a moment, and then two. Only when the man with the crossbow raised his weapon did Xorvos move, slowly taking off his black gauntlets, revealing a rare look at his bare hands. During all this, Asheli had been talking with Lor¡¯gan and playing with Ashal. When she saw they were done, she put Ashal down and patted her on the head


    ¡°Now Ashal, big sis has some work to do so why don¡¯t you play with some of the friends you made the last time you were here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Ashal quickly scurried out of the small room they were in, while Asheli walked over to Shuka and her group. As Ashal left, one of the gnolls who were escorting Shuka followed her.


    ¡°According to Lor¡¯gan, you three have been framed. I will be the judge of that. Come, let¡¯s talk in my office.¡±


    They were led out of the room and into the common room of the building they were in. It was a cozy looking place, with wooden walls, floor, and roof, that was generously lit with the same kind of magic lights that were in the tunnel. Tables filled the room, with most of them occupied by men and women of just about every species. Some were drinking, some were playing games of cards or dice, and some were simply chatting with their friends. While weapons were common and there were a few people Shuka certainly wouldn¡¯t want to meet in an alley at night, the place didn¡¯t feel especially dangerous. There were individuals who did, with Asheli being one of them, but most people just seemed to be having a good time. Shuka saw Ashal already playing with a small group of what were either halflings or children. She didn¡¯t have very long to look around because she was led straight to a nearby door that had a stylized animal paw painted on it in gray paint. Asheli unlocked the door with a key then opened it up wide for Shuka and her friends to go through. Inside was a simple space: four walls, a desk, and some chairs. The only thing that stood out was a small blue orb inserted into the desk. Asheli took her place on her side of the desk, while Shuka, Maryam, and Xorvos all found their own seats. After sitting down, Asheli tapped a claw onto the orb in her desk, and the little sphere floated several feet up into the air, before it unleashed some sort of spell. Nothing visible emerged, but Shuka could now feel mana in the air, and she felt something affect her, even if she couldn¡¯t tell what it was.


    ¡°Well, first things first, introductions. What are your names?¡±


    ¡°Xorvos.¡±


    ¡°Maryam.¡±


    ¡°Shuka Vondoom.¡±


    Did I just say Vondoom? I wasn¡¯t trying to. Well, that¡¯s probably for the best anyway, Asheron thought I was trying to hide something when I didn¡¯t tell her my last name.


    Before Asheli could talk again, Maryam asked a question.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with the orb? It looks like a privacy sphere, but you¡¯ve added something on to it and I can¡¯t tell what.¡±


    ¡°Pretty bold of you to be asking questions in a situation like this, but I suppose the daughter of the Archmage of Artifice just can¡¯t help herself when it comes to magical artifacts, can she? You are right, it is a sphere of privacy, no sound will leave this room, and if the whole building wasn¡¯t already unscriable, it would prevent that too. The modification is a truth spell. As long as you are in this room, all of you will be incapable of lying or even withholding relevant pieces of information. So I would hope the truth treats you kindly if I were you.¡±


    So that¡¯s why I told her my full name. Well I guess it¡¯s a good thing the truth is exactly what I want to tell her anyway.


    ¡°Well, now that introductions are out of the way, Maryam, give me half of the gold you have on you, right now.¡±


    ¡°What!? Half my gold, are you crazy? Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t have much of a choice. Besides, the gold will be better used in my pocket than yours.¡±


    ¡°Well, why only me then, Shuka and Xorvos have money too you know.¡±


    Asheli snorted derisively at that.


    ¡°I would be surprised if they had a hundred gold between the two of them, it¡¯s not worth my time and I don¡¯t steal from the poor anyway. The price the rich pay for meeting me is their wealth, so pay up.¡±


    Xorvos was even angrier about the situation than Maryam, and he wasn¡¯t about to stay silent about it.


    ¡°Whether it is against the rich or not doesn¡¯t stop a crime from being a crime. We have done nothing against you and yet here you are, extorting us for no other reason than to fill your own pockets with gold. It¡¯s dishonourable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it? I don¡¯t give two shits about honour. The good that I can do with that money is so much greater than the bad that comes out of one rich kid losing a bit of pocket change.¡±


    ¡°Good? What good are you going to do with my money? Buy another magical trinket to decorate yourself with?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I could do that. Or I could use that money to buy food for the poor. Or use it to expand the apartment complex I built, the one that doesn¡¯t charge rent for the homeless. I could even use it to bribe greedy people to do good things. Oh, but I suppose bribes are dishonourable too, right? What were you going to use your money for? Petty indulges I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Both Xorvos and Maryam were silent at that, although clearly angry. Shuka was processing everything. She thought she had an idea of who Asheli might be, but now she wasn¡¯t sure.


    Well, Lor¡¯gan did say I can just ask her, right? No better time than now.


    ¡°Asheli, if I may ask¡­ who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t already know? Well fine then, I suppose I should give my own introduction. I am Asheli of the Ashfire tribe, leader of the Thieves Guild of the Celestial Empire.¡±

 Chapter Thirty Nine

    Chapter Thirty Nine


    ¡°So, back to my money. Hand it over.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Maryam grumbled, clearly unhappy but reaching for her money pouch all the same. She didn¡¯t count her coins, instead opting to just pour gold out onto the desk until she felt like it was half. When she was satisfied with the amount, she closed the pouch back up and put it away.


    ¡°Is this half your gold?¡±


    ¡°Close enough, yeah.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it will have to do.¡±


    Asheli took the money, placing the pouch into a drawer in her desk. She then turned back to Shuka and started speaking again.


    ¡°So, I heard from a very reliable source that you and your friends are out to summon demons. The only reason you three aren¡¯t in a cell right now is because a semi-reliable source told me that information is wrong.¡±


    Lor¡¯gan looked slightly offended about being called a semi-reliable source, but he didn¡¯t interrupt Asheli as she continued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like wasting time on serious matters, so I¡¯ll ask this plainly. Are you trying to summon demons, devils, or any other sort of fiend?¡±


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t even know I was being accused of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And I suppose you had nothing to do with the kallium then too, right?¡±


    ¡°Kallium? I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    Asheli stopped for a moment, then tapped the privacy sphere a few times as if to check if it was working properly. She frowned, but then continued with the questions.


    ¡°What crimes have you committed, all of you, starting with Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ resisting arrest I suppose. And there was the small job I did for the Thieves Guild in Rockmarsh, but I didn¡¯t actually do much, and I don¡¯t know how much of that job was illegal anyway. Is sneaking in or out of a city illegal? Oh, and then there was that elf we broke out of prison, but I don¡¯t think he was lawfully imprisoned, so I don¡¯t know if that counts either. Oh, and possession of an outlawed book. Or at least possession of a copy of an outlawed book.¡±


    ¡°Was this a book you had in Lancrin?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was only an illusion of the book though, so I don¡¯t know how illegal that is.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way, there are no books outlawed in Lancrin, although possession of certain books may be used as a reason to investigate you, for the casting of certain magics which are illegal.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ great. I think that¡¯s it then.¡±


    ¡°To be clear, use of any demonology, mind-altering enchantment spells such as charms, and unlicensed necromancy are all illegal.¡±


    ¡°You can get a license to use necromancy? But, uh¡­ no, I haven¡¯t cast spells from any of those schools before.¡±


    ¡°How about witchcraft?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done that before either.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ fine, on to the next one. Quanso, you¡¯re up.¡±


    Xorvos hesitated for a moment, looking extremely guilty before responding.


    ¡°Resisting arrest.¡±


    ¡°That it? What about that elf you apparently broke out of prison.¡±


    ¡°The people imprisoning him had no legal authority to do so, therefore freeing him was not a crime.¡±


    ¡°All right, fine. Last one, and please give me something a little more exciting than resisting arrest.¡±


    ¡°You got it. Let¡¯s see, a bunch of cases of assault, one case of smuggling, and oh, even just knowing about the specifics of bad spells is illegal in some places I¡¯ve been to, so that too. And resisting arrest too I guess.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever cast a spell that would be illegal here, or in any of the other places you¡¯ve been to?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Can¡¯t even cast them if I wanted to, but mom gave me a pretty good education, so I know a bit more about necromancy and stuff than most people.¡±


    With everyone¡¯s confessions done Asheli gave a long sigh before burying her face in her hands.


    ¡°You all have the most boring criminal records I have ever seen. How are you the empire¡¯s most wanted right now? What about the last person in your group, the mage? Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was Ralisdor.¡± Maryam answered. ¡°We ditched him because he was lying to us about a bunch of stuff, including secretly being Archmage Sandrin in hiding.¡±


    The name Sandrin immediately caught Asheli¡¯s attention. Her casual, almost bored expression instantly turned serious as she slammed her hands on her desk and leaned forward.


    ¡°Sandrin is alive!? Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I don¡¯t know. We left him just outside Lancrin when we escaped over a month ago, and haven¡¯t seen him since.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ if Sandrin is involved then there¡¯s no way this is all just a misunderstanding. Tell me what happened, from the start.¡±


    *


    As it turned out, Shuka¡¯s little adventure took some time to tell. Or at least it did when she spared no detail. Asheli asked a lot of questions and the truth spell made sure she answered them all. There was a long moment of silence after Shuka finished her story. It was Asheli who broke it.


    ¡°Well, first of all, I think we need to deal with that curse. I don¡¯t know what Sandrin is planning, but that curse is part of it.¡±


    ¡°You can remove it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, what do I look like, a priestess? I do know someone who might be able to help though.¡±


    That¡¯s what I meant. Not that she would believe me if I said it now.


    ¡°Why are you helping me? Do I need to pay you for this?¡±


    ¡°Of course you do, but you don¡¯t have the option of saying no. Whatever Sandrin is planning you are a part of it. That makes you excellent bait, so, as payment, you will help me catch him.¡±


    Asheli got up from her desk and moved towards the door, stopping only for a moment to tell Shuka where she was going.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the person who can help you now. Stay here, and if you look through my things you will regret it. And believe me, I¡¯ll know if you do.¡±


    Shuka believed her, so she sat perfectly still in her chair and didn¡¯t even get up to stretch. Not like Maryam who got up to stretch like there was no tomorrow as soon as Asheli was gone. Whoever Asheli was looking for must have already been in the Thieves Guild because she was back just a few minutes later, causing Maryam to quickly rush back to her chair. Following behind the large gnoll woman was a much smaller human woman. She was shorter even than Shuka, who wasn¡¯t tall to start with, and was wearing a baggy brown robe with several black rings at the bottom and large pockets all over it. What drew Shuka¡¯s attention the most though, was her hat. It was a brown hat, like her robe, with a wide brim and a point that extended upwards in a cone shape half a foot before it started to lean backwards. The cone also had black stripes ringing it, similar to the bottom of her robe, and it reminded Shuka, of all things, of a raccoon¡¯s tail. Raccoon tail or not though, it was unmistakably a witch¡¯s hat. She climbed onto one of the chairs, perching herself onto it like a gargoyle, with her feet resting on the chair, and her knees near her chin. Shuka had never seen anyone sit like that before, and to see a witch do it only made it all the more surreal. The little witch turned in her chair and stuck her hand out to Shuka. Now that she was facing Shuka directly, she could also see that she had black face paint covering her eyes, almost like a mask. She looked young too, younger than a full adult at least. Seventeen or eighteen maybe, but Shuka would be surprised if she was in her twenties.


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    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Melia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Shuka.¡±


    Shuka went to shake Melia¡¯s hand, but the moment they touched Shuka felt something wet and very cold on the palm of her hand. She immediately pulled her hand away and saw a small ice cube fall out of Melia¡¯s hand onto the ground.


    When did an ice cube get in her hand? I didn¡¯t see anything like that.


    Melia was giggling, obviously finding a bit of humour in the situation.


    ¡°Sorry, but you were scowling at my hat so much I just had to prank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to stare.¡±


    Shuka immediately averted her eyes, but the hat was so big, and with Melia being shorter than her, the brim of the hat covered most of the witch¡¯s body, from Shuka¡¯s perspective at least.


    I can¡¯t even see her face, what else am I supposed to look at? Her feet? Besides, considering my last experience with a witch I feel like I¡¯m a bit justified in noticing when another one enters the room.


    Melia just huffed and tilted her hat up so the brim of it was above the sightline between the two girls¡¯ faces. Now with no excuse, Shuka made sure to stare at Melia¡¯s face and nowhere else, even if it made her feel self-conscious. The problem was, Melia seemed to decide this was the perfect opportunity to not say anything else, and start an impromptu staring contest. Shuka didn¡¯t know if she was even meant to be playing, but there was something about the witch¡¯s eyes that she couldn¡¯t put her finger on. It was almost like her brown irises were shifting slightly. Swirling in some imperceptible pattern. It was subtle, so she didn¡¯t catch it at first, but the more she looked the more she saw it. It must have been magic, but a spell didn¡¯t move so unpredictably. Or, at least a wizard¡¯s spells didn¡¯t, but this was a witch.


    She must be looking at my curse. I didn¡¯t know witch magic was so subtle, I didn¡¯t see anything to indicate she was casting a spell.


    As Shuka finally figured it out, she blinked and Melia exclaimed in triumph as she pumped her arm into the air.


    ¡°Yes, I win! Take that curse girl, you can¡¯t beat me in a staring contest.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so it was a staring contest? I thought you were checking to see if I had a curse or not.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I was doing that too, but the staring contest was more important. Oh, and you are totally cursed by the way, and it¡¯s a nasty one too. Makes you real unlikeable, like chase you off with a broom unlikeable.¡±


    ¡°Can it be removed?¡± Asheli interjected. ¡°If not by you, then someone you know?¡±


    Melia took a moment to think on that, putting a finger to her chin in an almost comical gesture.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I dunno. The curse is attached pretty deeply to her soul, so if you just try to pump a bunch of mana into a remove curse spell, half her soul would come off with the curse, so that ain¡¯t an option. You definitely need someone who actually knows curses and souls for this.¡±


    ¡°So who do we have left as candidates? Fredrick? Mervil? Do you think the High Priest of Corvis could do it?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not Fredrick. Archmage or not he sucks at anything that isn¡¯t conjuration. Maybe Mervil? I mean, he¡¯s the Grand Priest, so he¡¯s got the power for it, but I don¡¯t really know what kind of magic he knows. As for the Corvis guy, I dunno. He¡¯s a priest of the god of life and death, so he¡¯s probably got a good idea how to handle a soul, but I¡¯ve never met the guy. Is he one of the stronger high priests?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but he is still a high priest.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t good enough. You gotta be a big shot for this spell, it was done by a pro. I¡¯m not powerful enough for it, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    The lack of good options was a bit discouraging. It was also a bit scary how causally they were name dropping some big figures and saying they weren¡¯t good enough.


    Fredrick is the Archmage of Conjuration and he¡¯s not even being considered? He¡¯s the only archmage the Celestial Empire has, if you don¡¯t count Sandrin. And the Grand Priest is only a maybe? There have got to be more options than this.


    ¡°What about some other witches?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°I mean, there has to be at least one both powerful enough and skilled enough to help me, right?¡±


    Melia didn¡¯t seem so optimistic.


    ¡°I mean, sure they are probably out there somewhere, but how are we supposed to find them? Witches like to stay hidden, or at least isolated, unless they¡¯re in a coven. I could call for a great gathering, but¡­ ehh. This isn¡¯t important enough for that.¡±


    ¡°So is the Grand Priest our only option then?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ ah! I got an idea. Instead of removing your curse, we can just protect against it. Even I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Protect against it? Oh yeah, I think Visia did something like that whenever she met with me. Wouldn¡¯t that just be a temporary spell though?¡±


    ¡°Well not if I put it into a talisman. I can¡¯t give you one, since the full force of the curse would just overpower whatever I could make, but give ¡®em to your buddies and the curse won¡¯t affect them.¡±


    For the first time in a long while, Shuka felt hope.


    This is actual progress, not just another ¡®oh maybe this person might be able to help maybe but probably not.¡¯ Even if the Grand Priest can¡¯t help me I will still have those talismans to lessen the burden. Well, the Grand Priest might not even want to help me if he decides to listen to Validus over Asheli. Actually, now that I think about it, if Melia could make a talisman that can suppress the curse, couldn¡¯t Maryam¡¯s mother make an item that could suppress it completely? She is the Archmage of Artifice after all. That¡¯s only if she shows up though.


    ¡°So how long will these talismans take to make?¡±


    Melia just shrugged.


    ¡°Who knows, I haven¡¯t even gotten the parts yet. If we get lucky, then today, but it could also be never.¡±


    Asheli decided to insert herself into the conversation again.


    ¡°If you are going ingredient hunting, take Shuka with you. Keep an eye on her, but also make sure you keep her out of sight.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what about us?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°If only Shuka is going then what are we meant to be doing?¡±


    ¡°Staying here as collateral. We wouldn¡¯t want dear Shuka here to run off on her own the moment she is out of this building now, would we? Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be thrown into cells, but leaving is out of the question.¡±


    Why would I try to leave, she¡¯s helping me. I guess to get out of helping her with Sandrin, but I want to learn what¡¯s going on with him too.


    ¡°Now, any questions before you get to work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got one.¡± Maryam answered. ¡°Do you have any idea if my mom¡¯s around? If not in Sidus, then at least in the empire?¡±


    ¡°Servianna? I haven¡¯t even heard about her leaving her home, although my information on that might be on a bit of a delay. I have better uses for my spies than to have them infiltrate Dragon Crater Valley.¡±


    Maryam didn¡¯t seem very happy about that news, but now it was Shuka¡¯s turn to ask a question.


    ¡°What did Sandrin do? I know that the Celestial Order raided his home and he faked his death, but I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°What did he do? Luckily nothing, we stopped him before he could finish. What he was trying to do however, was summon a demon. The Archdemon of Magic to be specific.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t know a lot about demons, but she did know what an archdemon was. Any child born and raised in the Celestial Empire would. Eight hundred years ago an archdemon was summoned, and brought ruin to the kingdoms that came before the Celestial Empire.


    If I remember my history right, before the Celestial Empire there were two kingdoms that were at war with each other; one in the north and one in the south. To finish the war, the southern kingdom summoned an archdemon in the capital city of the northern kingdom. In response, the northern kingdom summoned a meteor to strike at the capital of the southern kingdom, leaving both capitals in ruins. The Celestial Empire was founded by the survivors of the two kingdoms joining together to kill the archdemon. Or at least that¡¯s the simplified version. And I¡¯m pretty sure it took decades to kill the archdemon, even with two kingdoms and a fair bit of foreign aid fighting against it. Would Ralisdor really want to do that? I can see him hiding a secret or two, but this is going too far.


    ¡°Now, if that¡¯s all, get going. I don¡¯t know when Sandrin is going to act next, but I want to be ready for it when he does.¡±


    *


    Shuka loved her long hair, she really did. But sometimes she wished braiding and unbraiding it was less of a pain. It was her own fault really, she could have just kept her hair in a ponytail to keep it out of the way, but the braid just looked so much nicer. So here she was, slowly unbraiding her hair as Melia waited impatiently by the Thieves Guild¡¯s exit. And as slow as it was, Shuka knew it would be much slower braiding it again. Changing her hairstyle was necessary though, or at least worth more than the effort it would take to re-braid it all. She was going out into the city after all, and she didn¡¯t want to be recognized. When the last of her hair was finally free from the tyranny of her usual, practical hairstyle, Shuka wasted no time in casting her disguise spell. Slowly, her skin tone changed from a tanned brown to a pale white, her now unbraided black hair turned a fair blonde, and her plain brown eyes were now a bright blue. This was a spell she had used a few times in the last few months, and Shuka felt it was becoming a lot more natural to cast. So she added one more addition to the still rather simple spell. Inspired by the duel-coloured cloaks that the Ashfire tribe had, Shuka changed the colour of her own cloak from forest green to dazzling blue.


    Is this too flashy? Even if I look different, I don¡¯t want to draw attention to myself. Well, even if it¡¯s blue, it¡¯s still a pretty plain cloak. I saw plenty of fancier outfits in Lancrin, and I bet Sidus will be no different. And besides, if I do stand out too much, I can always change the colour.


    Melia, who looked quite annoyed by this point, saw that Shuka was done, and promptly moved for the door.


    ¡°Are you finally done? Great, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    The young witch swung the door open, letting the bright daylight and the sounds of the city in. Surprisingly enough it looked like the door led to a busy street and not some back alley, because there were people walking past as casual as could be. Across the street, she could even see what looked like busy stores and local businesses. Stepping outside, Shuka glanced back at the building she¡¯d emerged from, thinking to find it to be a front, for it to be so public. Instead, what she saw was a prominent sign hanging above the door that clearly stated ¡®Thieves Guild¡¯ in bold letters. Not a person on the street even glanced their way. Melia just turned and grinned at Shuka, clearly delighted at Shuka¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Welcome to Sidus, and welcome to the Thieves Guild.¡±

 Chapter Forty

    Chapter Forty


    Xorvos¡¯ mind was awash with thoughts and emotions. Here he was, in a den of thieves and criminals, half guest and half prisoner. He should have hated it and hated everyone around him too. Evil surrounded him and yet¡­ he felt safe. Asheli had been a bully with little honour, but Xorvos saw how she played and talked with her little sister. She cared, and Xorvos just couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe it wasn¡¯t genuine. And she was helping them too, for payment yes, she had even said so herself, but she wasn¡¯t cruel in the help she gave. And that witch too, Melia. A prankster and a trickster, and Xorvos could guess a thief too, but she felt like a mischievous child rather than a malicious witch. Why didn¡¯t the bad people feel bad, and for that matter, why didn¡¯t the good people feel good? Validus had tried to kill him on multiple occasions, and Aurulin, a well-loved high priestess, was filled with venom and lies. It was getting harder to tell good from evil; everyone was just starting to look like¡­ people. All these thoughts were getting him confused, so Xorvos tried to focus on something else -training. Training had always kept his mind off things, plus he felt like he was getting close to figuring out how to use ki the way Arlom had taught him. He felt like he had the concept of what he¡¯d taught him down; there was just something that was missing, and Xorvos couldn¡¯t figure it out. Xorvos was diligent though, so he kept at it. The quanso closed his eyes and sensed the mana, or ki, inside him, and started to move it. First to his arms, that felt the most natural, then to his legs, and eventually to his entire body. It was all there, spread out mostly evenly, but it just wasn¡¯t¡­ doing anything. And he had to concentrate to even keep the mana spread out, so until he could figure out how to make it work, it was just a detriment in a fight. It had been like this for a week. The mana was there, the ki was flowing just like how Arlom had taught him, it just didn¡¯t work. Xorvos was starting to get frustrated.


    Why? Why isn¡¯t it working? Why can¡¯t I do this, am I not good enough? Am I not strong enough? Why can people like Validus do this but not me? And why isn¡¯t Validus as good as he¡¯s meant to be? Why is Asheli not as bad as she¡¯s meant to be? Why is it all so complicated? Why did Ralisdor betray us, and why didn¡¯t I see past his lies? I should have been better, but I can¡¯t be. I can¡¯t use magic, and the ki won¡¯t listen to me. Mayryam has always gotten herself into trouble, and Shuka is being forced to associate with criminals for protection; I need to be stronger to protect them. No one else will, not without asking something in return. Even Ralisdor doesn¡¯t have her back, how is that fair? He¡¯s her teacher, he should always be there for her, but instead, he exploited her like everyone else. I couldn¡¯t stop him from tricking her, I couldn¡¯t stop Validus from hunting us, I couldn¡¯t stop Visia from giving us a bad deal, I couldn¡¯t stop the gnolls from sending us wherever they wanted, and I couldn¡¯t stop Asheli from making Shuka go on a dangerous mission. I couldn¡¯t stop anything. I want to be strong enough to protect my friends.


    The frustration turned into anger. Xorvos was mad, both at the injustices of the world, and at himself. He had long since forgotten about his training, with the emotions he was trying to forget bubbling up once more. But the ki was still flowing, and it heard him. It heard his anger, it heard his despair, but most of all, it heard his desire to be strong. The dormant ki in Xorvos¡¯ body began to churn inside him, fuelled by his emotions. And finally, Xorvos was strong.


    *


    A hand smacked into the hard wood of a table and cheers erupted from a small crowd that had been watching the arm wrestling match. And why wouldn¡¯t they cheer? Other than the coin a few of them won in bets, who didn¡¯t like seeing an underdog win? And an underdog the winner surely was between the two participants you could tell just by looking at the two participants - one was a seven-foot tall, grey-skinned quanso with arms like a rhino, the other was a girl who was well over a foot shorter, with toned, but hardly bulky arms. Who wouldn¡¯t expect the quanso to lose? He was so obviously out of his depth here. After all, the girl was using magic. She wasn¡¯t cheating though, oh no, of course not. In fact, the quanso himself had asked her to cast the spell, and not hold back. It was why everyone was cheering for the quanso¡¯s victory; when you pitted might against magic, magic tended to win. Xorvos was proud. He had challenged Maryam, half expecting her spell to overpower him, even when he was circulating his ki. It was still a close match, but one he was clearly the victor of. Maryam looked proud of him too, not looking the least put out by her loss. Although maybe Xorvos misread that, because she still wasn¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°Hey, congrats Xorvos, ya beat me. Wanna see how your ki stuff holds up in a fight? I want a rematch.¡±


    ¡°A rematch? Alright, the practice would be nice.¡±


    When the onlookers in the thieves guild heard there was going to be a fight there were a lot of ¡®oohs¡¯ and ¡®aahs¡¯ before they started to move tables and chairs out of the way in order to make a small arena. Xorvos wasn¡¯t happy about having an audience for this, especially with the kind of people filling the audience, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. He was sure that at least some of these people were specifically told to keep an eye on he and Maryam, so asking them to leave probably wasn¡¯t going to work. Xorvos and Maryam took their places on opposite ends of the arena and prepared for the fight. Maryam still had her strength spell on her, but she at least had the courtesy to not add any other spells onto herself before the match started.


    I need to go in fast when the match starts and not give her any time to cast additional spells. I used my greaves to close the distance last time, but she¡¯s going to be expecting that now. Still, I can¡¯t afford to run to her slowly. My ki circulation increases my speed, but not enough to make a difference here. Ah, I think I know what I¡¯m going to do.


    One of the onlookers, the one handling the bets, raised his hand into the air. Everyone quieted down, sensing the match was about to begin. The hand came down, and Xorvos moved, activating his greaves at the earliest possible moment. Instead of going towards Maryam head-on though, he angled himself slightly. He found himself to Maryam¡¯s right and a bit behind her. It was the right move too, because as Xorvos turned to face his opponent he saw that she had just released a purple wave of force in front of her that would surely have hit Xorvos if he¡¯d opted for a more straightforward approach. Not wasting his opportunity, Xorvos quickly grabbed at Maryam, catching her wrist before she could move away from him. Finding herself unable to free her arm from the ki empowered quanso, Maryam brought her other arm up and placed the palm of her hand directly onto Xorvos¡¯ breastplate. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out she was going to cast a spell, so in a bit of a panic Xorvos grabbed her other hand too and moved it away from his body. Just in time too, as another force blast was launched from her hand, missing its intended target by a mile.


    I control both her arms, and I know I¡¯m a much better grappler than her. Now that I¡¯m stronger than her, I just have to watch out for spells, and she shouldn¡¯t be able to escape.


    Xorvos was just about to bring Maryam to the ground and put her into a chokehold when she did something he didn¡¯t expect. She head-butted him. She was too short to head-butt him normally, so instead she jumped. Xorvos was looking down to see her, so the top of his friend¡¯s head impacted solidly against his snout. It hurt, and surprised Xorvos, but not enough to make him let go. It did cause him to lose his concentration on his ki. He didn¡¯t even notice he was weaker, at least not until Maryam threw him hard onto the floor. She landed on his chest a moment later, and threw a punch that stopped an inch from his face. He had lost. Cheers erupted from the crowd, with only a handful of disappointed betters booing. Xorvos knew most of them betted against him though. Underdogs were underdogs because they lost after all.


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    ¡°Well shit, you almost got me Xorvos. Now I¡¯m getting worried about round two. The moment you can keep your ki up through a hit, I¡¯m screwed.¡±


    Maryam was standing and extended an arm to help Xorvos off the ground. She had scales all the way up to her shoulders by this point. It was still a bit odd to see the scales, but Xorvos was starting to get used to it. He took the hand.


    ¡°Round two?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. You still need to practice don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t want your ki going out while you¡¯re fighting Validus do you? Besides, neither of us took much damage that time, so a few more rounds should be fine.¡±


    Xorvos wasn¡¯t as eager as she was, but he did need the practice.


    ¡°Alright, but I won¡¯t lose next time.¡±


    ¡°You better not.¡±


    *


    Xorvos lost the next time. And the time after that too. In fact, this was their fifth duel and he had lost the four before it. This was going to be the last fight though. Xorvos was battered and sore, not to mention very tired. Someone had diluted a bit of healing potion in some water and given it to both he and Maryam after the third match, but all it did was keep him in fighting shape. He was still sore; the potion did nothing for his fatigue. Maryam was running out of mana too. She had dropped her strength spell last match and only had a protection spell on her now. She hardly needed a spell to match Xorvos¡¯ strength now though. The more she transformed the stronger her body got, even without a spell. And she had transformed far more than Xorvos had ever seen before, she didn¡¯t even look human anymore. Scales covered every part of her body he could see, and her legs looked like they¡¯d gotten an extra joint in them, that made them bend backwards. Her head had changed too. Before, Xorvos had only ever seen small nubs of horns that just barely peeked out from under her hair. Now she had six long spikes of black keratin, three on each side of her head. Even the shape of her head had changed, getting more angular and protruding a bit like a muzzle. It was also, of course, covered in scales, making her look almost entirely alien to Xorvos. The only thing that told Xorvos this was still his friend he was fighting, and not some malformed Drakkin, was her hair. The long red and purple locks stayed, while everything else had transformed. She had even grown a tail in their last fight. Xorvos didn¡¯t have time to process her new look though, he was in a fight, and he had to concentrate.


    Maryam was crouched down low, her new legs bending like a cat, ready to pounce. And pounce she did, right into a gauntleted fist. She blocked the punch with her arms, her protection spell doing half the work and her tough scales doing the other half, but he could tell it hurt, and it still stopped her momentum. Getting down even lower, outside the reach of Xorvos¡¯ arms, Maryam launched a kick that Xorvos just barely dodged. He tried grabbing her leg, but she swiped at his hand with her now clawed foot. It might have drawn blood if not for his gauntlets. She was fighting more like an animal than a human at this point, and Xorvos was having a hard time adapting to her odd fighting style. Not wanting to lean down to reach her with his fists, Xorvos decided to try a wide sweeping kick. Seeing the kick coming, Maryam jumped straight up, letting it pass by underneath her. She jumped, far higher than her normal reaching head-height. She also twisted as she jumped, letting her rotate mid-air. Xorvos was confused as to why until he saw her tail whip straight at his head in what must have been the most unorthodox attack Xorvos had ever seen. He brought up his arm to block, and barely made it in time, but it landed on the exposed skin of his arm, and not the armour of his gauntlet. Quanso had tails too, but rarely were they used to attack, they simply weren¡¯t strong enough to do any real damage. But what hit him was a dragon¡¯s tail, and it hurt. Xorvos gritted his teeth. Every other time he had gotten hit he¡¯d lost focus on his ki. This time would be different. After blocking the attack, Xorvos wrapped his arm around the tail and then grabbed it. Keeping the ki flowing through his body, Xorvos turned his body, spun for half a rotation, and then threw Maryam as hard as he could. The dragon girl went flying across the arena and crashed into a table, causing the crowd in that area to scatter. Immediately he had a moment of panic, worried he had gone too far. He rushed over to her only to find her smiling like a madman in the debris of the now broken table. Her eyes were unfocused and there was some sort of purple liquid pooling around her head. It took a moment for him to realize it was blood; even that had transformed. Xorvos quickly reached for his healing potion, but one of the bystanders stopped him. It was the same guy who had managed all of the bets and started each match. He was a middle aged man in a nice suit, with a top hat and a bushy moustache that curled at the ends. He went over to Maryam, who was already shakily getting up, and handed her a potion himself. She looked at it confused for a second before realizing what it was, and downing the whole thing in one gulp. Then the man went back to Xorvos, grabbed his hand and held it up high in the air. Or at least as high as he could reach; he was about a foot shorter than Xorvos.


    ¡°And we have a winner! After four consecutive losses, this plucky quanso finally got himself a win and made five lucky betters very rich. Two of them had even been betting on him from the start, now that¡¯s what I call loyalty. And how is loyalty rewarded around here? That¡¯s right, handsomely!¡±


    The crowd was going wild, truthfully they had been since Xorvos had thrown Maryam. But this man clearly knew how to get them excited. He¡¯d been running commentary between each match, though Xorvos tried not to pay much attention to what he said. Now he was going back to his makeshift desk to distribute the winnings. Xorvos let him be, and went over to Maryam, who was still recovering.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yeah, I¡¯m good. You ready to go again?¡±


    While she had stopped bleeding, and Xorvos was sure she was fine physically, he could see her shaking slightly.


    She must be so tired, and I¡¯m pretty sure I broke her protection spell when I threw her, and she doesn¡¯t have enough mana to reapply it. If I hurt her that badly when she still had it up, how bad will it be if I hit her without it?


    ¡°No, I think we¡¯re done. You should probably drink that potion that turns you back to normal.¡±


    ¡°What? But I can still fight. Mostly. I don¡¯t mind if I lose, I just want to continue.¡±


    ¡°But I mind if you lose. What if you get seriously hurt?¡±


    ¡°Well then just throw the match¡¯s, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Maryam! I don¡¯t want to continue, please go back to normal.¡±


    Xorvos spoke sternly, nearly shouting, but it finally seemed to get through to Maryam. She scowled, or at least tried to with her unnatural face, and then took out a potion and drank it. Immediately afterwards, she vomited onto the floor, much to the displeasure of everyone who saw it. Their shouting stopped though when they saw Maryam, in the span of seconds, shift from a half draconic monstrosity, back to a normal human woman. Then, once they got over their shock, they started shouting again.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll clean it up, geez. I don¡¯t see you complaining about all of my blood staining the floor, how is this any different? Or the broken table for that matter.¡±


    Looking over to the aforementioned broken table Xorvos found that there was already someone cleaning it up. He was even soaking up the blood with small sponges before putting them into jars. Maryam¡¯s purple, draconic blood was probably worth a fortune to the right buyer. Maryam just sighed in exasperation and went to get a bucket and mop. This seemed to be something she had done before. In the meantime, the bet keeper had come back, this time carrying two full bags of coins, although one seemed to be bigger than the other.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯d that dragon lass go? Ah, no matter, you seem an honourable enough fellow, give her her winnings for me will ya? And here¡¯s yours too, the smaller one.¡±


    Xorvos took the bags, slightly confused.


    ¡°Winnings? But we were just sparring with each other, it was nothing official.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it was a mighty fine show. If you don¡¯t want to see it as payment, then just consider it a gift, from me to you. Well, to you and to her.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright. Thanks then, for the gift. How much is it?¡±


    ¡°Hundred for you, two hundred for her.¡±


    ¡°Silver or copper?¡±


    ¡°Hah! It¡¯s gold, you yokel.¡±


    Xorvos stared at the two pouches in his hands, stunned. Gold? For a sparring match? It was hard to believe, but he opened up a pouch and confirmed it really was gold inside. Then he looked at the ruined table and had a thought.


    Maybe I¡¯m strong after all.

 Chapter Forty One

    Chapter Forty One


    Sidus was a wonderous city, at least to Shuka. Lancrin and Rockmarsh both had paved roads, tall buildings, and large crowds, but what neither of them had was Sidus¡¯ prosperity. The roads were orderly and well kept, despite their frequent use, with ample space for multiple carts to pass each other by. And for the pedestrians there were sidewalks, a rare sight even in cities. Everything seemed clean, and the people, if not wealthy, then at least seemed comfortable. Even in Lancrin, the city of magic, you would still see those less fortunate every so often, but not so in Sidus. If the city had beggars they were either very well hidden or near non-existent. The wealth didn¡¯t all go to the people either, there were temples on every street and statues at every plaza. There didn¡¯t seem to be a single area that the city didn¡¯t fully fund. Worryingly, for Shuka at least, that included their guards. No matter where she went there always seemed to be at least one pair of well-armed and armoured guards in line of sight of her. They did not seem oppressive, in fact, some of the guards she even saw chatting with passerby¡¯s or by snacks at a food stall. But she knew they would not be that friendly with her, so she tried not to get noticed. Inevitably some would look her way though. They never approached her, or even seemed to recognize her, but Shuka had to wonder if they were secretly calling for backup. Or even calling for Validus. Still, Shuka and her new witch companion made their way to a bustling marketplace unimpeded.


    ¡°So, what¡¯re we looking for?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shuka turned to Melia, confused at the question she had asked.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that? You¡¯re making the talisman aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll be using your mana for it, so the talisman¡¯s gotta fit your mana''s personality.¡±


    ¡°Personality?¡± Shuka asked, perplexed. ¡°Mana doesn¡¯t have personality, it just powers spells.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true know-it-all mage. Look, there''s more to magic than what you¡¯ll find in your boring old books.¡±


    Melia¡¯s response was not at all what Shuka expected from what she thought was a common sense statement.


    ¡°I may not be a master at magic, but I think I know the basics well enough to know that¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because you have only ever told your mana what to do, but have you ever tried asking it? Of course not, you treat mana like a tool, not a partner.¡±


    ¡°How can it be a partner? It doesn¡¯t think, and it can¡¯t do anything on its own without me telling it to do it.¡±


    ¡°So what if mana can¡¯t do magic without you, you can¡¯t do magic without it either.¡±


    Shuka had never thought about it that way before. Still, she had never seen anything resembling personality or thoughts from any source of mana, let alone her own.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to need more than just your word on this. Do you have any proof?¡±


    ¡°Proof? I can just show you. Hold out your hand.¡±


    Why does she want me to hold out my hand? Is she going to cast a spell on me? I don¡¯t know how that would prove anything, I have no way of telling what spells were cast by her, and what were cast by the mana. Or assisted by the mana? How is this even meant to work?


    Despite her reservations, Shuka complied with the request. Melia grasped her hand with both of her own, but to Shuka¡¯s surprise, didn¡¯t cast a spell. Instead she had more instructions.


    ¡°Alright, now, you¡¯re an illusionist right? Or is that disguise you¡¯ve got an item?¡±


    ¡°No, the disguise is my doing. I¡¯m not sure I would call myself an illusionist since I only really know two spells, but if you want me to make an illusion of something I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Great! I mean, not great that you only know two spells, that kind of sucks, but I do want you to make an illusion. Don¡¯t finish it though, don¡¯t even make the¡­ what¡¯s it called? Not the spell circle, the stuff that comes out of it. The magic clay stuff, you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you mean magicae argillae?¡±


    ¡°Is that the mage name for it? Well, that¡¯s dumb, I like magic clay better.¡±


    Despite Melia¡¯s¡­ vague description, Shuka did know what she was talking about. Illusions were a two-step process, at least at the level Shuka was at. The apprentice illusionist started on the first step, creating a spell circle. The spell circles'' purpose was to give the mana different properties that she could then manipulate. The processed mana that came out was called magicae argillae, regardless of what properties it was given. In Shuka¡¯s case she only really knew how to make mana visible and change its colour, but she knew the possibilities were endless if you were good enough, and that was just with the most basic form of magic. The second step of making illusions was shaping the magicae argillae into the form she wanted, in the case of an illusion that meant changing its colour and shape to make it look like something, but for now, she stopped at making the spell circle. It was invisible, made entirely out of mana, and floated in the air just an inch above Shuka¡¯s hand. Most of her training with Ralisdor had been getting her to the point of being able to accurately create her spell circles without being able to see them. Of course, she could still sense the mana, so she wasn¡¯t completely blind, just mostly.


    ¡°Is the circle done? Good, now I¡¯m going to do a bit of my own magic to activate your mana before you put it through the circle. Just think real hard about some concept, like, I don¡¯t know, ¡®home¡¯ or something, while you make the magic clay and it should do the rest. Don¡¯t try to manipulate the mana past putting it through the circle though, just leave it there.¡±


    Shuka felt Melia¡¯s magic flow into her hands and do¡­ something. Her mana suddenly felt slightly tingly, which was weird since Shuka couldn''t normally feel anything from it. She tried to ignore the weird feeling though as she thought of home. It was pretty simple for Shuka, she did own a house after all. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, but she had nowhere else she wanted to live. Not the colourful streets of Lancrin, or the orderly city of Sidus, just a small cabin in the forests of Rainsburg. She wanted to go back there.


    ¡°Hey, ya did it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Distracted as she was, Shuka didn¡¯t notice that floating above her hand was a miniature version of her cabin, surrounded by trees. The details weren¡¯t exactly right, the illusion looked like it was in much better condition, and there weren¡¯t nearly that many trees there, but it was her home. The door was open, welcoming her in as if she could fit inside.


    ¡°Well? Believe me now?¡±


    ¡°How is this possible? I didn¡¯t tell the mana to do anything, it shouldn¡¯t be able to make an illusion all on its own. How does it even know what a house looks like?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but you do. Mana comes from your soul and your soul has a lot of opinions on things. Things like what home looks like, or what not being cursed feels like. All you gotta do is tell the mana to remember all that stuff in your soul, and it will copy it. Which is to say, it will copy you.¡±


    ¡°But how does that work? And why isn¡¯t this more well known? Is there some sort of major downside to it?¡±


    Melia had had enough. Throughout the entire conversation, she looked like she had less and less patience left to give, and she had finally run out.


    ¡°Gahh, what am I, your teacher? I play pranks, not give lectures. Look, all you need to know is the talisman has gotta look, and more importantly feel, the part. Otherwise, your mana is gonna make a half-assed enchantment or not even work at all. So, what are we looking for?¡±


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    ¡°Right, sorry. So do I just think of something that represents protection? A shield I guess.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, a shield is too generic unless you really like shields or something. Probably better to go for a ¡®return to normal¡¯ type thing anyway.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s what¡¯s normal for me, then it has to be hunting. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s too aggressive though, I mean hunting does involve killing, and a bow and arrow is also a weapon.¡±


    Melia didn¡¯t seem concerned, in fact she was idly playing with some metal thing she took out of one of her many pockets.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it. If you use a bow for hunting then that¡¯s what it¡¯s for. And you¡¯re killing stuff sure, but just think of it as a circle of life thing. Animals die and we eat them, that¡¯s normal. I think hunting is great, now we just need to find an object to represent it.¡±


    Hmm¡­ an object to represent hunting, huh? A deer? No, even a miniature deer would be too difficult to craft, and it¡¯s not like they are all I hunt. A bow maybe? I do like my bow, but it might be a bit hard to get a stick to bend like one without snapping. Metal might work, but a metal bow would just feel wrong, even if it¡¯s only meant to represent a bow. I think I could do an arrow though.


    ¡°Would an arrow work for the talisman? I¡¯m no fletcher, but I have crafted a few arrows before.¡±


    ¡°An arrow? Yeah, that would work great. Might need to shrink it down a bit though. I know just the place to find some ingredients too!¡±


    That sounded good to Shuka so she followed the little raccoon girl through the bustling marketplace until she found herself in front of a very refined wand shop.


    ¡°Are we going to buy a wand?¡± Shuka asked, confused.


    ¡°Buy? No way, I don¡¯t even have enough money for that. We¡¯re just gonna steal some of the wood they use to make wands, that should be magical enough for the talisman.¡±


    They were still in the middle of the street so Shuka quickly looked around worried that somebody may have overheard them. Luckily, it seemed like no one was paying attention, but Shuka still shuffled over to an alley next to the shop. Melia humoured her and followed.


    ¡°Boy, you sure are paranoid. Everyone already knows I¡¯m a thief, who cares if they overhear me saying I¡¯m gonna rob a place.¡±


    ¡°I care! Do we even need to steal the wood in the first place? If it¡¯s just the wood, and not a completed wand, we might be able to afford it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but like¡­ why would we buy it? This guy looks pretty well off, so we are allowed to steal from him as long as we don¡¯t put him out of business. Oh, speaking of which, we only really need a few blocks of wood, but we should probably get extra for Asheli¡¯s heist tax.¡±


    ¡°Heist tax?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ten percent of every heist goes to her. Twenty percent if you used guild resources, but we don¡¯t need that for one wand shop.¡±


    So I guess that¡¯s how she makes her money. I¡¯m surprised all these thieves are okay with that though. I guess I can see Melia not caring too much about the money, but how does she get everyone else to comply? Oh well, I guess it¡¯s not really my business, it''s not like I¡¯m planning on sticking around the thieves guild after the curse gets removed.


    Shuka was about to continue to argue against committing crimes, but Melia was already moving on with robbing the place. Not in the way Shuka expected though. The young girl lifted up her large witch hat revealing a small raccoon that was hiding underneath it, which quickly skittered onto her shoulder.


    ¡°Hey Scurry, see that window up there? See if you can open it up for us.¡±


    The raccoon, which apparently understood the witch just fine, jumped off her shoulder and started to climb up the wall of the wand store and towards a window on its second floor. Once it got there, Shuka was surprised to see it pull out a set of lock picks from its mouth then begin to pick the lock on the window.


    ¡°Why does that raccoon have lock picks? And where was it even keeping them?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, raccoons will eat anything so he just keeps them in his stomach most of the time. And he learned how to pick locks from me, although I think he¡¯s better at it than me by now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Anything doesn¡¯t include lock picks. And I don¡¯t think you can teach an animal to pick a lock anyway.¡±


    ¡°You can when that animal is a familiar. They¡¯re almost as smart as us you know, even if the way they think is a bit weird.¡±


    In hindsight it really shouldn¡¯t have surprised Shuka to learn that Melia¡¯s familiar was a raccoon, but somehow it still did. Whatever else he was though, Scurry the raccoon was good at picking locks. In the short moment Shuka was distracted, the window was unlocked, and Scurry was waving at Melia and making small animal sounds from inside the shop.


    ¡°You¡¯re done? Good job Scurry. Now curse girl, uhh, Shuko, right?¡±


    ¡°Shuka.¡±


    ¡°Close enough. I¡¯ll be on lookout duty, so you go up and snag some magic wood. If you need any locks picked, just ask Scurry. He can understand you completely so don¡¯t worry about giving him directions. He might bite you if you ask him to do something dumb though.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ how am I meant to get up there?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, alright give me a second, I need to make sure nobody sees us.¡±


    Begrudgingly, Melia took out a piece of charcoal and a sheet of paper, from two separate pockets, and hastily scrawled ¡®FUCK OFF THERE¡¯S NOTHING HERE¡¯ on it. She then slapped the paper onto the side of a crate, which it somehow stuck to, and moved the crate to the front of the alley, with the paper facing the street. If it wasn¡¯t for the faint trace of magic Shuka sensed from the paper she would have thought Melia was just pulling another prank. Once she was done with the paper, Melia reached into a third pocket on her robe and started pulling out a length of rope. She didn¡¯t pull out an entire bundle all at once though, instead she grabbed one end of a loose rope and just slowly removed it one foot at a time. About halfway through Shuka realized that the pocket she was pulling the rope from was far too small to fit the entire rope and it must have been enchanted.


    Are all of her pockets like that? She must be carrying a lot of stuff then, if each pocket acts like a bag of holding.


    Once Melia was done pulling the rope out, she threw one end of it through the window where Scurry was waiting. The raccoon familiar then securely tied his end of the rope to something heavy on the second floor.


    ¡°Well get going already.¡± Melia urged. ¡°My ¡®don¡¯t look over here¡¯ charm only lasts like twenty minutes, so you don¡¯t have much time to waste.¡±


    ¡°Right, got it. Thanks for the rope.¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t very experienced in climbing ropes, but she was rather fit, so she didn¡¯t have too much trouble climbing up to the window. She was rather worried about falling, since there wasn¡¯t anything to cushion her fall, but it wasn¡¯t too far to the ground. It would hurt, probably a lot, but she wouldn¡¯t die. Probably. Once she was through the window Shuka had a quick look around the room she had entered. As luck would have it, she seemed to be in the storage area of the shop. She had worried that the wood she was looking for would be stored in the basement, or even a different building entirely.


    How lucky even is this though? I¡¯m not exactly excited about being able to rob this guy. It didn¡¯t seem like Melia was going to change her mind though, and the raccoon had already broken in. I thought maybe if stealing from this place wasn¡¯t possible she might have pursued a more legal option, but I guess that isn¡¯t going to happen.


    The attic Shuka found herself in was filled with crates and small chests that all had labels on them telling her what was contained inside. Most of it was wood, but there were other miscellaneous goods as well, like tools or other magical reagents. There was even one chest that was labeled as ¡®finished wands¡¯ but that wasn¡¯t what Shuka was looking for. It was probably also the most heavily protected, so she didn¡¯t even approach it, for fear of a spell. Instead, she started perusing the various crates for some good wood to take.


    Hmm¡­ maybe ghostwood? No, that¡¯s too attuned with death magic; it might mess up the talisman. Ironwood then? Nah, ironwood is barely magical and the wood being extra tough probably won¡¯t affect the talisman too much. Is that gaian wood? That must have cost a fortune, I can''t steal that just out of principle. Also, the chest it''s in is probably trapped to all hell.


    The young huntress was having a hard time deciding, and the fact that there were some woods she didn¡¯t even recognize didn¡¯t help. It couldn¡¯t be so cheap that it wouldn¡¯t help with the talisman, but anything too expensive would make her feel guilty. While Shuka was considering her options, Scurry found a crate he was interested in, and was scratching at it. Shuka looked over and saw the label read ¡®witchwood.¡¯ Shuka had never heard of witchwood before, but it was in a crate instead of a chest so it probably wouldn¡¯t bankrupt the owner if a few blocks were stolen. Just then, something clicked in her head as she got an idea.


    Witchwood for a witches curse¡­ Melia did say the symbolism was important. This will be perfect.


    With a plan formulating inside her head, Shuka opened the lid of the crate and started grabbing the rectangular blocks of wood within. They were dark and had thin lines of black streaking through the grains like veins of corrupted blood. It was the most worrying block of wood Shuka had ever held, but it didn¡¯t do anything special when she touched it, so it was probably safe to handle. She got about eight blocks before her arms were too full to carry any more, but Shuka felt like that was enough, and moved back to the window. Melia was still down there waiting, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any guards investigating, so Shuka called down as quietly as she could.


    ¡°Melia! Hey Melia! If I throw down this wood, do you think you could catch it all?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, just go for it, I¡¯ll catch them.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything Shuka could do but trust that she would catch them, so with one thrust she dropped the blocks of wood down to the witch. Melia, for her part, just removed her large witch hat and held it out below the falling wood. The hat enlarged, growing almost three times as big, allowing it to easily catch all of the witchwood in its cavity. With that settled, Shuka began climbing back down the rope while Melia examined the contents of her hat. By the time Shuka reached the bottom the witch already had a block in her hand and was examining it.


    ¡°Oh wow, you managed to get witchwood. You couldn¡¯t have picked a better wood for this; witchwood reacts very well to emotion infused mana. Normally, it¡¯s used for some of the darker emotions, but it should work for this too. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Now, do you have any ideas for other things we could put on the talisman?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think I do.¡±

 Chapter Forty Two

    Chapter Forty Two


    Shuka¡¯s feelings of triumph at her successful heist didn¡¯t last long. Mostly, they were replaced by the guilt of successfully heisting someone. Robbing people was not something she wanted to do, but she figured if she didn¡¯t then Melia would instead. That thought didn¡¯t help nearly as much as she hoped it would. Still, Melia was far too impatient to wait for Shuka to grapple with boring things like morals.


    ¡°Come ooooon, let¡¯s go already. You stole what, half a crate of wood? He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah probably, but he¡¯s still not going to be happy when he finds out.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, who cares? Just tell me about this plan you have for the talisman already.¡±


    ¡°Only if you promise me not to steal the ingredients.¡±


    It was Shuka¡¯s one request and she had been fighting for it for the last ten minutes. Melia really didn¡¯t like being told what to do though; how Asheli got her to do anything was a wonder.


    ¡°Fine, but if you don¡¯t have enough money to buy what you want then I am stealing some coins.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s as good as I¡¯m going to get, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is. Now just tell me what your plan is already!¡±


    ¡°Alright fine, so you told me that the talisman needed to have some symbolism right? Well, I thought what if the arrow represented the curse? Or at least the witch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so you got witchwood because it¡¯s witchy right? What about the feathers and the pointy bit.¡±


    ¡°¡­They are called the fletching and arrowhead. I was going to see if I could find some crow or raven feathers for the fletching since that was what the witch¡¯s familiar was, but I am still figuring out what to do about the arrowhead.¡±


    Melia looked at Shuka like she was dumb, and then pointed at the amulet of Vondoom that hung around her neck.


    ¡°Just use that. You grew up in a Vondoom orphanage, right? The necklace should work to symbolize home then, and home is normal, which is what you want. And it¡¯s just a big metal V so it should work just fine as an arrowhead.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ fine? I mean the shaft and fletching both represent the curse, wouldn¡¯t it mess it up if just the arrowhead represents home?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ nope, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    That¡¯s a worrying answer, but I don¡¯t really have anything else to use as an arrowhead. And besides, Maryam said the Vondoom Orphanage can be used as a sanctuary and Melia would have to show me where the one in Sidus is so I can get more amulets. Wait, would using a holy symbol like this be considered heresy? Ehh, from everything I¡¯ve heard about him, Vondoom probably won¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll use the amulet then. I¡¯m going to need more though, can you bring me to the orphanage? I¡¯ve never been to Sidus before so I don¡¯t know where it is here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, and I¡¯ll get Scurry to get us some feathers while we¡¯re doing that.¡±


    As she said that, Melia removed her hat from her head, and out crawled Scurry.


    ¡°Hey buddy, wanna hunt a bird for us? Go find a crow or raven and bring us the corpse. We need the feathers though, so don¡¯t eat those. Everything else is fine though.¡±


    Scurry nodded his head a few times, then ran off.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t mean to doubt your familiar, but raccoons don¡¯t really hunt birds. How is he supposed to catch a crow?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll figure it out, don¡¯t worry. Now, to the orphanage!¡±


    *


    The Vondoom Orphanage was a familiar sight to Shuka, even if it wasn¡¯t the exact same building she¡¯d grown up in. Compared to the one in Rainsburg, the Sidus orphanage was much larger, and incorporated a lot more stone in its design than the almost entirely wooden building she knew. Even with the increase in size and addition of stonework, the orphanage still managed to feel homey. It was a welcome sight. Walking through the door Shuka found the interior to have a pretty similar layout to what she was used to. A front desk sat right in the center of the reception area, with chairs and toys strewn about for the orphans to play with. There was a small altar to Vondoom off to the side where worshippers could pray without having to go through the entire orphanage. Technically there was another altar in the room, in the form of the secretary manning the front desk. Not Margaret, a golem said to be crafted by Margaret the Demi-God of Secretaries. Apparently Margaret didn¡¯t like answering prayers so she told all of her followers to send their prayers to her golems instead, and only the most important ones got to the demi-god herself. Or at least that was what Shuka had heard, but in all her years of living in the orphanage she never saw it happen. Then again, she didn¡¯t know if Rainsburg even had a follower of Margaret in it, so it wasn¡¯t that surprising. Speaking of Not Margaret, she looked slightly different from what Shuka remembered as well. While both golems were shaped mostly the same, a stern-looking human woman with their hair in a bun, the one in Sidus looked a fair bit fancier. They were both beautiful mind you, but the Rainsburg Not Margaret was made entirely out of a dark brown wood that gave it a very rustic look. This Not Margaret, on the other hand, was covered in white ceramic plates that acted as its skin, and had gold filigree along the edges of some of the plates. Rather than being ostentatious though, it was more subtly elegant. Gold filigree or not, a Not Margaret was a Not Margaret and that wasn¡¯t intimidating to a girl who¡¯d lived eighteen years of her life with one, so Shuka walked right up to the golem and showed it her amulet of Vondoom.


    ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Shuka, I¡¯m a child of Vondoom. I was wondering if I could get some extra amulets; do you have any spares you could give me?¡±


    ¡°Clarification on the purpose of this request is required.¡±


    Not Margaret''s voices was monotone and sounded artificial. When she spoke her mouth didn¡¯t move either, in fact not a single part of her face moved, save the eyes. Their entire face was actually a single ceramic plate that had just been moulded into the shape of a face without any of the articulation the real deal had. Most people found it unnerving, but Shuka was used to it.


    Hmm, what should I tell her? The truth probably, that tends to work the best on golems. Or at least on Not Margaret. She doesn¡¯t care about most things and only really intervened if someone was doing something dangerous or harmful.


    ¡°I want to use them as ingredients for some talismans I am making. The talismans are to help with a curse I have.¡±


    ¡°Understood, request accepted. How many amulets of Vondoom do you require?¡±


    ¡°Seven please.¡±


    I managed to grab eight blocks of witchwood from the wand shop, but one block is going to Asheli for the heist tax, so I only have enough wood for seven amulets. I hope that¡¯s enough.


    Not Margaret then promptly opened one of the many drawers on her desk and pulled out seven amulets of Vondoom before handing them all to Shuka.


    ¡°Shuka Vondoom, please be aware that the Grand Paladin Validus is currently in Sidus and is searching for you. Your current illusion may not be sufficient to hide your identity from him. I recommend utilizing a higher quality illusion spell and an avoidance of the temple district.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ thanks?¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t expecting Not Margaret to comment on her situation with Validus and expected her to give advice on how to avoid the law even less.


    I didn¡¯t think she would know I¡¯m wanted. How would she even learn? I¡¯ve never seen a Not Margaret leave their orphanage before. Should I have been more careful with my identity? No, if they are warning me about Validus I don¡¯t think they are going to tell him about me.


    With the conversation seemingly complete, Not Margaret looked away from Shuka and began to stare straight ahead with no regard for anything around her. Shuka was used to this too, so she went back to where Melia was waiting for her at the entrance. The witch, for her part, looked incredibly confused.


    ¡°You just asked her for the amulets? You didn¡¯t even lie about why you needed them; what the hell?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±


    ¡°I mean, do you really think the truth is the best story you could have gone with?¡±


    ¡°Yes? I don¡¯t see a problem with it; as long as they believe me, the truth works just fine.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s answer didn¡¯t seem to make much sense to Melia, but she let it go.


    ¡°Well whatever, you got the amulets so I guess we¡¯re good. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two ladies walked out of the orphanage and immediately encountered a ragged and bloody raccoon sitting in the street with a dead crow held proudly in its mouth.


    ¡°Scurry! You got the bird I asked for, good boy. Now we¡¯re only missing one ingredient.¡±


    ¡°We are? What else do we need?¡±


    ¡°Mana crystals. The witchwood¡¯s pretty magic, but everything else ain''t, so the talisman might have a bit of trouble storing all the mana it needs to stay magical by itself.¡±


    What Melia was saying made sense to Shuka. She knew that the more magical an object was the more mana it produced, and therefore the bigger the enchantment it could sustain. What worried her though, was what the last part was.


    Mana crystals are some of the most efficient storers of mana there is, where are we going to find enough for the talismans? I doubt either of us could afford even one of the size we need.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to steal them, are you? I already told you I don¡¯t want you stealing anything for these talismans.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know little Miss Goody Two-Shoes. We¡¯re going dumpster diving for them.¡±


    ¡­what?


    *


    To Shuka¡¯s surprise, they really were dumpster diving for mana crystals. According to Melia there was a merchant who sold intentionally faulty magic items that leaked mana to gullible nobles, and didn¡¯t tell them the mana stones could be recharged when they ran out of mana. After the nobles threw away their ¡®broken¡¯ items they would go back to him to buy a replacement, while he simply scavenged the discarded mana stones and recharged them. If you were lucky though, you could find them first and take them for yourself. Which is why Shuka was now scrounging through the filthiest place in the richest part of Sidus. All things considered, it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been, but it still wasn¡¯t great. Melia was having the time of her life, opening up bags of garbage and digging through their contents with a big smile on her face. She would occasionally find something shiny, like a broken hand mirror, and let out a squeal of excitement before putting it into one of her many pockets. Even food wasn¡¯t exempt from her scavenging, as she found a half-eaten sandwich that she happily took a bite out of before also storing it in her robes.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡­That can¡¯t be healthy.


    Shuka, despite her best efforts, wasn¡¯t finding anything of worth in the trash, least of all mana stones. She was on the verge of giving up, they were running out of garbage bags to rummage through anyway, when she saw a blue glint hidden in the trash. Shuka reached for it and pulled out a round metal device with three polished blue stones set an equal distance from each other around the perimeter of the device.


    ¡°Melia, I found something! Is this it?¡±


    The little witch turned to look at what Shuka was holding, and when she saw it her eyes lit up with delight.


    ¡°Hey, you found one! Yup, that¡¯s what we are looking for. Man we got lucky, sometimes it takes months for me to score like this.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well it¡¯s good that we found one so quickly, but it looks like there are only three mana stones, how long is it going to take to find enough for all the talismans?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ll just crush the stones into powder and spread a bit onto each talisman. The witchwood¡¯s already doing most of the work for mana capacity, so we only really need a bit of powder for each one.¡±


    ¡°So are we done here then?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Shuka was glad to get out of the literal dump she was in, and doubly glad that she was so close to getting her curse under control. She put the magical device away and went to leave the garbage area, when she noticed someone new standing in the exit. The nobles didn¡¯t want to have to look at their garbage, so their dumping area was closed off with a wall. That wall had a door, and it was the only exit from the closed off dump. Currently standing in that doorway was an older, white-haired servant, holding a garbage bag. Shuka and the servant locked eyes for only a moment before the older man turned and began yelling into the streets.


    ¡°VAGRANTS! VAGRANTS IN THE DUMP! HELP! HELP!¡±


    Melia moved instantly, leaping for the exit from the crouched position she was in like some kind of animal. She landed on the servant, pushing him onto the ground and out of the way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go curse girl, we gotta scram!¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t need to be told twice, following quickly behind Melia. She did spare a glance at the servant on the ground though, to see if Melia had hurt him. Luckily, old though he may look, he didn¡¯t seem to be injured by the fall. There wasn¡¯t a lot of time to worry about his health though, as his shouts had attracted the guards, and they were not looking friendly. They weren¡¯t wielding any lethal weapons, just clubs and manacles, but for Shuka, they might as well have been swords and spears.


    I still have my illusion up, so they shouldn¡¯t recognize me as Shuka, but I¡¯m running out of mana so if they catch me the illusion will probably drop before they let me go. Once they know who I am, they won¡¯t let me go with a fine and a warning.


    Melia was leading, and two guards were approaching from the front, looking ready to tackle her. Before they could though, the witch reached into one of her many pockets, took out a handful of sand and threw it into their eyes. That would have been bad enough on its own, but Melia must have enchanted the sand somehow, because as soon as it left her hand it started to shine and glitter with light. It was very bright and irritating, doubly so for the people who just got it in their eyes.


    ¡°AHH, FUCK! MY EYES!¡±


    One of the guards managed to shield his eyes in time, although the small lightshow was still preventing him from seeing properly, but the other guard got a direct hit of sand in his eyes. It did not look pleasant. Shuka didn¡¯t have time to feel pity for him though, she was still running for her life. Luckily, she managed to get past them before they could see properly, but the guard who still had functioning eyes was hot on her heels. She ran through the street chasing after Melia and going past carriages who had, thankfully, stopped in the commotion. She was managing to stay ahead of the guard behind her, but just barely, and more were showing up.


    Melia can probably deal with some of those, but how many? And how far is it still to the Thieves Guild? Getting chased the whole way there isn¡¯t going to work, we need a plan.


    ¡°Melia! Can you slow down a bit, we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Not a great time for it you know!¡± She shot back a bit annoyed. ¡°But fine, what is it?¡±


    The, surprisingly fast witch slowed down just enough for Shuka to catch up.


    ¡°We need a plan Melia; running the whole way isn¡¯t going to work.¡±


    ¡°No shit.¡±


    ¡°Right, can you do anything to get them off our tails?¡±


    ¡°Sure can, but not with people watching me do it.¡±


    Shuka looked around for hiding spots, but there weren¡¯t many options. Not with how many people were about at least. But she did see one spot, it was an alleyway, up ahead in the next block. She couldn¡¯t see very clearly, but it looked like it might lead behind some buildings and out of the view of the street. The only problem was there was a guard standing at the entrance. He wasn¡¯t giving chase, just staying where he was and denying them a place to hide. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but it was the best they had, and with the rest of the guards in the district quickly closing in, she didn¡¯t have the time to hesitate.


    ¡°If we can get past that guard we can hide in the alleyways.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but we¡¯re going to have to deal with the guy on your tail too. Can you take him out?¡±


    ¡°Take him out?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, jeez. Just make sure he can¡¯t follow us, stab him in the leg or something. We¡¯ll get in big trouble if we kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on killing him. And¡­ yes, I think I can deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Great, cause we are out of time.¡±


    As she spoke, Melia suddenly swerved, turning towards the alley Shuka had pointed out. At the same time, Shuka stopped, and turned on her heel to face the guardsman who was chasing her, and drew her sword.


    My bow¡¯s useless at this range, and I won¡¯t be able to keep my disguise up if I use any other magic. The sword is my only option right now. It¡¯s time for my lessons with Xorvos to pay off.


    The guardsman didn¡¯t slow, but when Shuka drew her sword, she saw a look of fear in his eyes. Still, he raised his club, and¡­ hesitated. Shuka didn¡¯t. She slashed at the hand holding the weapon and cut his wrist badly enough to cause him to drop the club. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she then decided to take Melia¡¯s advice and stabbed her sword into his thigh. It didn¡¯t go in very deep as it was a pretty clumsy stab, but it did pierce flesh, and that was enough for Shuka. Not that she had enough time for anything else anyway. Turning back towards the alley, she found its lone guardsman on the ground and clutching his nether regions.


    My guy got off lucky, Melia is mean.


    Heading into the alley, Shuka found that it was indeed not a dead end. She went around a corner and Melia was already doing something with what looked like a small doll. Once she saw Shuka had arrived, she turned and produced a second doll out of her robes. Before Shuka could ask what it was or what she was doing, Melia yanked a strand of hair from Shuka¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ow, what was that for?¡±


    ¡°Your dummy, you dummy.¡±


    The witch took Shuka¡¯s hair and somehow attached it to the second doll. Now that she looked, Shuka saw that the first doll had what looked like a bit of Melia¡¯s hair on it already. With both dolls done, Melia threw them to the ground, only for two fully-sized people to land. Two specific people - Melia and Shuka. Shuka¡¯s duplicate even looked like her blonde-haired disguise. Melia wasted no time in giving them orders.


    ¡°Hey, you two. Go lure all of the guards somewhere away from the Thieves Guild.¡±


    Both of the newly formed humans nodded, then started to run out of the alley.


    ¡°And now we hide. Got any plans for that?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me? Uhh, over there. I can put an illusion over that alcove.¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t expecting to be put on the spot to find somewhere to hide, but she could already hear the stomping of boots approaching so she didn¡¯t waste any time with complaints. The two of them scurried over to a small alcove set in the wall of some fancy house and squeezed in together. It was a tight fit, but neither of them were particularly large, so they managed it. Now all that was left was the illusion.


    I can only keep one spell up at once, so my disguise is going to drop from this. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, as long as they don¡¯t find us. But if they do¡­ no, it¡¯s all over if they catch me, regardless of whether my disguise is up or not. If I do nothing, I die, so this is at least better than that.


    The disguise fell away as Shuka started to craft a new spell. One that would, hopefully, keep her safe. The guards were getting closer and she was running out of both time and mana, but she couldn¡¯t get distracted so she just kept working. Then, just as the guardsmen rounded the corner, her spell finished, and an illusionary wall appeared over the alcove. The stomping got louder, and Shuka was worried they would stop and investigate, but instead, she heard a shout and more running.


    ¡°There they are! After them!¡±


    They must have spotted the dolls of us that Melia made.


    They waited for the heavy footfalls to fade away in the distance, and then they waited a bit longer, before Melia finally poked her head out of the illusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear.¡±


    Shuka breathed a sigh of relief and ended her spell. The alleyway was empty and now all there was left to do was sneak back into the Thieves Guild, although Shuka suspected that she might need a new disguise for that.


    *


    Half an hour of skulking and two hours of fletching later, the talismans were finally done. Seven, rather stubby, arrows fletched with crow feathers and tipped with the silver V of Vondoom. Blue lines of mana were inscribed around the shaft of each, courtesy of three crushed mana stones. Truthfully, they looked more like crossbow bolts than arrows with how short they were, but that was fine. She only had so much wood and it was close enough anyway. Now all that was left was to enchant them. Melia was preparing the spell, and Shuka was sipping from a mana potion, making sure she would have enough mana to power all seven of them. After a moment of concentration, Melia opened her eyes and gathered all of the arrows into one pile before turning to Shuka to tell her what to do.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve placed a spell circle above the talismans, now all you gotta do is pump some mana through it and it should be sucked into the mana stone dust. Probably. Oh right, I also need to make your mana emotionally resonant, give me your hand.¡±


    Shuka did so, putting one hand in Melia¡¯s and the other hovering above the pile of arrows.


    ¡°Alright, you can start now. Just think about home and being normal, and all of the symbolism stuff you talked about before.¡±


    Shuka closed her eyes and thought. It wasn¡¯t easy staying focused on the right thoughts for the spell, especially with all of the complex emotions she was feeling. Was excitement a good emotion for the spell? What about fear? She was certainly worried it wouldn¡¯t work, and that worry only made her worry more.


    No, I can¡¯t think about that. Just think about home, about people looking at me with smiles instead of glares.


    She saw it now. Home. An isolated cabin in Rainsburg, where the only times people bothered her was with good intentions. A place without the curse. That curse had been shot and killed, a stubby little arrow did the deed and now she was free. Her worries melted away as a resolute desire for that future filled her.


    I will be normal! I will be Shuka the hunter, not Shuka the demon-summoning witch. Not important enough to catch the Grand Paladin¡¯s attention, and definitely not important enough to get involved in an archmage¡¯s schemes. Just me, a hunter and nothing more.


    Mana was flowing out of her now, transforming her will into magic. That blue energy inside of her felt eager now, eager in a way she had never felt be before. She¡¯d aways had to tell it where to go and what to do, but now? Now it wanted to help her. The mana flowed forth, directed by Melia¡¯s spell and attracted to the mana dust in the talismans. Slowly but surely, it filled each and every arrow in the pile until they all glowed with magic. Shuka opened her eyes, and it was done. Melia wasted no time in picking one up and tying it to a cord to wear around her neck.


    ¡°Alright, time to test these out, say something stupid curse girl.¡±


    ¡°Why does it have to be something stupid? Wouldn¡¯t the test work regardless of what I say?¡±


    Melia stared at Shuka, slightly perplexed.


    ¡°Huh. You said something and it wasn¡¯t super annoying. Looks like they work.¡±


    Shuka looked back at the rest of the talismans, and realized just what that meant. She had done it, she had beaten the curse.


    ¡°I gotta get these to Xorvos and Maryam.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Asheli too.¡±


    Shuka wasn¡¯t even listening to that, she just wanted to find her friends. She left the room and went searching for her tall friend. It wasn¡¯t hard to find him, seeing as he was seven feet tall and was the only guy in the room with gray skin. He was sitting at a table nursing some bruises, but looking quite happy. Shuka didn¡¯t know how he got the bruises, but she would ask later. Right now, there was only one thing on her mind; seeing her friend genuinely smile at her.


    ¡°Xorvos, the talismans are done. Here¡¯s yours.¡±


    He looked up at her, and Shuka couldn¡¯t help but note the slightly hurt look in his eyes.


    ¡°When did you get back? How long have you been in the guild for?¡±


    ¡°Melia dragged me off to her room to work on the talismans as soon as we got back, I didn''t get a chance to see you. But they¡¯re done now, so take yours.¡±


    Xorvos still looked a bit annoyed, but he did take his talisman, holding the small arrow in one large gauntleted fist.


    ¡°So¡­ now what? Do I need to do something to activate it?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, Melia didn¡¯t seem to do anything special to make hers work, but I can¡¯t even tell when she casts magic half the time, so I might have just missed it.¡±


    ¡°She got a talisman before I did? I thought I would be first.¡±


    Shuka¡¯s heart sank. It didn¡¯t work. Was it because he was a quanso? Did he need to know how to use magic for it to take effect? She didn¡¯t know. Before she could ponder this any more Maryam walked up to them.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I got the talismans finished but they don¡¯t seem to be working well. It worked on Melia but Xorvos¡­¡±


    But, wait a second. Why was Xorvos smiling? Grinning in fact, like he was just messing around with his best friend, teasing them with mock outrage. Then¡­ Shuka was smiling too. Xorvos stepped towards her.


    ¡°It worked! Quick, give one to Maryam then come here, you big doofus.¡±


    Shuka went in for a hug, one that was eagerly returned. Then Maryam was hugging them both. Shuka didn¡¯t care that she was still in the common room of the Thieves Guild, her friends could really see her again. Everything was right once more.

 Chapter Forty Three

    Chapter Forty Three


    Myra was tired. She was always tired. Every movement took effort, like the whole world was heavier, but only for her. It¡¯s not that she lacked the strength, just the energy. If it weren¡¯t for her family she would have starved to death long ago. Her brother especially gave her the motivation she needed to do anything. But how cursed was she that she required motivation even to get out of bed? She made the attempt now, pushing with her hands against her soft bedsheets, forcing herself into a sitting position. It worked, barely, and Myra was released from the cozy grasp of her bed. Unless she decided to lay back down again and fall back asleep. That did happen sometimes, but not today. She seemed to remember that her brother had asked her to do something for him today, although her mind was too hazy from waking up to remember what. Actually, she wasn¡¯t even sure if the task was today or not, but it felt soon probably so she might as well get up now in case it really was today. Myra planted her feet on the floor of her room and shakily stood up. There was a golden bell on her nightstand which she picked up and lazily rung once. Then, since the bell was heavy, despite not actually being made of gold, she put it back onto the nightstand. Well, really she just stopped trying to hold it up and let gravity do most of the work. Moments later, Cellidor, her elven butler, entered the room.


    ¡°What do you require, Lady Myra?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ what time is it?¡±


    ¡°Four hours past noon.¡±


    When did I fall asleep yesterday? I think it was around midnight. So that would be, uh¡­ sixteen hours, I think. Or wait, was it midnight? It might have been noon. It was definitely twelve though, I just can¡¯t remember which twelve.


    ¡°Did I sleep for four hours, or sixteen?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen.¡±


    ¡°Right, thanks.¡±


    You would think it would be easy to tell if you overslept or under slept, but it made no difference to Myra. They both made her tired. Then again, sleeping a ¡®normal¡¯ amount made her tired too, so it didn¡¯t make much of a difference how long she slept.


    Now¡­ what am I forgetting? Right, the thing my brother Mervil wanted me to do.


    ¡°Cellidor, Mervil wanted me to do something. Uhh¡­ what was it again?¡±


    ¡°Validus has called for another meeting, and he requested that you attend it.¡±


    ¡°Another? Oh right, I was asleep for the last one. Well, when is this one happening? Please tell me it was two hours ago and I missed it.¡±


    ¡°Sadly Lady Myra, the meeting will occur an hour and a half from now. Just enough time for you to make it.¡±


    The dead look in Myra¡¯s eyes was her only reply. She could have slumped back into her bed and gone back to sleep, or failing that she could have just lain there until the meeting was over. But her brother asked her to do something, so she was going to at least try.


    Ugh. Why did I accept becoming a high priestess again? My position is almost entirely ceremonial and it¡¯s still too much work. I know something is better than nothing, but can I find a better something?


    Myra idly considered retiring, but not seriously. The moment she didn¡¯t have any obligations she knew it would be the death of Myra the person, and the birth of Myra the sleeping. So, as she was still alive, Myra the person found her walking stick, staggered out of her room and got twenty feet before she found her couch and collapsed onto it. That was the most she could do until she got some food. Luckily her butler was working on that. Twenty minutes later Cellidor came back with two plates of food, one for him and one for her. Myra felt that her butler was too quick in his cooking, as she was still too tired to put forth the effort of eating, but then she saw he had cooked sausages for her, and decided that maybe she could eat after all. Skewering a sausage with her pristine silverware, Myra ungracefully took a large bite out of her meal. It was unbecoming of a lady and priestess such as herself, but she didn¡¯t care. Grace took more effort than she cared to give. So she just ate, and when she was done she felt a bit better. Still tired, but less so. Begrudgingly, she had to admit to herself that she now had enough energy to get to the meeting. That wasn¡¯t for another hour though, so she still had plenty of time to laze about. Cellidor though, had other plans.


    ¡°We must leave for the meeting Lady Myra.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Already? Can¡¯t we go later, I¡¯m still waking up.¡±


    ¡°We cannot. The last time I allowed you to leave it to the last minute we arrived ten minutes late.¡±


    ¡°Fine, we can go now. But I want to stop by the Temple of Larquin if we have extra time. I had a dream, and I want to make sure I remember it, in case I want to paint it or something.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Lady Myra. May I ask what this dream was about?¡±


    Myra had to think about that. She didn¡¯t quite know herself, with how little she remembered of it. But she felt¡­ inspired.


    ¡°I think it was about me. Or maybe someone else in my body. They definitely looked like me, but they were doing stuff. Somehow though, I felt more tired than usual. Or maybe not tired, but¡­ apathetic? I don¡¯t know, it didn¡¯t really make sense.¡±


    ¡°Was it a bad dream?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ no? Or, maybe? I feel like it should have been a bad dream, but I just didn¡¯t feel anything, so I guess it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad you slept peacefully then. Do you remember what you were doing, despite your fatigue?¡±


    Killing by the dozens without feeling a thing.


    ¡°Nope. I just remember I was working unusually hard. I¡¯ve already forgotten the specifics though.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, such is the nature of dreams.¡±


    *


    It wasn¡¯t a long journey to the Temple of Larquin. This was good because it was one of the two places outside of her home that Myra actually went to, with the other being the Grand Temple. The Temple of Larquin was a beautiful building, befitting the god of art, with twisting, multicoloured spires that rose into the sky. The roof of the temple, where the spires rested was circular, giving the impression of a crown, not one of some tyrant king, but the crown of an artist. Circling the entire base of the building was a single, long, stained glass window, that told a story. What story? Well, it changed every few weeks. The glass was enchanted so any artist or writer could give their work to the temple and the window would depict their story. Myra didn¡¯t recognize the story that was currently being showcased, but whatever it was, it had a lot of dragons. Maybe she would ask someone about it. Or maybe she wouldn¡¯t. It was so hard talking to people sometimes. Most of the time really. It was even harder to remember what they said. Myra walked into the temple, slowly, but without her walking stick. It was only for when she was at her most fatigued. And for when she wanted to pretend to be more tired than she was, to get out of social situations, though she rarely needed to do that here. She actually liked most of the disciples of Larquin, even if she didn¡¯t remember all of their names. Music was playing from the inner courtyard, and the temple was built in such a way as to allow the sound to travel to every corner of the building easily. The song was upbeat and fast-paced, which was good because one time they played something calming and slow-paced, and it put her to sleep before she even reached her office. It was a real achievement too, considering her office was the closest room to the entrance. This time she got there without a problem. At first glance, most people would mistake the room for an artist¡¯s studio. Easels, jars of paint, and half-finished paintings littered the room, making it an absolute mess. There was also someone else already in the room - Alice, Myra¡¯s assistant, and the person actually running the temple. It wasn¡¯t even a secret; even the public knew that Myra was the high priestess in name only. Not that she cared, she barely even wanted the job. Alice didn¡¯t want the job either sadly, which confused Myra to no end. She was already doing the job, wasn¡¯t she? Just make it official already.


    ¡°Myra, I have several projects that I need your approval for and Duke Eberhold the Third is requesting a portrait from the High Priestess of Larquin.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ the projects are approved and tell the duke no. Do you need my signature for anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just sign right here so I can get those projects underway.¡±


    Alice placed a piece of paper on the desk and pointed at a blank spot waiting to be signed. The page was full of writing, but Myra wasn¡¯t going to bother reading any of it, so she just added her signature, a lowercase m, and moved on. Moved onto the couch she had moved into her office that is. She fell face-first onto it and just laid there for a moment before Alice started talking again.


    ¡°I have also finished another chapter of my book if you are interested in reading it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Myra moved the fastest she had all day, which was to say as fast as a normal person, and sat up on the couch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished another chapter? Alright, gimme; I¡¯ve got a meeting I need to be in soon and this will be a perfect distraction.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Alice handed over a small stack of papers filled with writing, but unlike the official stuff, this was interesting. Still, Myra was a slow reader and she knew she didn¡¯t have the time to read the chapter and still make it to the meeting in time. So instead of reading it here, Myra used a spell. It was a spell she had used for this exact situation many times before, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult, but the effort still drained her. Still, this was something she cared enough about. Myra pulled at her mana and imagined the haze in her mind clearing. She pictured the story that Alice had been writing for years, and the love for her art filled Myra with the power of her god. The spell was completed. Keeping it up was draining though, so Myra wasted no time in flipping through the pages she was given. She only spent about a second on each page before moving on to the next. When she¡¯d finished, she handed the pages back to Alice and ended the spell, visibly slumping in exhaustion. The spell was a memory spell. Everything that she saw while the spell was active she could recall with perfect clarity, for the next 24 hours at least. She still needed to process that information at a normal speed, but she could do that in Validus¡¯ meeting.


    ¡°Alright, now get out of here. I¡¯m too tired to talk to you right now and I still have to pray to Larquin. Oh, and I¡¯ll be leaving right after this too, so if anyone asks for me, tell them I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Alice left the office and Myra went back to the reason she even came to the temple, which was to pray to her god. But first, she was going to crash on the couch again. Cellidor, hero that he was, found an easel with a blank canvas on it and placed it in front of Myra. A set of paints came soon afterwards. He said nothing though, he didn¡¯t rush her, or remind her that she was on a time limit. He just waited. It took several minutes for her to gather the strength to start, but she got there eventually. The priestess sat up, faced the canvas, picked up her paintbrush, and then closed her eyes. Prayer came in many forms, and for Myra, who found inspiration in her dreams, this was how she did it. She thought back to her dream, the one she¡¯d had a mere hour ago. The one that featured herself. By now, all she recalled were fractured remnants of the dream, but it was starting to come back to her. Myra¡¯s arm started moving, but she didn¡¯t check what it was painting, she had a dream to remember. She was walking uhh¡­ somewhere civilized. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was inside or outside, but she felt like she was around buildings. There were a bunch of people around, but they were all vague, so probably not anyone she knew. They were all frantically running around in a panic, but Myra was calm. Actually, she wasn''t even that. She was just¡­ empty of emotion, and so very tired. Then the reason for the panic became apparent. Large, black tendrils sprouted from Myra¡¯s back, or maybe they had always been there. They whipped out at the fleeing crowd, with speed and ferocity. Where they struck, people died. Snapped spines, broken necks, even limbs being torn from the body. Still, Myra felt nothing. She was too busy walking towards something. Or¡­ was it someone? Yeah, there was a specific person she was walking towards with a purpose. To kill them? She couldn¡¯t tell. She couldn¡¯t even tell what they looked like, but that was normal. She needed at least some creative freedom in her art. Myra opened her eyes and found she had painted a sketch of what she saw. Herself in the foreground, with the tendrils taking up a large part of the canvas. Then the mystery person in the middle ground, being approached, and in the background were all of the other people getting killed or running away.


    I wonder why I¡¯m killing people. And random people too - seems like too much effort to me. Am I meant to be possessed or something? Could be a charm too. Well, whatever, the painting looks like it will be cool at least.


    Cellidor was sitting across from her in a chair he found, waiting patiently. He couldn¡¯t see the painting, as it was facing away from him, but he could tell she was done by the fact that she had stopped moving.


    ¡°Alright Cellidor, how long was I out for?¡±


    ¡°Nineteen minutes. And before you ask, yes we still have plenty of time to make it to the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Betrayed by my own god. Saying I was busy communing with Larquin would have been the perfect excuse too.¡±


    ¡°It seems it is the will of god for you to attend.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    *


    Myra was staring blankly at a wall. The was a large ornate door that would have been much more interesting to stare at, but it was the door to the meeting room, so she ignored it on principle alone. She was broken out of her trance by the sound of metal boots striking the stone floor. Looking over to the source of the sound she saw the Grand Paladin, who had arranged the the meeting. Validus. Myra shot him a glare, but she wasn¡¯t sure if the glare was different enough from her normal face for him to even notice. He mostly ignored her anyway, and simply opened the door to the meeting room and entered.


    ¡°¡­Was it not even locked this whole time?¡±


    ¡°It is typically not, unless it is in use Lady Myra.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, whatever, it¡¯s not like waiting inside would have made much of a difference.¡±


    Myra was about to stumble into the room when Cellidor stopped her with a gesture of his hand.


    ¡°Lady Myra, before you enter, take this.¡±


    The butler took out a metal canister and held it out towards his lady. Myra could hear a liquid sloshing around inside it.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡±


    ¡°Water mixed with sugar, with lemon juice added for flavour. It¡¯s to keep you awake during the meeting.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡±


    Myra opened up the canister and immediately took two big gulps of the drink. It wasn¡¯t the best drink she had ever had, but it was sweet and it woke her up a bit, so it was good in her books. Also, the canister itself must have been enchanted with a lightness spell, because she didn¡¯t drop it immediately. She knew that her energy wouldn¡¯t last forever though, and Cellidor did too, so he already had her walking stick out. He couldn¡¯t come into the meeting with her, it was for high priests and priestesses and higher only, so she had to take it with her in case she needed it on the way out. She grabbed the stick and found it heavy, but light enough that she could still carry it. Now only extremely tired instead of dead tired, Myra entered the meeting room and found her seat. It was a large, circular room, that she didn¡¯t actually care about enough to remember anything about, so she didn¡¯t. Other people were entering the room now too, but she tuned all of that out and started to read Alice¡¯s chapter, through her perfect memory of the pages. It was a bit hard to ignore everything around her, especially once they started talking, but she managed. No one expected her to contribute in these meetings anyway, so what difference did it make if she knew what was going on or not? What she was reading was much more interesting anyway.


    ¡°¡­Myra. Myra!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, are you talking to me?¡±


    Validus was staring straight at Myra, and he had just been shouting her name. He looked a bit frustrated too, which was probably related to the shouting her name thing.


    ¡°We are waiting for your vote Myra.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are we voting? Okay, I vote yes.¡±


    Myra took a sip of her lemon drink, since she remembered she had it, and Validus just looked at her incredulously.


    ¡°Do you even know what the vote is for?¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t listening. I don¡¯t really care though, whatever it is I vote yes. Or, if yes isn¡¯t an option, I guess I will just vote for whatever Mervil voted for.¡±


    Myra felt like she was breaking some social norms, but she was just too tired to care, so she went back to reading. She didn¡¯t get much farther though, because the meeting ended shortly after the whole voting thing. She didn¡¯t notice until half the people had already left though. Getting up, and taking one more gulp of her drink, Myra started to make her way to the exit. She only got halfway before Validus blocked her path.


    ¡°Myra, may we talk?¡±


    ¡°¡­Do I have to say yes? Because I really want to say no.¡±


    ¡°This is an important matter.¡±


    Everything¡¯s an important matter with this guy. I just want to go home and sleep. Or maybe work on my painting. Not talk to people.


    Myra was about to walk past him, when she saw her brother, also making his way out of the room, give her a look. It was a look that said ¡®Be a person.¡¯


    ¡°Alright fine, we can talk. Just let me sit down.¡±


    She slumped down into the closest chair to her, which happened to be the High Priestess of Xyloth''s chair.


    Was she the mean one, or the nice one? I can''t remember.


    Validus decided to get straight to the point, he barely even gave her enough time to sit down.


    ¡°I need you to paint one of your prophetic paintings, to help us catch the witch Shuka.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    There was a long, drawn-out silence as Myra tried to process what Validus said. It was hard though, she drank more of the sugar juice, but it only helped so much.


    ¡°So¡­ this witch person, is it that racoon girl I¡¯ve seen around?¡±


    ¡°No, that is a different witch, unrelated to this one. I showed a drawing of her during the meeting, did you not see it?¡±


    ¡°No. And don¡¯t show it to me now, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    He looks really annoyed again, did I mess up? Oh, it was probably the ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯ bit.


    ¡°Regardless, can you paint her? If you are painting the future then I imagine you don¡¯t need to know what she looks like right now anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, that is how it works, but¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡±


    There was another long pause before Myra realized he was waiting for her to explain her refusal.


    ¡°Okay, so like¡­ I don¡¯t want to. And also I can¡¯t, but mostly I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you can''t?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can, but I can¡¯t just choose to. Most of my paintings aren¡¯t even prophetic, they¡¯re just normal paintings. I only really paint when I get inspired anyway, I just don¡¯t have the energy otherwise.¡±


    ¡°If you need to be inspired to paint, then do whatever it is you need to do to become inspired. This is important, and one of your paintings would be very useful.¡±


    ¡­Is this guy serious? Do what I need to do to become inspired? Does he even know what inspiration is?


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m already painting something, and I¡¯m not going to start something new until I finish it or give up. Besides, all of my prophetic paintings only ever relate to stuff I care about. And I don¡¯t care about the witch.¡±


    Validus was getting mad, and he opened his mouth to shout, but then stopped himself. The paladin took several deep breaths to calm himself down before speaking again.


    ¡°Why do you let yourself be crippled by your fatigue? Surely there are spells that could keep you awake, you could achieve so much more if you used them.¡±


    Validus wasn¡¯t the first person to ask her this. She was starting to get sick of it. She was also getting sick of talking, she had done entirely too much of it today. She went to drink again, but only a trickle was left. The sugar high she was on was starting to run out as well and whatever little energy she had left was running out. It was a good thing she was done talking.


    ¡°Spells are too effective. I may be tired but I am never anything less than myself, and I would rather be tired than dead.¡±


    Myra grabbed her walking stick and used it to push herself up. She staggered past the Grand Paladin, and he didn¡¯t stop her. Just stared from behind.


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    *


    Myra stared out the window of her carriage, on the verge of sleep. The sugar crash was hitting her hard, and she knew she wasn¡¯t going to get any work done for the painting, so she told Cellidor to take her home. She really was about to fall asleep, but the sound of a man yelling startled her enough to shake out of it. The carriage stopped, and looking out onto the street Myra saw a servant, shouting something about vagrants. She had no idea what he was talking about, until two figures, first one then the other, burst out of an alley, past him. One of them was that cute racoon girl she had seen before, but the other was a stranger. She looked a little¡­ boring to Myra. Blonde hair and pale skin, she had seen it a million times before. But still¡­ something about her caught the artist''s eye.


    Hmm¡­ doesn¡¯t my new painting have a lot of nondescript people in it? Maybe I¡¯ll make her one of them. People don¡¯t like when I put them in my paintings though, especially the more grim ones. They always think it¡¯ll be prophetic. Maybe I¡¯ll just change her features a bit, I mean she is pretty boring right now. How about black hair instead of blonde, and I¡¯ll make her skin a bit darker too. That would make her blue cloak clash though¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just have to change its colour too. Maybe to something a bit more earthy, like green or brown. Ooh, I bet her hair would look great in a big braid. There, now if my painting does predict the future, there¡¯s no way she will be part of it.


    ¡°Cellidor, I think I just got inspired again. Can we go back to the temple?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Myra.¡±

 Chapter Forty Four

    Chapter Forty Four


    Shuka sat before Asheli, who had a new arrow-shaped talisman added among her many trinkets. Her piercing orange eyes still unnerved the young hunter, but not so much now that she knew she wouldn¡¯t be misunderstood. Or at least probably not misunderstood. Really, after so many months being cursed and villainized, Shuka had such little confidence in her ability to talk that she was wondering if the talismans were even going to help. Shuka and Asheli weren¡¯t the only two people in the room though, joining them was Xorvos, Maryam, Melia, and a Gnoll Shuka didn¡¯t recognize. He looked to be in his forties, or maybe fifties, and was wearing much more tribal clothing than most of the gnolls in the Thieves Guild. It was also very obviously clothing of the Ashfire tribe, with lots of reds, oranges, and flame motifs. He seemed to be some sort of spellcaster as well, judging by the large wooden staff he carried. It could have just been a walking stick, but the great multitude of small trinkets, charms, and talisman that hung from it implied otherwise. Shuka half expected one of her talismans to be hanging from it already, everyone else in the room who needed one already had one, and there were three spares laying on Asheli¡¯s desk, but he didn¡¯t reach for one. Another hint towards his magical capabilities; Shuka suspected he had warded himself against the curse, like Visia did.


    ¡°I heard you caused quite the commotion during your little shopping trip. I trust there won¡¯t be any complications?¡±


    It was Asheli who¡¯d broken the silence. Shuka answered her.


    ¡°I kept my disguise up the whole time, they never saw my actual face.¡±


    ¡°Good, it was a gamble sending you out into the city, but I¡¯m glad it paid off. Now, Melia, how did she do?¡±


    ¡°Well if you asked me that an hour ago I would have said she¡¯s an annoying chatterbox who asks too many questions, has a moral code so restrictive you¡¯d think she was a quanso, and she causes far more trouble than she¡¯s worth.¡±


    Was I really that bad? She did seem like she was getting pretty annoyed with me.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re asking me now though, she did pretty good for a rookie. She asks a lot of questions, but they¡¯re usually relevant, and her moral code is actually only almost as bad as a quanso¡¯s, which is a stark improvement. Most importantly though, she¡¯s decisive. Never froze up or hesitated, even when we were being chased. She was even coming up with plans, which is a whole lot more than what most rookies manage when shit goes down.¡±


    Asheli seemed to take that information in for a moment, seemingly pleased with Melia¡¯s assessment.


    ¡°Excellent. You will do well here Shuka, I look forward to your future with us.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait. I¡¯m not planning on joining the Thieves Guild, I just want to go home uncursed. I know I still need to help you with Sandrin as payment, but after that I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not going to force you to join me. But isn¡¯t it a little optimistic thinking everything will go back to normal once your curse is removed?¡±


    I mean, it has to right? Well, convincing Validus might be a bit hard, but if Asheli and maybe even the Grand Priest vouch for me he would have to stop chasing me, right?


    Asheli saw Shuka¡¯s contemplation, and let out a sympathetic sigh before continuing.


    ¡°Lets get down to business. Sandrin has plans for you, and we don¡¯t know what they are. Our first step should be figuring that out. Trying to learn anything about that snake of a man is anything but easy though. If an illusionist of his calibre doesn¡¯t want to be found, he won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted me to help you catch him, but¡­ how? I may have been decently close to him, but that was Ralisdor, not Sandrin. Everything I know about him might be a lie, and I don¡¯t even know what he¡¯s trying to achieve.¡±


    ¡°No, but he went through a not insignificant amount of trouble to curse you, and then spent the last couple of months keeping you alive. You don¡¯t need to find him, he will find you, and when he does, I will be there to kill him a second time.¡±


    The conviction with which she said that made Shuka¡¯s whole body shiver.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Maryam protested. ¡°You''re just using her as bait. And even if you know where he¡¯s going to be, that doesn¡¯t mean you can see him. What¡¯s stopping him from doing all his evil crap right in front of you and just hiding it all with illusions?¡±


    ¡°Archmage or not, his magic can be seen through. If it couldn¡¯t be, we wouldn¡¯t have caused him so many problems three years ago.¡±


    It was at this point that the other Gnoll in the room, the one Shuka didn¡¯t recognize, spoke up.


    ¡°That is where I come in. My name is Ralkis, and I am a shaman. I believe I have a spell that could track the archmage, even through his illusions.¡±


    Maryam wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch? I find it kind of hard to believe you can just pull a spell strong enough to beat an archmage out of your ass like that.¡±


    ¡°The catch, is that I will need a sample of his magic for it to work. The more powerful the better.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t my curse work for that?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°I mean, if he really is the one who put the curse on me, then it should work, right? Unless he got someone else to apply the curse I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Sadly it wouldn¡¯t work anyway. What I am looking for is Sandrin''s mana signature, but that spell is attached to your soul, the very source of your mana. Whatever I get from the curse will be too muddled to be useful.¡±


    Well crap. I was hoping this curse would be useful for one thing at least. What am I supposed to do now, put up posters politely asking him to send a sample of his mana to the Thieves Guild? Wait a second, I do have one thing that might work.


    Shuka rummaged through her bag until she found what she was looking for. The illusion stone that Maryam had stolen from Ralisdor.


    ¡°Here, this might work. Although I don¡¯t know if he enchanted it himself, or if he just bought it though, so it might be a dud.¡±


    Ralkis took the stone and looked it over for a bit before producing a small brazier the size of a bowl, filled with coal, and placed it on Asheli¡¯s desk. With a flick of his wrist dancing orange flames roared to life in the brazier. A moment later, the shaman threw the illusion stone into the fire. Shuka instinctively reached for the stone to save it from the flames, but the moment the stone landed, the fire tripled in size, causing her to jerk her hand back in surprise. It didn¡¯t just grow bigger though, the fire also changed colour. Where once it was coloured normally, with warm oranges and yellows, now the fire was a deep purple and shimmering silver. The two colours mixed and danced together beautifully, and Shuka found herself almost entranced. The shaman who created the fire however, just gave a worried grumble, before putting his hand directly into the fire and removing the illusion stone from it. The moment the stone left the brazier, the flames returned to their more natural hues.


    ¡°Asheli, hand me your anti-scrying charm for a bit.¡±


    Asheli obliged her shaman, removing a small wooden bead carved to look like an eye, from one of her many braids. Ralkis took the bead and threw it into the brazier as well, causing the flames to grow and turn silver and purple just like before. Ralkis retrieved the bead and handed it back to Asheli before he started speaking again.


    ¡°That stone has a potent anti-scrying effect on it. I don¡¯t know if it also has whatever other spell is meant to be on it, but it could probably block scrying from anyone but a dedicated scryer.¡±


    Anti-scrying? Why would Ralisdor have that on an illusion stone? If he really is Sandrin, then I can see him having anti-scrying measures, but putting it on the stone seems like an odd choice.


    Shuka wasn¡¯t the only one confused, but it was Maryam who came to a conclusion first.


    ¡°The anti-scrying enchantment wasn¡¯t for him, it was for us!¡±


    ¡°For us? I guess he would want to keep us hidden from Validus, but that doesn¡¯t explain why he put it on the illusion stone, he could have just given me a normal anti-scrying item and claimed he bought it in Lancrin, or even Rockmarsh.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want you to know about it. If he made the enchantment then he can get past it if he wants to, but if we learn he¡¯s the one who cursed you, we might not trust anything he¡¯s given us.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you steal the illusion stone?¡± Xorvos asked, with clear disapproval.


    ¡°Well sure, but it was maybe a bit too, uhh¡­ convenient. At the time I thought it was just lucky, but the illusion stone was just laying there, in plain view, practically begging to be taken. Actually, I think it drew my attention a bit too much; he might have done something to make it extra appealing, to me at least.¡±


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    Was even us breaking off from him a part of a scheme? Was anything we did our own choice?


    ¡°Well,¡± Ralkis started, ¡°if you don¡¯t mind losing the item, I can turn his own spell against him.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    It was Maryam who asked. Not in doubt this time, but curiosity, from one spellcaster to another.


    ¡°I can create a great fire that burns not wood for fuel, but mana. And it will favor the mana of this spell the most. This hungry flame will seek out its favoured food and flare up in its presence. When one of Sandrin''s spells is near, the fire will know. And when Sandrin himself is present, the fire will be drawn to him.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ sounds nice, but does it have to be a fire? That sounds a bit inconvenient.¡±


    ¡°¡­The fire is a metaphor, the spell is a tattoo that glows when he¡¯s nearby.¡±


    The shaman looked a bit embarrassed at the misunderstanding, and Asheli suppressing a chuckle, wasn¡¯t helping.


    ¡°Regardless, now that I have a sample of his magic, I can get started on the spell. It might take me a few days to get everything ready though.¡±


    ¡°You will also be requiring new anti-scrying artifacts.¡± Asheli mentioned. ¡°I will provide you with some. Do not leave the Thieves Guild on your own until then.¡±


    Shuka could do that, she felt the city was too dangerous for her to explore without a good reason anyway. Although she was a bit surprised, Asheli seemed to imply that she could leave the guild as she wished, after getting the anti-scrying item. Would she really be allowed that much freedom?


    ¡°Oh, and one more thing. Mervil and Fredrick will be coming over tomorrow to talk about you, Sandrin, and the curse. I¡¯ll let you know when they arrive.¡±


    By Mervil and Fredrick, she doesn¡¯t mean Grand Priest Mervil and the Archmage of Conjuration Fredrick does she? Shouldn¡¯t she at least use their titles, I mean they are some of the most powerful people in the country. And also, did she say they were coming here? I guess that¡¯s better for me, since I really don¡¯t want to go to any temples right now, but how the hell did she convince the Grand Priest of the Celestial Empire to meet her in the Thieves Guild?


    It was a mystery, but one that could wait until tomorrow.


    *


    Shuka woke up to the sound of a fist knocking on her door. She groggily, and quite reluctantly, got up to see who it was. When she opened the door, she found none other than Lor¡¯gan.


    ¡°Wow, you look like shit. Hey, don¡¯t give me that death glare, I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    That came out grumpier than she wanted, especially since Lor¡¯gan didn¡¯t have a talisman. There were three spares, and Shuka had one, while Asheli had the other two. One of them was reserved for Mervil, and the other was for her to lend or give to whoever needed it at the time. Shuka¡­ didn¡¯t think Lor¡¯gan was important enough for that.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t shoot the messenger, I¡¯m here on Asheli¡¯s orders. She told me to give you this.¡±


    He was holding out a round piece of metal in the shape of a closed eye. Shuka stared at it blankly for a second before her sluggish mind realized she was supposed to take it.


    This must be that anti-scrying item Asheli said she would get us. Did she have to have it delivered so early though?


    Shuka pocketed the eye before looking back to Lor¡¯gan.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome, though I could do without the sarcasm.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t being sarcastic.


    ¡°Besides, you shouldn¡¯t be thanking me yet anyway. I¡¯ve got a favour to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Ashal really wants to play with you. Could you entertain her for a bit? Not long, just an hour or two, and I¡¯ll be there too to make sure she doesn¡¯t get too carried away.¡±


    How is an hour or two not long? Whatever, it¡¯s not like I dislike Ashal anyway, a couple of hours playing with her should be fine.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? Just like that?¡±


    It sort of annoyed Shuka how genuinely surprised he sounded, but she was starting to get used to that sort of thing.


    ¡°Yeah, just give me half an hour to wake up first, and I¡¯ll help you out.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I see now. Sure, go take your half an hour to ¡®wake up.¡¯ I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t spend that time finding somewhere to hide.¡±


    ¡­I guess some things aren¡¯t so easy to fix.


    *


    Half an hour later Shuka found Ashal in the common room of the Thieves Guild. She wasn¡¯t hard to find, she was complaining loudly about something to Lor¡¯gan, all Shuka had to do was follow the noise.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want magic lessons from Ralkis, I want to learn how to make purple fire from Shuka!¡±


    Magic lessons? From me?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ashal, I asked her, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s coming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    Lor¡¯gan spun around in shock, having obviously not expected her to show up. Ashal however, was ecstatic.


    ¡°You came, you came, you came! Hah, take that Lor¡¯gan, she did come!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I did. Now did you say you wanted me to teach you magic?¡±


    ¡°Yup! You may be mean, stupid, and annoying, but you also know how to make purple fire.¡±


    She cares enough about my fire to ask me to teach her even through the curse? I guess she is serious about learning at least.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I would be the best teacher. I can barely cast magic myself, and I can¡¯t make real fire, it¡¯s just an illusion.¡±


    ¡°Stop making excuses and teach me already!¡±


    Ashal wasn¡¯t going to stop until she got what she wanted, so Shuka just let out a sigh and started her lesson.


    *


    As it turns out, Shuka was as bad at teaching magic as she thought she would be. Which is to say, very bad indeed. It didn¡¯t help that she was teaching a child who didn¡¯t have the best attention span. The only thing that she had in her favour was the fact that Ashal already had a basic understanding of magic. The problem was, it was a basic understanding of shaman magic, not mage magic. There were similarities of course, but it was like teaching a sculptor how to paint. Ashal kept asking what the fire felt like, and Shuka had to explain to her again and again, that it didn¡¯t feel like anything, and that it wasn¡¯t even a fire spell. It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Your silly nothing-fire is stupid! How am I supposed to get purple fire from nothing?¡±


    ¡°I keep telling you, you''re not. Just follow the diagrams and make the spell circle like I showed you, no emotion is needed.¡±


    ¡°Your pictures don¡¯t work, I tried it and nothing happened! And they were boring anyway.¡±


    ¡°You probably just messed up, it usually takes a few tries to get it right the first time. Just keep trying and it will work eventually.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ashal yelled with childish anger. ¡°That¡¯s dumb and you¡¯re dumb! You just don¡¯t want me to learn your spell.¡±


    It was frustrating trying to teach her anything, and Shuka was running out of patience. Ashal ran out first though. She stomped her feet and stormed off, probably to throw a fit somewhere else. Lor¡¯gan, who seemed content to simply watch the travesty of a magic lesson, followed after her.


    Why did I even accept? I was never going to be able to teach her anything, I¡¯m barely even better at magic than her. Maryam or Melia would have been much better at this than me, and Melia could probably teach her how to make actual purple fire.


    ¡°Oof, that was pretty rough huh?¡±


    Shuka looked around for who spoke and saw Maryam lounging at a table nearby.


    ¡°How long have you been watching me for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, for most of your lesson. Ashal doesn¡¯t really know how to control her voice you know, I could hear her from across the room.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t help me?¡±


    ¡°Nah, why would I? You clearly had it handled.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t dignify that with an answer, her face said it all. She got up, walked over to the table Maryam was sitting at, and sat across from her. The failed teacher had a lot she wanted to get off her chest and Maryam was the perfect person to let it all out to.


    ¡°Why am I still so bad at magic? Apparently, I had an archmage as a teacher, but a child is almost as good as me.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re not that bad. Haven''t you only been practicing magic for a few years? And the first year or two is always just spent learning the basics, it was like that for me too. Ashal just started learning younger than you, that¡¯s nothing special.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but she can already conjure fire. I don¡¯t even know where I would start to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so what? I don¡¯t know how to make fire either.¡±


    Shuka looked up in surprise. Maryam didn¡¯t know how to make fire? It seemed like such a simple thing to her, and Maryam was so good at magic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Of course I don¡¯t know how to make fire, why would I? I¡¯m the daughter of a purple dragon, not a red one. And why would you know either, you¡¯re an illusionist. We all learn the spells we want to learn, and we all want to learn different things.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not even a good illusionist. I only know two spells, and they¡¯re both just variations of each other. I still haven¡¯t even learned how to make sound yet.¡±


    Sound was actually what she had been working on learning since Lancrin. Ralisdor had taught her how, all she needed to do was practice, until she got it right. And that was the problem, she couldn¡¯t get it right.


    ¡°Well how much have you been practicing?¡± Maryam asked.


    ¡°Whenever I have some free time and I¡¯m not too stressed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so every blue moon then.¡±


    Maryam is being snarky right now, but she isn¡¯t wrong. I practiced almost every day back in Rainsburg, but now I¡¯m lucky if I can even practice even once a week.


    ¡°So what am I supposed to do then? Tell Validus he can¡¯t chase me Monday to Friday so I can practice my magic? Even if I¡¯m not fighting for my life every day it doesn¡¯t exactly leave me in a good mental state to train.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well that has an easy solution. Just train anyway. Train every day, even if you¡¯re stressed, or tired, or even if you almost died an hour ago. If you treat magic like a hobby then don¡¯t complain when those who care more become better than you. Fire is everything to Ashal, but what are illusions to you?¡±


    Shuka knew the answer, even if she didn¡¯t like it. Though she had started to learn magic because it was fun, lately illusions were a tool she used to keep herself alive. If she wanted to stay alive, then she would have to suffer to sharpen that tool of hers.


    Is that really my only option? Sacrificing my own enjoyment in the pursuit of excellence? If magic stops being fun, would I still learn it? I doubt it. I¡¯m not like Maryam, she would give anything for magic, but I barely give my free time. How often do I even think of myself as a mage and not a hunter? But magic just looked so¡­ fun. I don¡¯t need to be an archmage, I don¡¯t even want to be. I just want magic to be fun again.


    Shuka felt betrayed. Betrayed by her own hobby, her own sense of enjoyment and fun. It was supposed to improve her mood, not worsen it. She didn¡¯t become an illusionist to lie and trick people, she became an illusionist because the first day Ralisdor arrived in Rainsburg he put on a show with illusions and it was fun. That was what magic was meant to be, at least to her. It wasn¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°I think¡­ I might give up on magic.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Maryam asked, shocked. ¡°Give up? Why?¡±


    ¡°It stopped being magic. Maybe I¡¯ll get back to it when it¡¯s less stressful, but¡­ all it does is save my life, and that¡¯s not why I became a mage.¡±


    Maryam was confused, and worried for her friend. She was trying to inspire her to work harder, not make her give up entirely.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry about what I said, you don¡¯t have to work that hard okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the work that¡¯s the problem, it''s that the work isn¡¯t fun anymore. I want to get better, but if getting better makes me less happy, then what¡¯s even the point? An unfun hobby isn¡¯t a hobby at all.¡±


    ¡°But magic is fun! I mean, I have fun.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± Shuka shot back. ¡°You are terrified of it. Every time you cast a spell you have to control every little thought you have or you might go out of control and hurt someone. Or kill them. You love magic enough to deal with that, but it¡¯s not fun.¡±


    Maryam couldn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°Well, what about other people? Ralisdor was a prick, but he enjoyed using magic didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°But he wasn¡¯t satisfied by it. He was never as good as he wanted to be, and I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s true even for Sandrin.¡±


    Maryam was scrambling now. She knew plenty of spellcasters, but the list of people that both of them knew was rather small. Visia? No, her and the word fun were practically mutually exclusive.


    ¡°What about, uhh, Melia?¡±


    ¡°Melia? She¡­¡±


    She is always smiling, isn¡¯t she? And her magic¡­ witch magic. It did look fun.


    ¡°Yeah, Melia has fun. Maybe I¡¯ll become a witch then.¡±

 Chapter Forty Five

    Chapter Forty Five


    ¡°Teach me magic!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡±


    Shuka was chasing Melia around the common room of the guild trying, and failing, to get Melia to teach her magic. It was¡­ a bit embarrassing, but she the witch wasn¡¯t cooperating so she had no choice. Well, actually, she could have given up, or asked someone else, or tried a different method, but she was already chasing her so it was too late to change methods now. Melia leapt onto an occupied table and kicked a full mug of ale behind her, towards Shuka, as she continued to run. The booze splashed onto the floor, with only a bit hitting her boots. That was fine, Shuka didn¡¯t mind her shoes getting a bit dirty, but the problem was now the floor in front of her was very slippery, much more so than was natural. Shuka slid uncontrollably into the table in front of her, much to the displeasure of the man sitting at it.


    ¡°Hey, watch it! Can¡¯t a guy drink in peace?¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Shuka grabbed onto the table and used it to push herself across the now ice-slick floor to dry ground.


    How the hell did she cast a spell on the booze just from kicking it? If witch magic is really that quick and easy then I have to learn it.


    With the exception of those who got their drinks spilled, most people were enjoying the show, laughing and cheering at the antics. They were having such a good time they didn¡¯t even notice when Asheli walked into the room. They definitely noticed when she got caught in the crossfire though. A mug, which had been animated to fly towards Shuka, decided the best way to do that was to go through the large gnoll in its way. Asheli caught the mug before it hit her, but the drink spilled out and splashed onto her. The entire room went silent in an instant and the chase ended. Asheli looked around the room analyzing the situation before speaking, a hint of displeasure in her voice.


    ¡°You got an explanation for me Melia?¡±


    ¡°Err, well¡­ Shuka has been chasing me all over the guild, I was just trying to get her to stop!¡±


    Asheli turned her gaze over to Shuka, expectingly.


    ¡°I asked her to teach me magic and she told me ¡®If you want me to teach you, then you¡¯ll have to catch me first.¡¯ And then she started running around the guild.¡±


    The glare that Asheli gave Melia looked like it could incinerate her.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just told her no?¡±


    ¡°But that would have been booooring.¡±


    ¡°How childish. But I guess that¡¯s the point, isn¡¯t it? Very well, as punishment, act your age and teach Shuka what she wants to learn.¡±


    Did¡­ did Asheli just take my side? It feels nice to be trusted again.


    *


    A short time later Shuka found herself in Melia¡¯s room. The place was a mess, and the dump that Shuka had dug through the day before was probably more hygienic, but Melia refused to teach her anywhere else.


    ¡°Alright, so you wanna learn magic from me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Specifically, I was wondering if I could learn witch magic.¡±


    ¡°Eugh. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll just take a tip or two?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Shuka knew that Asheli had given her an opportunity, forcing Melia to teach her, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste it.


    ¡°Alright, fine. Why do you want to learn witch magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t fun for me anymore, and I don¡¯t have enough time to practice it. Witch magic seems like it would¡­ ease the burden a bit.¡±


    ¡°You mean it would be easier?¡± Melia spat out with more venom than Shuka expected. ¡°Witch magic isn¡¯t easy, and if you''re just coming to me because you want to be lazier with your magic then you can forget about the lessons.¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it, I just think¡­ I want to give it a try and see if it¡¯s for me. I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s hard, as long as it¡¯s more enjoyable to do.¡±


    Melia looked at Shuka with a searching gaze, trying to discern the truth in her words. Shuka was worried about what she would find, because the truth was, she did think witch magic would be easier. But she wasn¡¯t just being lazy, what Melia did filled her with a sense of wonder she had forgotten, and she wanted that wonder back.


    ¡°Gah, fine I¡¯ll teach you. But I¡¯m telling you right  now, I don¡¯t think you have what it takes to become a full witch.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t? Why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too¡­ normal. Like, I hate to say it, but you are just too reasonable and well-adjusted to become a witch.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ thanks?¡±


    Shuka was confused, she didn¡¯t understand how being normal was related to her ability to be a witch.


    ¡°Right, I guess I never fully told you what a witch even is, did I? It¡¯s a bit more complicated than just using emotions in your magic, a witch has gotta follow a theme. The theme can be anything, mine is ¡®mischievous raccoon girl¡¯ and I¡¯ve seen even weirder themes before. You said you wanted magic to be fun, right? Well, that¡¯s fine, you could totally be a witch of fun if you wanted. The problem is you have to become your theme, not just follow it when it suits you. A witch of fun would have to be able to laugh and joke, even at a funeral. I don¡¯t think you can do that.¡±


    That¡¯s true, I can barely smile when I¡¯m just being chased, how could I be happy if Xorvos or Maryam died?


    ¡°Besides,¡± Melia continued. ¡°witch magic comes with its own flaws, that mages like you don¡¯t have to deal with. Like how you might cast magic accidentally, or what form your magic takes might change based on how you¡¯re feeling. It¡¯s also really restrictive based on what your theme is. Like, I can¡¯t actually kill, or even seriously harm anyone with my magic, only annoy or inconvenience. Normally that¡¯s fine, ''cause I¡¯m not really a murder kind of person, but if my life depended on killing someone, my magic would let me die.¡±


    ¡°But wait, if your magic changes based on how you¡¯re feeling, wouldn¡¯t it change to be what you need most in a situation? Is your theme really that set in stone?¡±


    ¡°Well, no your theme can change, but it''s slow. It might take months, or even years for your theme to change into something actually different, and it¡¯s never something you make a conscious decision to do. Also, it will only ever change to something related to the original theme, not to an entirely different concept. The problem is that your theme affects more than just what your magic looks like, it is the very core of your being. There is nothing inherently anti-killing about my theme, so I could change it into something less restrictive for the sake of survival. But then I wouldn¡¯t be a mischievous raccoon girl, I would be a feral beast, backed into a corner. That is who I would become, and it would stay with me past whatever forced me into that state.¡±


    *


    5 years ago.


    Melia was glad to be on solid land again after a month at sea, by the time she learned boats weren¡¯t to her liking the ship was already an hour out to sea. She could¡¯ve asked the captain to turn around and return her to shore, but her being a stowaway reduced her diplomatic options greatly. The bounty on her head didn¡¯t help either. They found her after a week, nibbling on orange peels inside a barrel, but they couldn¡¯t catch her. The first day of giving them the slip was fun, and so was the second. But ships, even the big ones, were a lot smaller than cities. She had nowhere to escape to, and as long as they looked for her, they would find her. She was able to continue giving them the slip over the following weeks, barely surviving on scraps, but it had a definite effect on her, mentally. It was tiring, and after what happened with Xalru in Draconian she found herself on the run, making her even more tired. She could still hear the sound of his red claw tapping on the contract she had refused. Hopefully, a new continent would be enough for a fresh start. It was the dead of night and Melia was looking for something shiny or interesting to snatch. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much trash around, at least not in the open, and the streets were too unfamiliar for her to know where all of the best scavenging spots were. So she used magic instead. The witch looked deep inside her soul until she found that oh-so-familiar raccoon, the one that was always smirking. But¡­ was it always so thin? And his smirk, now it could be mistaken for a snarl. Melia felt off, but her magic heard her request and answered it. A thin blue string appeared in front of her and trailed off into an alleyway. Melia followed and found the string led to an unopened trash can.


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    Nice, the spell came out a bit boring, but I won¡¯t complain about a treat like this.


    Wasting no time, the eager witch tossed the lid off the can and found it full of¡­ food. Just food, nothing shiny or broken, just half-eaten food that was starting to attract flies.


    Not what I was hoping for, but I am hungry so I don¡¯t care.


    Melia grabbed the first thing in reach, grabbing a bone with a hunk of meat hanging from it, shoving it into her mouth. She followed that with a handful of roasted potatoes and a mostly intact turnip. She lifted an apple off the top of the pile and bit into it as she continued on her way. Food was nice, but it wasn¡¯t what she was looking for. It didn¡¯t take long for her to see something shiny through a window. A mirror shop, of all things, stood before her, with a large display window that showcased several full-length mirrors to the open street. One of those mirrors was in the perfect position to reflect her, but something was wrong with the reflection. Melia didn¡¯t look how she normally did, she was taller, older. Her robe was less baggy, and her hat felt less comically large. She didn¡¯t look like some teenage brat, she looked like her actual twenty-seven years. Melia realized what that meant, and it filled her with all the anger and frustration that had been chasing her ever since her encounter in Draconia and the month spent simply trying to survive on the boat. In a blind rage, she threw her half-eaten apple at the offending mirror and watched as the fruit passed through the window unharmed, only to splat against the mirror, causing it to shatter with a loud crack. She did not mean to cast the spell that made the apple pass through the window, it had happened against her will. No¡­ not against her will, it followed her will exactly.


    Break that fucking mirror.


    ¡°You know, the destruction of property comes with a hefty fine here in Sidus. You could get in trouble with the guards if you¡¯re not careful.¡±


    Melia whipped around to face the newcomer, a feral snarl making her look barely human. The witch could practically feel her nature change, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. She found two piercing orange and yellow eyes that glowed in the dark. A gnoll stood before her, and Melia doubted she was just enjoying a midnight stroll.


    ¡°Why do you care? You hardly look like the local law enforcement.¡±


    ¡°I might as well be. My name is Asheli, I¡¯m in charge of the Thieves Guild around these parts.¡±


    ¡°What, looking to recruit? Fuck off, I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Refusing already? You don¡¯t even know what I have to offer yet.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time a criminal had tried to get Melia to work for them. She had never accepted though, they never offered her anything she wanted.


    ¡°Let me guess, gold? Don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°What about a game? One you play with the city guards. It goes like this, you commit a crime and they try to catch you. If they succeed, you have to spend a few nights in a cell, until you escape or I bribe you out. But if you manage to find your way back to the Thieves Guild without getting caught, then as a member, all charges against you will be cleared. It will be like you had never committed the crime at all.¡±


    It almost sounded too good to be true, so of course Melia had to ask.


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°While in my guild you must follow my rules, and I am a fair bit less merciful than prison. There will be no murder without just cause, no rape no matter what, and no stealing from those who need it more than you.¡±


    ¡°And if I ever want to leave?¡±


    ¡°Then leave. I¡¯m giving you a deal, not a contract.¡±


    Cleared of all crimes¡­ leave whenever I want? That might not be so bad.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Melia said with a smirking once again. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    *


    Shuka thought about what Melia told her.


    Sounds like becoming a witch isn¡¯t as simple as I thought. Even if I choose a better theme than ¡®fun,¡¯ Validus chasing me will probably force my theme to become ¡®desperate survivor¡¯ or something similar. That¡¯s not who I want to be.


    ¡°So is that it? I¡¯m too reasonable to become a witch, so this whole thing was just a waste of time?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, not quite. Mages and witches are two ends of the scale of how much emotion you put into your magic. Mages say none, and witches say all of it, but there are other options. You said you wanted to find the magic that fit you best right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but what other options are there? Ones that are viable for me I mean.¡±


    ¡°Well you don¡¯t look too religious to me, so becoming a cleric or priest is probably out, and you need something big to draw mana from to be a shaman. Maybe a druid? Nah, your best bet is to probably just be less stuck up about being a mage.¡±


    ¡°Less stuck up? What do you mean?¡±


    Shuka was under the impression this was all to find her a new spellcasting style, not retry her old one. And as talented as Melia was, Shuka doubted she could teach her mage-style magic better than Ralisdor.


    ¡°Ughh, so I know I just said mages put no emotions into their magic, like, ten seconds ago, but that¡¯s not quite true. It¡¯s more like most mages go emotionless, but you¡¯re still considered a mage if you only use a bit of emotion.¡±


    ¡°Really? Does that help? If it¡¯s just a bit, wouldn¡¯t the unpredictability just get in the way of a mages carefully laid out spell circle?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it actually fills in the gaps and fixes mistakes for you. Magic may be dumb, but it ain¡¯t stupid.¡±


    ¡°Wait, then why don¡¯t all mages do it then?¡±


    There is no way there is such a simple method of making magic easier that mages just don¡¯t use. It might be a method that some people may not know about, but Ralisdor would, if he really is an archmage at least. Is there some sort of flaw or downside?


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty simple. Most mages are stupid little control freaks who can¡¯t handle even the tiniest of changes to their ¡¯oh-so-perfect¡¯ spells.¡±


    There was genuine irritation in Melia¡¯s voice, and she was gesturing wildly as she spoke. Shuka got the feeling she wasn¡¯t getting the most unbiased opinion right now.


    ¡°I mean really, who cares how big your magic icicles are? ¡®But Melia¡¯ they say, ¡®twenty centimeters long and five centimeters thick at the base has the most optimal mana-to-weight ratio.¡¯ Oh shut up, like that matters in a fight, just make the icicle and chuck it at someone, it¡¯s not like its weight will matter if you stick it in their eye.¡±


    ¡°Actually, changes in its size and shape could affect how aerodynamic the icicle is, which would throw off the mage''s aim.¡±


    Melia looked at Shuka with such confusion it was like she spoke a different language.


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Shuka continued ¡°so what you are saying is, they don¡¯t use it because even a small amount of variability can mess with a mage''s calculations, which the generally very detail-minded group of people don¡¯t appreciate.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you some country hick? Oh right, you were taught by Sandrin weren¡¯t you? Yeah, that¡¯s basically correct, but there''s also the fact if you just put a small amount of emotions into your magic then it stops helping you with some of the more advanced stuff. If you only give your mana a bit to work with then it will only give a bit back to you. Mages who use it as a crutch find themselves unable to progress in magic once it stops helping them.¡±


    No wonder Ralisdor never taught me about this, he didn¡¯t even want me using wands because he was worried I would grow too dependent on them. I don¡¯t mind if this limits how good I can get though, I don¡¯t need to be the best I can be, being the best I want to be is good enough for me. Ralisdor was always ambitious though, I doubt he would even consider an option that would limit how far he could go, and he would assume I thought the same. Or maybe he just didn¡¯t want me getting too good. But then why teach me magic at all? And what problems could I even cause for an archmage with two years of practice, even with shortcuts? How genuine were his lessons?


    ¡°Oi! You paying attention?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°You were thinking? That¡¯s a terrible idea, don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But then how am I supposed to understand what you are teaching me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand, in fact, you should stay stupid. The moment you understand magic it dies, so live your life in ignorance and wonder.¡±


    Ignorance and wonder¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound so bad.


    ¡°Alright, what do I need to do? I¡¯ll make sure not to remember.¡±


    Melia grinned in mischievous delight.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it.¡±


    *


    It had been over an hour since Shuka had left with Melia, and Maryam was starting to get worried. Actually, she had been worried since before the lessons had even started, but now she was getting more worried. She was pacing around in front of the witch''s door while Xorvos was sitting in a chair with a serious expression on his face. He was worried for her safety, but Maryam wasn¡¯t. Melia wasn¡¯t dangerous, she knew that much, but magic was. Especially for a girl losing hope in it. Would her friend come out of that room with a pointed hat and a different personality? Maryam hoped not, but she knew it was possible. The door opened and Maryam stopped her pacing and found, to her relief, that Shuka left the room hatless. And she looked¡­ happy.


    ¡°Oh, hey guys,¡± Shuka said, looking surprised by their presence. And then she smiled the most genuine smile of wonder that Maryam had only ever seen in a mirror before. ¡°Check this out.¡±


    Shuka held out her hands in front of her, palms facing each other about a foot apart, and scrunched up her face in concentration. Maryam could tell she was casting a spell, both because she could see the mana concentrating between her friends'' hands, and because that was the exact same look every apprentice mage had on their face when casting a new spell. After a long moment, Maryam began to hear¡­ music. It was a simple tune with just one instrument playing it, but it was nice, and catchy. And the music was coming from Shuka, or rather, from between her hands. From her spell, her magic. Shuka looked up from her spell, beaming at Maryam even while obviously struggling to keep the music going.


    ¡°Magic is fun again.¡±

 Chapter Forty Six

    Chapter Forty Six


    ¡°I will only ever do it for me.¡±


    That¡¯s what Myra told her brother. What she told the Grand Priest. Told Mervil. She was lounging on her couch, the one she practically lived on. A blanket was laid upon her, and a pillow had been placed on the armrest, waiting to drag Mervil¡¯s sister into the land of dreams. She claimed to only put forth effort for herself, and yet here she was, resisting the pillow¡¯s pull for his sake.


    ¡°If you wish to be selfish, then take the job. The position of high priestess will be of great benefit to you.¡±


    Mervil¡¯s sister''s expression was blank, and it stayed blank for several moments. Another man might have assumed she didn¡¯t hear him, or was ignoring the statement, but he knew she was thinking. It took her longer than most to process her thoughts, and many thought that made her dumb. Mervil knew otherwise.


    ¡°Would the position be good for me? ¡­Or for the high priestess?¡±


    ¡°You would become the high priestess that it would be good for.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose. Why would I help her though? She¡¯s not me, not yet.¡±


    Convincing Myra of anything was always a challenge, the way she thought was so wildly different from the norm that she almost didn¡¯t seem like a person sometimes. She was though, you just had to see how she saw.


    ¡°You will change regardless of whether you take the position or not. Even if you do nothing but sleep, the world will move on around you, and you are not yet detached enough from it for it to not affect you. If you are going to die either way, don¡¯t you at least want your successor to be a person and not a dream?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe. Who will I become if I say no?¡±


    ¡°A Myra who is not Mervil¡¯s sister.¡±


    She thought on that, a displeased expression on her face. Good. Mervil did not enjoy seeing her unhappy, but he needed her to care about this.


    ¡°¡­Threat? Or fact?¡±


    ¡°Fact. I won¡¯t force you to do anything, but I have responsibilities, and I don¡¯t have enough time to waste visiting you, hoping that you happen to be awake. I have even less time to spend trying to coax you into a semblance of social interaction. Siblings do not see each other only twice a year, and while you might stay the same in the time we don¡¯t meet, I won¡¯t. One day, you will find yourself talking to a stranger who took your brothers place. Our relationship will change, regardless of either of our wills.¡±


    A blank stare was all he received in response.


    I should¡¯ve known it would take more than words to convince her. No matter what she hears, even if she accepts it as true, if it happens in the future, it simply doesn¡¯t matter to her. I guess I will have to show her what has already happened.


    ¡°Myra, how old are you?¡±


    Myra furrowed her brows and thought for far longer than any normal person would have to think to remember their age. Then, with a great deal of uncertainty, she answered.


    ¡°Thirty¡­ six?¡±


    ¡°In a little over a month, you are turning forty-seven.¡±


    To punctuate his point, Mervil took out a small hand mirror he had prepared exactly for this moment, and turned it towards his sister so she could see her own reflection.


    ¡°¡­Wrinkles¡­ huh. I didn¡¯t know I was old.¡±


    And she did look old, or at least middle-aged. Her long, straight hair that went down to her ankles was still the same black it had always been, but her skin was less smooth and youthful, and she had a look of maturity that only the older got. She was naturally very pretty, but the large bags under her eyes and eternal bedhead did away with most of her beauty. The fact that she almost never wore makeup and had exactly one plain white dress that she wore didn¡¯t help either. It was a blessing when her butler had it enchanted to always be clean.


    ¡°I am old too. Two years older than you, in case you forgot, I just hide it. One day, one of us is going to die. Actually die, not metaphorically, and when that happens, I don¡¯t want us to be strangers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem for the future.¡±


    ¡°I could die today.¡±


    Myra looked at Mervil in confusion, so he continued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have some incurable disease or anything, if that¡¯s what you are wondering. But I am getting old, and I do have enemies. None bold enough to try assassinating me, but who knows how long that will last? I could play it safe and not ruffle any feathers, but I¡¯m too powerful to waste my time making friends.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ But you¡¯re still stronger than them, right? If they try to kill you¡­ just win.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stronger than everyone. Visia could kill me, her sister too, and there are plenty of people outside of the Celestial Empire that I wouldn¡¯t want to face. I have gotten about as good as I will ever get at magic, but age isn¡¯t something I can stop. Every year, the list of people who can kill me gets larger, and one day it will overlap with the list of people who actually want to do it.¡±


    Another long pause, she was thinking. But Mervil knew that look on her face; she was thinking about the wrong thing.


    ¡°You¡­ could become a lich. To not age. Or maybe¡­ turn into an elf? Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± Mervil shouted. ¡°You''re not taking this seriously; we barely know each other anymore; you haven¡¯t left your manor in months, and if I died tomorrow, I don¡¯t know if you would attend my funeral!¡±


    ¡°I showed up to mothers.¡±


    ¡°You were late to mother''s funeral, and you fell asleep halfway through. I would have forgiven you for that, but you didn¡¯t feel guilty about it in the slightest. I refuse to die before you care enough about your own brother to cry for me at my funeral!¡±


    Mervil was angry now; truth be told, he had been angry for a while. His sister didn¡¯t deserve any of it he knew; she couldn¡¯t control her affliction. But, he thought sometimes, how much of it was her fatigue?


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ok? Ok, what?¡±


    ¡°Ok I¡¯ll do it¡­ become the High Priestess.¡±


    *


    How long has it been since she accepted the position? Two years? I never thought I would see her work so hard on something that doesn¡¯t interest her. And to think she hasn¡¯t quit yet.


    Mervil was pondering his sister as he walked to the Thieves Guild. He had honestly thought she wouldn¡¯t last a month. Her attendance rate was¡­ iffy, but she did show up sometimes, and more importantly, she was talking to people, people she didn¡¯t like even. There was a time when people thought she was mute because she wouldn¡¯t talk to anyone she wasn¡¯t comfortable around. Admittedly, she stopped going completely silent around strangers even before she became a high priestess, but she never did more than tell them to go away or leave her alone. But just yesterday, he saw her have a full conversation with Validus of all people, it had put a smile on his face that hadn¡¯t disappeared since. Not that most people noticed, he was always smiling, only difference was, this time it was genuine. The man beside him certainly hadn¡¯t noticed, but the Archmage of Conjuration wasn¡¯t known for his perceptiveness.


    ¡°Fredrick, we are here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, we are.¡±


    The archmage had been reading a book on the way to the guild, paying just enough attention to his surroundings to follow behind Mervil. It was a talent he practiced frequently, as shown by the fact that not once did he get lost or bump into anything. Fredrick bookmarked the tome he was reading and put it away, which was enough for Mervil to open the door and enter the Thieves Guild. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had been a guest here, or the second. Actually, the Grand Priest of the Celestial Empire came to the Thieves Guild so often that it was said that if you wanted to get a meeting with him, you had a better chance going to the guild than the temple. Admittedly, that said more about the strictness of the Celestial Order than anything else, but still. A few heads turned at his entrance, but nobody made a ruckus about it. If he was here, it was for a reason, and today that reason was that Asheli had asked him. Mervil looked around for the large Gnoll woman he knew so well, but didn¡¯t see her anywhere. He was just about to ask one of the locals about her whereabouts, when an ash-grey paw landed heavily on his shoulder.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Looking for me?¡± Asheli asked smugly.


    ¡°You? No, of course not; I was simply trying to find a toilet. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have one in this fine establishment would you?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Asheli was laughing, but Fredrick was simply confused.


    ¡°Mervil, I thought we came here because we had something important to talk about. Why did you bring me all the way over here just to go to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°¡­It was a joke, Fredrick.¡±


    ¡°I do not see how.¡±


    Fredrick never could grasp the subtleties of conversation, but Mervil didn¡¯t mind. The archmage reminded him of his sister, and they had been friends for long enough that he was used to the misunderstandings. Asheli was far less used to them, but she wasn¡¯t cruel enough to bring them up.


    ¡°Hey, before we get down to business, I got something for the two of you, though I¡¯ll need Fredricks back after the meeting, I only have a few of these.¡±


    Asheli pulled out what looked like two shoddily made crossbow bolts and held them out for her two guests. Both Mervil and Fredrick could sense the magic on the talismans, but where Mervil was intrigued, Fredrick was very much not.


    ¡°Is that a witch¡¯s enchantment? It is nonsense. The spellwork is messy and unrefined; there is no cohesion in the materials, and the magic dust is painted on in nonsense patterns that mean nothing. It makes me feel uncomfortable; do I have to touch it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do. Don¡¯t worry, the person who made it is very good at what she does, even if it doesn''t seem like it. But seriously, you have to take it, at the very least for the first meeting.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like it, but tentatively, Fredrick did take the talisman, although he treated it like it would fall apart from a slight breeze. Mervil grabbed his talisman, finding no problem with the item''s quality.


    ¡°So, why are we here, Asheli? Something magic related, I assume; you wouldn¡¯t have asked for Fredrick if the problem was political.¡±


    ¡°As it turns out, it¡¯s a bit of both. I need a curse removed, one applied by an archmage.¡±


    ¡°That is the magic half of the problem, what is the political part?¡±


    ¡°Follow me and find out.¡±


    Asheli walked off, leading the two men deeper into the guild. They were brought to a private room, one normally used to plan heists or split loot. It was, of course, warded against any spying attempt, both mundane and magical. The room was already occupied when he entered - two young women and a quanso were sitting around a table, looking like they were just interrupted from a conversation. He recognized them too, although he had never met them before.


    So that¡¯s what she meant by political; she¡¯s harbouring that witch Validus is hunting. Although, is she even a witch? She isn¡¯t wearing a hat, and I¡¯m not sensing much mana from her. Maybe she¡¯s just trying to lay low. Still, she looks more like a scared girl than some sort of menace; why does Validus think she is such a threat? Is she that good of a liar to have tricked even me and Asheli? No, if that was the case, she could have convinced Validus of anything.


    ¡°Miss Shuka, I presume? Pleasure to meet you; I am the Grand Priest, Mervil Malan.¡±


    He extended his hand to the nervous-looking black-haired one. She was surprised, but shook his hand, if a bit cautiously.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, am I supposed to know who you are?¡± Fredrick asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know many people who aren¡¯t mages. Ah, and my name is Fredrick.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy; she isn¡¯t someone you would know about. Oh, you might recognise the other girl though, she¡¯s Servianna¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Fredrick¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with interest as he moved around the table in the center of the room to get closer to her.


    ¡°Servianna¡¯s daughter, how intriguing! Is it true that you are a draconist? Could you cast a spell for me? I want to see you transform. Ah, but before that, I need to extract your untransformed blood to act as a control sample against your transformed blood. It is a shame I don¡¯t have any of Servianna¡¯s blood to compares yours to¡­ how much do you think she would sell a vial of her blood for?¡±


    Mervil was regretting setting his friend on the woman; she looked incredibly uncomfortable. Still, it was too late to take back that information, and he wouldn¡¯t do anything without her permission¡­ probably.


    ¡°I am terribly sorry about your friend, but you needn¡¯t worry about her. Fredrick is harmless. Now, I was told I am to remove a curse; are you the afflicted or is it someone else?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s me, but can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    ¡°I could, with the right spell, but it is rather impolite to look at one''s soul without permission.¡±


    Shuka crossed her brows at that.


    ¡°Really? No one else asked. Well, whatever, you have my permission.¡±


    With her permission granted, Mervil called upon the familiar power of Xyloth, god of magic, and asked for understanding. Mana moved, half from his will, and half from the will of Xyloth, and formed the spell Mervil desired. A spell to see souls. What he saw didn¡¯t surprise him, he had already been told she was cursed, but the strength of it worried him. The young woman¡¯s soul was a ball of tranquil white light, but wrapped around it in arcane patterns, were strands of foreign mana. They were wrapped so tightly that they dug into the surface of her soul, with one strand even piercing the soul completely and coming out the other side. It was not necessary for the spell, but it made its removal all but lethal using brute force. How it worked was that the soul would produce mana, which would pass through the spell woven around the soul and be converted into a wave of¡­ wariness? Unease? General unpleasantness. It was potent and niche enough to bypass most spells and artifacts that protected from charm spells. Most of those spells only protected you from liking a person more than was natural, not less.


    This must be what the talisman Asheli gave me is for. I already have an item that protects me from mental manipulation, and a good one too, but looking at this spell¡­ it¡¯s a coin flip whether it would work or not. The talisman must be specialized against this spell specifically, it would need to be twice as strong as it is otherwise.


    ¡°Asheli, you said an archmage cast this spell? Which one?¡±


    ¡°Sandrin. Apparently he¡¯s back from the dead and up to his old tricks again. Shuka is his first victim.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right, we took every precaution to ensure his death. I even captured his soul and sent it to the afterlife personally; how could he have survived?¡±


    Capturing souls like that was technically illegal, and for good reason, but Mervil hadn¡¯t been willing to risk him getting revived. Besides, the only person on the raid who¡¯d objected was Validus, and he was hardly going to take the Grand Priest to court about it.


    ¡°Trust me, I was as surprised as you, but the evidence is pointing towards it either being him, or a damn good imposter. I don¡¯t know the full extent of what he has planned, but considering he stole a sizable amount of Kallium from Rockmarsh, I imagine he is going to take another shot at demon summoning.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he miss his chance when we killed him three years ago? No, wait, he was still preparing back then. Fredrick, three years ago you said Sandrin was likely aiming for a perfect penta alignment for his demon-summoning ritual. When exactly is that happening?¡±


    Fredrick, who was entirely distracted by Maryam, stopped examining his two newly acquired vials of blood and single dragon scale, and turned to face Mervil.


    ¡°The penta? One hundred and seven days from now. But why are you bring up Sandrin? Isn¡¯t he dead?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it didn¡¯t stick.¡±


    Xorvos, who was mostly in the room for morale support, as he had little to contribute when it came to magic, finally interjected.


    ¡°Um, excuse me, Grand Priest, but could you explain to me what a perfect penta alignment is?¡±


    Before Mervil had a chance to explain, Fredrick burst into his own explanation with a slightly manic look in his eyes.


    ¡°You see, the entire world we live in is known as the Mortal Plane. It¡¯s not the only plane though, there are more, twenty-two more in fact. The sixteen divine planes - one for each god, the four elemental planes - fire, air, water, and earth, the seven planes of hell, although they all only count for one, and the afterlife. For a very long time everyone had assumed that the planes all existed in their own pockets of reality. That is still mostly true, but eight hundred years ago the founder of the Celestial Empire, Emperor Astrum, discovered that the planes were also the celestial bodies that fill our solar system. They are planets and moons, and Humanus¡¯ divine plane is even a comet. They all orbit the sun, which is the elemental plane of fire by the way, and in those orbits they will eventually reach a point where they become as close to the mortal plane as possible. When that happens, it is called their apex. This is important because the closer a plane is to the mortal plane, the easier it is to draw mana from them. Normally, the mana cost of extracting mana from a plane far outweighs what you get from it, but during a plane¡¯s apex you can gain several times the mana you use, making it very useful for mana-extensive rituals. The one flaw is that a plane¡¯s mana is intrinsically tied to the plane it came from, causing it to be incompatible with spells that go against the will of the plane. What was the original question again?¡±


    ¡°Perfect penta alignments.¡± Mervil helpfully informed him.


    ¡°Right, alignments! You see, when multiple planes reach their apex at the same time, it is known as a perfect alignment. During an alignment, you can extract mana from multiple planes at the same time, and not only that, but the mana itself is empowered, increasing the strength of your spell. We still haven¡¯t figured out why alignments empower magic, but the effect gets more powerful the more planes align. An imperfect alignment is when multiple planes are close to their apex but don¡¯t all reach it at the same time. You can still extract mana from multiple sources, but you don¡¯t get the empowering effect. Penta just means five planes are aligning at the same time. It is incredibly rare, even for an imperfect penta alignment, but we are lucky enough to live during a time when a perfect one happens. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    Mervil was¡­ less excited about it.


    ¡°If you recall Fredrick, the last time there was a perfect penta alignment, two kingdoms were destroyed. I would rather not repeat that.¡±


    The Grand Priest was attempting to impart some caution to his friend, but it never got past his immeasurable love of magic. What his words of caution did do however, was inform the three young adults just how dire the stakes were. Shuka¡¯s face was pale, Xorvos was regretting asking about the alignment, and even Maryam was wringing her scaled hands nervously.


    Wait, why do her hands have scales? Ah, right, Fredrick wanted samples.


    It was Asheli who stepped up to dispel their doubts.


    ¡°Sandrin may have a great opportunity in his hands, but it is still months away. We have ample time to interfere and disrupt his ritual. I may not be a mage, but I know a spell of that scale will take immense resources and planning; we just have to make sure that by the time the penta comes, he won¡¯t be able to take advantage of it. We stopped him once, we can do it again. Besides, Sandrin isn¡¯t the only one who can use an alignment, and when it comes to skilled spellcasters, we have him outnumbered.¡±


    The fiery look in her burning eyes was all they needed. Mervil wished it was all he needed too.

 Chapter Forty Seven

    Chapter Forty Seven


    Shuka was worried. Worried and confused, but mostly worried. She had already known about planar alignments, Ralisdor had taught her that much, but he had suspiciously left out the approaching perfect penta alignment that was approaching.


    What does he want to do with the alignment? I guess summon a demon if that was what he was planning to do three years ago, but to what end? He has always been obsessed with true illusions, but even if a ritual let him cast a proper one it would only be a one-time thing. He seemed more interested in learning the spell than using it, I doubt he would go through all this effort just to make a single thing. And how do the demons come into play? He probably wouldn¡¯t have even needed to hide anything if it was just a true illusion he was after. Did he even care about true illusions at all? Or was that just one of Ralisdor''s personality traits that Sandrin made up?


    Outside of Shuka¡¯s musings, the world moved on. Specifically, the conversation between Mervil, Fredrick, and Asheli moved on and it was starting to involve her.


    ¡°When were you cursed?¡± Fredrick asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, the curse, right. I can¡¯t remember the exact date, but it was during the spring of this year.¡±


    ¡°Aha, I knew it! He must have cursed you during the perfect double alignment between Xyloth and Shavalan, with an Imperfect alignment on Halfin. Such perfect alignments for a curse, I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t the only one afflicted with something nasty that day.¡±


    Fredrick seemed almost happy about a development that Shuka was sure was bad news. But his words did make sense to her at least, those did seem like good options for a curse.


    Xyloth is the god of magic, so mana drawn from his plane would work for any ritual since rituals themselves are magic. Shavalan is the goddess of shadows, which encompassed all manner of shady and underhanded methods. Subtly and deception are both part of her domain, and considering what the curse does, it seems to fit. Halfin is the god of halflings and change, so that fit too. The change part that is, since the curse is changing me from normal to untrustworthy.


    Ralisdor taught Shuka much of what went into a ritual and how they worked, even if it was almost entirely theoretical since she lacked the ability to conduct any herself. Still, she knew the basics.


    ¡°If it was applied during perfect alignment then my curse was amplified right? Isn¡¯t that a problem for removing it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that¡± Mervil assured. ¡°To be honest, I am a bit relieved that the curse was applied during an alignment. It means that Ralisdor is not yet so skilled in curses to make what he afflicted you with without assistance. If this is the level he is brought to during an alignment, then I am better at removing curses than he is at applying them, at least while we are both unaffected by any celestial assistance.¡±


    ¡°So you can remove it then?¡± Shuka asked with hope.


    ¡°I can, but not without risk. Significant risk. And the consequences of failure would likely be severe and permanent. An apex would improve our chances, but to remove the risk entirely we would need an alignment ourselves.¡±


    Asheli grumbled, obviously displeased by the development.


    ¡°So what are we meant to do, just wait for the next alignment while Ralisdor is out there scheming? We don¡¯t know what else Sandrin has planned for that curse, and it might take months or even years for two viable planes to line up for us.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡± Fredrick noted. ¡°two viable planes are having a perfect alignment in six days. The divine planes of Gnollan and Varkos.¡±


    ¡°Varkos?¡± Shuka asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the god of combat? I can see Gnollan working since she is the god of unity and this curse is pretty anti-unity, but how does Varkos relate to removing a curse?¡±


    ¡°Oh he doesn¡¯t.¡± Fredrick clarified. ¡°But we aren¡¯t actually using any of Varkos¡¯ aspects for this ritual, we¡¯ll use one of Pommel''s aspects.¡±


    Now Shuka was even more confused, Pommel was a demi-god, as far as she knew he didn¡¯t even have a plane to draw mana from. And even if he did, he was the god of pommels, that had even less to do with lifting curses than Varko¡¯s domain of combat. Fredrick, was in no hurry to explain, seemingly thinking he made the situation more clear instead of less. With a sigh, Mervil decided to pick up the archmage''s slack.


    ¡°If any of you are confused, while the demi-gods don¡¯t have divine planes of their own, they each have their power tied to the divine plane of another god to act as their divine plane. For Pommel, he was tied to the divine plane of Varkos.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but even if the mana is coming from Varkos, wouldn¡¯t it still have to be pommel related? I still don¡¯t get how that could work with a ritual that¡¯s meant to remove a curse.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be pommel related.¡± Mervil clarified. ¡°The gods have only one domain, even if those domains can be interpreted in many ways. That is because the gods are ultimately very simple creatures, if incredibly powerful. They embody their domain, and only their domain, nothing else. But the demi-gods were all once humans, and humans are complex. Pommel the person didn¡¯t just like pommels, there was more to him than that, and so there is more to the demi-god as well. While each demi-god has their main domain, they also have sub-domains that, while generally less effective, are still perfectly valid for a ritual like this. I believe the specific sub-domain Fredrick will be using for this will be Pommels domain of mundanity.¡±


    What kind of domain is mundanity? It does sound kinda nice though, I would very much like to go back to being mundane.


    This all sounded very good to Shuka, and to her friends as well, but Asheli only seemed to get more anxious.


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully convenient timing. I doubt Sandrin would miss it. If I were him, I would have made sure Shuka and co would only get to Sidus after the one day of the year she can be cured, not a week before it. The fact that he didn¡¯t is worrying.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he forgot to account for Pommels subdomains.¡± Fredrick suggested. ¡°They are often looked over, even amongst conjurers and ritualists.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe he just doesn¡¯t have the time.¡± Mervil contributed. ¡°Whatever he is planning on the penta must be a significant undertaking, and I¡¯m sure we already delayed him significantly three years ago. His timetable might be tight enough that he simply couldn¡¯t afford to spend a few weeks messing with Shuka to delay her.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but I still don¡¯t trust it. The way I see it, the best case scenario, for Shuka at least, is that he¡¯s run out of uses for her and he just honestly doesn¡¯t care what happens to her anymore. Curse or no curse, it won¡¯t affect his plans. That theory feels¡­ off to me though. If he wanted Shuka to attract all of the attention off of himself, then why let her meet any of us at all? It worked for a heist or two sure, but now he has the exact people who screwed him over three years ago chasing him all over again. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


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    Shuka wasn¡¯t sure if Asheli was worried or just cautious, but the points she made certainly filled Shuka with anxiety. Maryam on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem nearly as nervous.


    ¡°Maybe he just fucked up. I mean, he really wasn¡¯t happy when I showed up, and I don¡¯t know how he could have planned for it either, and I doubt getting caught by Visia was a part of his plan either. I bet the whole thing has gone off the rails at this point and he¡¯s just winging it.¡±


    Not everyone was so convinced, Asheli least of all.


    ¡°A schemer he may be, but don¡¯t think he can''t work around an unplanned variable or two. You may have been unexpected, but don¡¯t think your presence alone unravelled a plot that had been in the making for years. Besides, working under the assumption that he is already on the back foot will fuck us over if he isn¡¯t. Fight like your losing, or you¡¯ve already lost.¡±


    Are we losing? How would we even know? We barely even know anything about what he is planning. What if we spend all of our time searching for him in Sidus and he isn¡¯t even here? Do I even want to get involved in this? Once I get the curse removed I can just leave. This is all too much for me, Asheli claims I can help, but how? As bait? Why would Ralisdor fall for it? If I really am vital to his plans, then wouldn¡¯t the best thing to do be sending me away to somewhere he can''t use me? Maybe I should suggest that, it seems a lot safer than roaming around the city waiting to get ambushed at least. No, they would have thought about something like that already, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m smart enough to contribute to the planning. I just hope they take my safety into account.


    ¡°So,¡± Mervil started. ¡°Regardless of anything else, we are removing the curse in a week, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Asheli replied. ¡°I have my suspicions, but all that means is I¡¯ll be out hunting while you are curing her.¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll do what I can to stymie Validus¡¯ search, but I am afraid he has already gotten enough support that I can¡¯t stop him completely. I¡¯ll see if I can convince Aurulin that our wayward huntress is innocent as well. Her spy network is going to be necessary if we are going against Sandrin again.¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t listen to you, I¡¯ll get her husband to convince her. In the meantime, I have Ralkis working on a tracking spell for Sandrin. He told me it should be ready by tomorrow.¡±


    Asheli turned away from Mervil who she was speaking to, and towards Shuka.


    ¡°Once its applied, I¡¯d like to send you out into the city to see if we can catch him spying on you. If there¡¯s anything you or your friends want to do in Sidus, tell me now and I¡¯ll make sure people like Validus won''t interrupt our hunt.¡±


    Shuka couldn¡¯t think of anything specific. She did want to explore the city a bit, but she would have preferred to do it under a less stressful circumstance. Surprisingly enough, it was Xorvos who answered.


    ¡°Is there a monastery in Sidus? I met a monk in Lancrin and I would like to meet him again. I figure a monastery is a good place to start.¡±


    ¡°A monk huh? What¡¯s his name?¡± Asheli asked.


    ¡°Arlom, I think.¡±


    ¡°Of course it would be him. Yeah, he¡¯s got a monastery here in Sidus, although he travels around a lot so who knows if he¡¯s there right now.¡±


    ¡°I think he is, actually.¡± Mervil added. ¡°He got back a few days ago and asked me how Validus and Aurulin were getting along. Apparently he¡¯s the one who suggested they worked together in the first place.¡±


    Maryam also seemed interested in the conversation, perking her head up when she heard Arlom was in the city.


    ¡°I wanna go see him too, he promised me a duel for the next time we meet and I¡¯m looking to cash in.¡±


    ¡°A duel?¡± Asheli commented with amusement. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I will be watching out for Sandrin, I would very much like to see you lose. Oh well, I guess just knowing that it will happen will have to be enough.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know he can kick my ass, I just think it will be a lot of fun when he does.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I guess you¡¯re less arrogant than I thought. And he does give very nice ass kicking¡¯s I¡¯ll give you that. If all you wanted was to lose a fight though, you should have asked me. Oh well. So then, will a trip to the monastery be all right with you Shuka?¡±


    I don¡¯t really have anything to do at this monastery, but I don¡¯t have anything to do anywhere else either. Xorvos and Maryam could probably go without me, but I might as well join them. I just hope my curse doesn¡¯t ruin their experience.


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Great, then we¡¯ll apply the spell to you tomorrow morning and you can leave right afterwards. I¡¯ll have everything prepared by then.¡±


    *


    Shuka sat in a chair in Ralkis¡¯ magical study, sleeve rolled up to her shoulder. She was nervous, but compared to running for her life, enduring an unfamiliar ritual wasn¡¯t that bad. Ralkis himself was there, clay pot in hand mixing the contents slowly with a stick. Eventually he felt it was stirred enough and stopped, removing the stick along with a large glob of orange-yellow paste.


    ¡°Any specific designs you want?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    Ralkis spread a bit of the paste onto one of his fingers in some sort of test and continued to talk.


    ¡°The paint will be applied artistically, it helps please the flame. It is not picky though, I must follow an aesthetic the spell will enjoy, but the specifics can take any shape. The paint will stay until removed, I imagine you will have it for a while. I wish to please you as much as the flame, if possible at least.¡±


    The way he talked about the spell conflicted with how Shuka was taught magic, at least up until recently. Art seemed almost mutually exclusive with how spellcraft functioned. But her lessons with Melia helped her not be totally lost.


    ¡°What aesthetic does the spell want? I don¡¯t want to suggest something if it will go against that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Flame and directionality. Flame for it is the source of my own magic, and directionality because it is a spell of tracking. The design must point in a direction so it may lead you to your target. How it points though? The spell cares not.¡±


    Flame and directionality huh? What can I do with that? I¡¯m not an artist I don¡¯t know what looks good. Is it supposed to represent me like with the talisman or is he just trying to give me something I¡¯ll like?


    ¡°Does it have to go on my right arm?¡±


    ¡°No. Would you prefer the left?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. When I¡¯m using my bow I hold it and aim it with my left hand, the right just pulls the arrow back. If the spell is going to be pointing Ralisdor, err, Sandrin I mean, then I think it would be more convenient for it to be on the arm I aim with.¡±


    ¡°There is wisdom in that. Do you plan on shooting him then?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I know he¡¯s done all of these terrible things, but¡­ it just doesn¡¯t feel real yet. I want to meet him first, I guess I¡¯ll decide then.¡±


    ¡°Even if he may trick you again? It is dangerous to give the benefit of the doubt to one so skilled at abusing it.¡±


    Ralkis was moving his stool to the other side of the chair Shuka was sitting at and began to roll up her other sleeve. He also got out a set of very fine-tipped paintbrushes and set them up on a nearby table.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not going to trust him no matter what, or at least I hope not. I guess I¡¯m just¡­ struggling to hate him right now. I can hate Sandrin, but Ralisdor? It just doesn¡¯t feel like he did it, even if I know he did. Maybe a meeting will fix that, but I don¡¯t even know if I want it fixed. I like Ralisdor, I don¡¯t want to hate him enough to shoot him.¡±


    ¡°That is fair. It¡¯s rare for our emotions and logic to coincide, and it¡¯s often not something you can control. Blind hatred of him may lead you down the wrong path, but so will an undeserved fondness of him. Even feeling nothing at all about the man may be the wrong move, logic alone can only get you so far, especially against those who are smarter than you.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like there isn¡¯t a right answer.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t, only many wrong answers you must avoid. To make matters worse, the answers that are wrong change with each situation. But don¡¯t worry, there are so many not wrong answers that you are sure to stumble into them every once in a while. Now, a design?¡±


    A not wrong answer. How hard can that be?


    ¡°Is it wrong if I give you an answer that is dumb?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Stupidity is inherent to life, to live without it would be to not live true to yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­When I got cursed there was a witch and a lot of crows. I was really scared at the time, but in hindsight, I guess it was all an illusion. I hate Sandrin for tricking me with it, but I can¡¯t help but appreciate the illusion that Ralisdor made. It was terrifying and it was cast with the intent to ruin my life, but¡­ I wish I could do that. It was beautiful. I think I want a crow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, that answer was dumb, not an ounce of logic to be found. It is also the least wrong answer you could have given me.¡±


    Ralkis dipped a paintbrush into his pot of paint and began to work. It was warm, almost hot, and Shuka could feel the paint seep into her skin in a way that she knew was not natural. Roiling flames and billowing smoke were painted on with an artist''s expertise. Inside those fluid shapes, other forms could be seen as well. A wing here, an eye there. Crows hidden in the smoke. It all built up to one creature at the end, a crow of flame and smoke, wings flat against its own body as if it were mid dive. Its beak pointed onwards, seeking out only one man. The entire piece went from Shuka¡¯s shoulder all the way down to the back of her hand. It was hot still but began to cool as the magic started to settle. An ill omen of flame and smoke, and yet¡­


    How beautiful

 Chapter Forty Eight

    Chapter Forty Eight


    Maryam looked upon Shuka in shame, utter humiliation. She didn¡¯t want to believe it was true, but she could not deceive her own eyes. She had been beaten by the most unlikely of people. Well, second unlikeliest, right behind Xorvos. Still, no one could have seen this coming. Shuka had gotten a tattoo before her.


    ¡°How could this have happened? I¡¯m the punk, not you, you¡¯re stealing my thing here.¡± Maryam half yelled at her friend.


    ¡°Is it really stealing your thing if you haven¡¯t even gotten a tattoo yourself yet? And besides, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even really a tattoo, more like some¡­ magic paint stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s totally a tattoo. In spirit if nothing else at least.¡±


    It certainly looked like one. The smoky depiction of the murder of crows and their flame-wreathed leader certainly didn¡¯t look like tribal war paint, it had all the designs of a real tattoo.


    Didn¡¯t she get this from some tribal shaman? I guess he adapted his art for the city.


    ¡°As for me not getting a tattoo myself, I¡¯ve got a reason for that.¡± Maryam continued. ¡°My dragon transformation messes them up. When my skin turns into scales the ink doesn¡¯t change with it so I just lose it when I change back. Even my hair dye had to be specially made so it doesn¡¯t get messed up if I go too far.¡±


    Although now that I think about it, I never actually tried getting a tattoo, did I? Mom just told me it wouldn¡¯t work and made me special hair dye, but she might¡¯ve just lied to me so I wouldn¡¯t get a tattoo behind her back.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I will be hiding it most of the time.¡± Shuka told the despondent woman. ¡°I don¡¯t want Ralisdor to know I have it, at least not until he finds out about it himself. It is meant to track him after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, it¡¯s a sick tattoo. If I got it I would never wear sleeves again.¡±


    Shuka blushed a bit, embarrassed, and rolled her sleeve down to cover the art on her skin. She then put on a pair of practical gloves since part of the tattoo reached her hand, and finished off with a leather arm guard, a standard part of her outfit anyway as an archer. The end result was perfectly in line with what she normally wore, she didn¡¯t even have to find any new clothing, it was all stuff she already had. Admittedly, she didn¡¯t always wear the gloves, but it was hardly odd for her to. With all of that out of the way, Shuka, Maryam, and Xorvos were all ready to leave. Apparently, Asheli would be tailing them as well, but if any of them saw her then she wouldn¡¯t be doing her job properly. The three friends left the guild and made their way to the monastery, following the written directions that Asheli gave them.


    *


    Luckily the monastery wasn¡¯t all that far away. As much as Asheli told them that she would make sure Validus wouldn¡¯t find them during their excursion, Maryam knew even an ordinary city guard could cause them trouble and didn¡¯t want to push their luck. The monastery was a simple building, large, but not overly decorated. Rather than having two or more stories to it like many other of the larger buildings in Sidus, the monastery stayed a single story, expanding outwards instead of upwards. The doors of its entrance were open and men and woman entered and left the building as they pleased, implying at least that it was open to the public. The three friends took this as an open invitation to enter and wander the halls along with the rest of the building''s inhabitants. Most of the people Maryam saw in the monastery didn¡¯t even look like monks. Sure, there was the occasional bald-headed man in simple robes with a serene expression, but it was mostly just¡­ people. And people of all sorts as well, from peasant farmers to fancy nobles, even what looked like a mage, they all mingled together in this one place. Eventually, the group wandered into a courtyard at the center of the monastery. The courtyard was a peaceful place, soft grass covered the ground interrupted only by wooden pathways and a single large tree in the center. Several groups of people were relaxing on the grass, some chatting quietly with each other, but others were content to simply lay in the grass and exist. In the courtyard, Maryam saw Arlom, sitting cross-legged alone on the grass with his eyes closed. Wasting no time at all, Maryam strode up to him and pointed down towards the meditating monk.


    ¡°You owe me a duel, fight me!¡±


    Arlom opened his eyes and looked up towards the girl before him. Her statement had attracted attention, as it was the loudest thing that had happened in the courtyard all day, but Arlom didn¡¯t seem too perturbed by it.


    ¡°Very well. But not here. This is a place of peace and relaxation. I will bring you to the sparring room, and we may duel there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, alright. But it better be an actual duel, not that pretend fight you gave Xorvos before.¡±


    ¡°It will be. Ah, and speaking of Xorvos, I see he came as well. And is that the witch Shuka? Bold of you to come to the monastery, but I see you are rather apprehensive, so perhaps it was not your idea.¡±


    Shit, he recognized Shuka that quickly? She has her illusion up, and he hasn¡¯t even met her before. Is he gonna turn her in? Wasn¡¯t he helping Validus or something? No, wait. Asheli wouldn¡¯t have sent us here if he was likely to be our enemy, and she would intervene if things do go south.


    ¡°You''re not going to tell Validus are you?¡± Maryam asked. ¡°I came here to fight you not him.¡±


    ¡°Many a criminal have found themselves within these halls and never have I brought the law upon them. But neither have I granted them sanctuary. I will grant each and every one of you the advice I believe you need to grow, but if Validus finds you here you will not be protected.¡±


    Arlom was getting up now, seemingly unworried about the wanted criminal before him. His reasoning seemed a bit weird to Maryam, but what mattered was it seemed like he wasn¡¯t going to do anything about Shuka. The monk got up and walked out of the courtyard. Maryam followed.


    ¡°So not doing anything about criminals, I can understand for some people, but all criminals? Are you trying to redeem them or something?¡±


    ¡°Redeem them? No, although that does happen on occasion. I simply wish for them to become the best version of themselves that they can be. Sometimes that is an upstanding citizen, and sometimes that is a better criminal.¡±


    Whatever answer Maryam might have expected from the kindly monk, it certainly wasn¡¯t that.


    ¡°You help them be better criminals? How? By giving them tips on how to break the law?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. Breaking the law is their expertise, not mine, I could hardly advise them on such a matter. And besides, that would be missing the point. I do not help them break the law, I help them be who they want to be. I could help a master thief by knocking out all of the guards before a heist, but then he would be less of a thief than if he had stolen it on his own. What I would do instead is give him advice so he may improve his own skills and take on such a challenge himself. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ think so? Aren¡¯t you buddies with Validus though? I can¡¯t imagine he would be too happy with you giving thieves pep talks.¡±


    ¡°You are right, he wouldn¡¯t be. But he doesn¡¯t know of the worst of the people I have helped, and the more benign cases he sees as attempts at redemption. What few cases he knows about and disagrees with me on are overlooked due to the large amount of good people I help become better. Of course what counts as a good person or a bad person depends on one''s perspective, but even to Validus¡¯ rather strict sensibilities the bad people that I assist are a minority.¡±


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    No wonder Asheli wasn¡¯t worried about sending us to this guy, even with the curse I doubt he would kick us out. Then again, I wonder what his limit is? It¡¯s one thing to help out a thief, but what about a serial killer, or mass murderer? Would he help Sandrin too? Well, not directly from the sounds of it so I don¡¯t think we have to worry too much, but still. If there is no one he won¡¯t help, then how much can we trust him?


    *


    Arlom stood in the training hall of his monastery, facing off against the dragon-blooded woman called Maryam. Draconists, he believed people like her were called, but he couldn¡¯t be sure, she was the first he had met. It was an interesting set of problems she had, a love for magic that warped her own mind.


    She will need to learn to control how her mind is warped or one day she will make a mistake while not in her right mind and come to resent her own powers. Or herself. It does seem as though she has already started to learn control at least, but her journey is yet incomplete. Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself, she won¡¯t listen to a word I say until I give her the fight she seeks. Especially since it seems my words from before put her on edge.


    ¡°Let us set down some rules of engagement first shall we?¡± Arlom started. ¡°First of all, no injuries that cannot be healed by a single potion of healing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. I doubt I¡¯ll even be able to touch you, so this is basically just a benefit for me. You gonna provide the potions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Second of all, we will have three rounds of combat.¡±


    Maryam visibly deflated at that, as if three rounds wasn¡¯t plenty. She didn¡¯t voice her complaints though, so Arlom continued.


    ¡°Lastly, I will limit myself to ki circulation, and not expend my ki using any techniques.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯r gonna hold back? I thought you said you were going to fight me seriously!¡±


    ¡°I did and I will. But if I don¡¯t limit myself somewhat then I fear you would be rather disappointed with your duels with me.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine. I guess it would be a bit annoying if you just took me out with a single blow every time. But you better not just let me win.¡±


    Should I let her win? Hmm¡­ no. It seems her love of battle is greater than her desire for victory. She is not so prideful as to let a loss against an opponent she knows is greater than her get her down.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Now, prepare yourself. We begin in three¡­ two¡­ one.¡±


    Maryam scrambled to apply her spells to herself before the countdown finished and only managed to cast one before the match started. Arloms keen eyes saw that it was a physical enhancement spell, similar in nature to ki circulation.


    Smart move. She knows I surpass her in skill, but if I surpassed her in physical ability as well then she truly would have no chance.


    With Maryam still reeling from the sudden start, Arlom took the first move, dashing up to the draconist and launching a lightning-quick punch to her face. The attack landed, but his follow up attack was blocked by a circular disc of force that Maryam conjured to protect herself. The hastily made shield cracked, but held, and she quickly took a few steps back and interposed the shield spell between herself and Arlom.


    She¡¯s not bad at casting through pain, not many mages can cast a shield spell while getting punched. Let¡¯s see how she handles feints.


    Arlom approached her again, but this time she was more prepared for it. Following the trajectory of Arloms next punch, Maryam moved her shield to block while she readied an attack of her own. Her attack never landed though, as Arloms punch turned into a kick. She saw the feint before it landed, but lacked the ability to dodge or block it, so instead she continued her attack, swiping at Arlom with an open hand as she got kicked in the ribs. Her swipe was blocked with one hand, while the other smacked her across the face. Maryam took a step back in an attempt to regain her composure, but Arlom refused to relent, launching a series of four blows against her, only one of which was blocked by her shield, although it shattered from the impact. Miraculously, she was still conscious and even managed to cast a spell through the pain. A dome of force erupted out from her, causing Arlom to retreat, or be pushed away forcibly. The dome stayed, and it was solid.


    A dome shield, is she looking to buy herself some time? That¡¯s the worst thing to give a spellcaster, I will have to do something about this.


    Focusing inward on himself, Arlom sensed the ki flowing through his veins. Its nature was that of wind, fast and free. But wind blew across and around obstacles, not through them. What he need now was a raging torrent of water, no, a thundering rockslide of earthen power. Pure strength and destruction is what he desired, and his ki obliged. It took but a moment to change the nature of his ki, a technique that most failed to master. Maryam was in the middle of casting a spell from inside her dome, but Arlom wasn''t going to let her finish. After a small windup, the monk sent his fist straight through the barrier and into his opponent''s gut. Whatever spell she was preparing fizzled out as she collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°I believe this first match goes to me.¡±


    ¡°Y-yup¡­ can I have that potion now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Arlom handed a potion to the crumpled figure on the ground. Even Maryams boundless enthusiasm for combat wasn¡¯t enough for her to continue as she was.


    Did I go too far with that last attack? I should have probably gone for the raging torrent rather than the rockslide. Well, I suppose she won¡¯t complain about me taking it easy against her now.


    Maryam had finished her potion by now and had a few things to say.


    ¡°You asshole, you were going easy on me!¡±


    ¡­Perhaps I have underestimated her.


    ¡°I did no such thing. I fought you to the best of my ability within the limitations I set for myself.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! That last punch was way stronger than the rest. Either you were holding back until then, or you broke your rule about not doing anything more powerful than ki circulation.¡±


    ¡°I did neither of those things.¡± Arlom explained. ¡°At the start of the fight I focused the nature of my ki circulation towards speed and agility, as was smart against an aggressive opponent. When I found you in a more defensive position, I changed my ki¡¯s nature to power and strength. It may seem like I grew stronger with no drawbacks, but it came at the cost of my speed. That attack would have been easily dodged were you not concentrating on your casting.¡±


    Maryam gave the monk a skeptical look, considering whether to believe him or not. Xorvos, who had been watching the match from the sidelines, was simply curious.


    ¡°You can change what your ki does for you? I thought your ki reflected yourself.¡±


    ¡°It does. What I did was change the self that my ki reflected, and thus, the ki changed with me.¡±


    Maryam wasn¡¯t particularily happy about his answer, but she let it go.


    ¡°Ahh, whatever fine. Let¡¯s just start the next round already, I wanted an explanation, not a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Arlom got into position as Maryam did the same. The physical enhancement spell she had applied on herself before was gone, but the consequences of her spellcraft remained. Her arms were fully scaled and horns grew prominently from her skull. If one looked closely, they would also find sharpened teeth turning into fangs.


    Lets see how her transformation changes her fighting style. Will it prove itself to be a benefit, or detriment?


    ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1, begin!¡±


    The moment Arlom began counting, Maryam started to cast a spell, the very same spell she attempted to cast using the dome. Arlom didn¡¯t know where she got the idea that the countdown was to be used for casting buffs, but he wasn¡¯t going to stop her. She would need every advantage she could get. It took the entire three seconds for the draconist to finish her spell, but when she did the effects were obvious. Every movement Maryam made was sped up, even down to her breathing, it was a haste spell.


    How troubling, a properly cast haste spell would make her faster than even me, if only by a bit. Overwhelming her with speed won''t work this time, I will have to fight defensively and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.


    A wide grin crossed Maryams face as she realised her spell worked, and as Arlom wasn¡¯t coming at her this time, she went to him. Or at least, she tried to. Not used to the spell, Maryam tripped over her own feet not even two steps into her dash towards her opponent. Tumbling to the ground, and then rolling a few extra feet due to the added momentum her hast spell gave her, Maryam ended up landing flat on her face at Arloms feet. Now, Arlom only considered himself honourable while in honourable company, of which Maryam wasn¡¯t, but striking her as she was now seemed a bit far, even for him. She didn¡¯t even have her haste spell anymore, it disappeared halfway through the roll. Weakly, and without lifting her face from the floor, Maryam called out to Arlom.


    ¡°Can I have a redo?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    Not another word was spoken of the unfortunate mishap. Although much was thought of it, by everyone in the room.


    She must have very recently learned that spell if she couldn¡¯t even run in a straight line without tripping. This was probably the first time she used it in a combat situation. She also seemed a bit slower than I was expecting, perhaps she miscast it and that contributed to her lack of control. She also lost concentration on it from a simple tumble when before she was taking direct hits to the face while keeping her spells up. The spell is obviously not ready for a real fight yet, but then that¡¯s what sparring is for. Every flaw I¡¯ve stated she already knows herself, and she also knows that the solution is as simple as practice. I don¡¯t think I need to tell her anything, at least in regards to her haste spell.


    ¡°Round two will start in three¡­ two¡­ one, begin!¡±

 Chapter Forty Nine

    Chapter Forty Nine


    Maryam was¡­ rather embarrassed. That was actually a bit impressive with how draconic she was, the dragon inside of her normally cared little for things such as embarrassment. Everything has its limit though, and Maryam had just found hers, both in her magic and how badly she can mess up before her face turns red.


    Ahh, and I finally got that spell working, I can¡¯t believe I just fucked up so bad! And now I bet he¡¯s gonna lecture me about how I shouldn¡¯t use spells I haven¡¯t properly mastered, ugh.


    Arlom starting his countdown snapped Maryam out of her thoughts and focused her entirely on the coming fight again. Three seconds wasn¡¯t a lot of time to prepare, so she had to be fast.


    I¡¯ll go extra aggressive this time, but I need to make sure he doesn¡¯t take me out before I wear him down enough to get a hit in. I¡¯ll use a defensive spell now, and then use my mana quickly to transform myself enough to keep up with him physically.


    With a plan in mind, Maryam started to put it in action. Unlike the haste spell, she was quite used to casting her defensive armour spell and finished casting it with time to spare. Time she used to take in a deep breath and infuse it with mana directly from her soul. Normally infusing things with unaltered mana didn¡¯t do much, but a draconist¡¯s mana was never unaltered. The moment Arlom¡¯s countdown finished Maryam let loose her dragon breath and a wave of pure magic force erupted out of her mouth. Arlom stood his ground, bringing his arms up to defend his face at least. The wave hit and the monk was pushed back a foot, but Maryam knew it didn¡¯t do any actual damage. That was fine, she was running even before her attack landed. He was already protecting his face, but Maryam didn¡¯t feel like going around his guard, so she decided to go through it instead. Gathering up her mana, Maryam sent a good chunk into her fist. It did nothing as is, but the moment she landed a hit, she would detonate the mana and cause a small explosion at the area of impact. It would hurt her as well, but Maryam had scales and her defensive spell, all he had was his bare skin. Her attack never landed though, as Arlom, in one smooth motion, deflected her fist to the side with one hand, and struck her in the chest with the other. It hurt, but Maryams draconic mind only cared about one thing, and it wasn¡¯t pain. She continued her assault, throwing punches and kicks, each one blocked, deflected, or dodged, with a corresponding counterattack that followed.


    This isn¡¯t working. I can take the hits but it isn¡¯t getting me anywhere. Maybe I can use that spell? It won¡¯t win me the fight but it might get me a hit in. I¡¯m not looking to win anyway.


    Mid pummeling, Maryam took in another deep breath, and let out her dragon breath. The force wave didn¡¯t do much, similar to last time, but it did force Arlom to brace himself, giving Maryam the room she needed. A moment later, her spell was done, and two purple fists floated around her. They were simple force constructs that she could control at will and a personal favourite of Maryams. The problem was, they sucked and she knew it. Controlling them properly in the middle of combat was difficult enough that even with practice Maryam could only do it when she was transformed enough for her draconic mind to give her an unnatural focus. For how hard they were to use you¡¯d think they would at least be useful, but no, their power was middling at best and any serious attack directed against them would break them. But Arlom didn¡¯t know any of that, so they would at least be useful distractions. By the time the hands had manifested, Maryam''s legs had morphed to become fully animalistic, covered in scales and bent in ways human legs didn¡¯t normally bend.


    I got the dragon legs now? Good, I¡¯ll need the extra speed. I think my entire body is covered in scales now too, except my face. Why does it always cover my face last, it needs the most protection. Well, only having one weak spot does have its uses.


    Maryam¡¯s new legs tensed up, and then shot her at her opponent at shocking speeds, while her two conjured hands struggled to keep up. A counter was waiting for her, but Maryam knew it would be and she knew where it would be aimed. Her face. At the last second Maryam opened her now toothy maw and bit with the force of a dragon. She didn¡¯t get her opponents hand, but she almost did. Arlom had to pull back his hand, aborting his attack and giving Maryam to opportunity to get truly aggressive. Maryam had four fists, two legs, and a very bitey mouth and she used all of them. She stomped a clawed foot towards the monk¡¯s shins as she sent her conjured hands to strike at his face and her own fists aimed at his chest. Maryam expected him to dodge backwards, or to the side, what she didn¡¯t expect was for him to jump straight up. He ascended so quickly that it took a moment to process where he had gone, but in that time Arlom had already grabbed her outstretched arm and used it to pull himself behind her before he landed. He also never let go of her arm, and as he landed Maryams arms was pulled behind her, and then, out of it¡¯s socket. Even with a dislocated arm, all she did was grit her teeth and grunt as she turned to face her opponent, her one good arm swinging before she could even see him. Arlom ducked beneath the swing, and then weaved between the two conjured fists, before kicking the side of Maryams knee, causing her to stumble. The monk took that chance to grab her shirt and pull her down the rest of the way, and the moment her head hit the floor, he punched it into the ground. Maryam was still conscious but dazed even in her draconic form, and her spells had finally disappeared. She had lost.


    *


    Xorvos was a bit surprised at the brutality that Arlom showed in the fight. He was graceful and precise, but held nothing back.


    Then again, would Maryam stop if he held back? I thought the fight was over when he dislocated her arm, but she continued like it wasn¡¯t even a problem. I don¡¯t know if I could do that.


    The quanso watched as Maryam sat on the ground, drinking a healing potion with purple blood flowing out of her broken nose. Arlom had already fixed her arm and now they were just waiting for her to finish healing to start round three. Or at least, that was what Maryam was doing. Arlom on the other hand was walking towards Xorvos.


    ¡°Xorvos, it has been a while since we last met. It is good to see Validus has yet to catch you. Are you enjoying the show?¡±


    ¡°Err, it¡¯s a bit¡­ violent.¡±


    ¡°Is not all combat violent? But yes, Maryam does bring a sort of wild energy with her that I could not help but reciprocate.¡±


    It¡¯s hardly reciprocating if she never even touches you with her ¡®wild energy.¡¯ I guess he does have a point though, he¡¯s not doing anything worse than what she would do to him. Doesn¡¯t make it any better watching it though.


    ¡°So,¡± Arlom continued ¡°did you manage to learn to circulate your ki?¡±


    ¡°I did. I have a question about that though.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to ask, I will answer as best I can.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ did you leave something out when you were teaching me how to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did.¡±


    There was no guilt in the monk''s face, he simply stated a fact, not worried at all about the implications of it.


    ¡°Why?¡± Xorvos asked. ¡°It was so frustrating near the end, doing everything perfectly and having it not work. What if I didn¡¯t figure it out on my own and got into a fight? I would be at a disadvantage because of your poor instruction.¡±


    ¡°If it was a fight important enough for defeat to matter, then you would have learned to circulate your ki in that moment. Ki reacts to emotions and desires, but what you feel the first time you activate it is very important. If I simply told you you needed to be in a heightened emotional state for it to work, you would have attempted to create that emotional state artificially. At best your ki wouldn''t have reacted to such emotions, but at worst your ki would have been locked behind non-genuine emotions, and you would be unable to use it naturally, only unnaturally. It is possible to manipulate your genuine emotions in such a way that ki won¡¯t recognise as fake, but it requires training you do not have. Deceiving to you was the better option for your development.¡±


    Deception is never the better option. He could have told me about the risks and warned me not to force it. But then would I really be content to wait if I felt like Shuka was in danger? If I got into a fight then I would know that would be the time to activate my ki. Unless I would be too worried about messing it up with non-genuine emotions. Would that worry then be the emotion my ki would latch on to? No, everything might have worked out the way he did it, I¡¯m sure it would have been fine if he just told me everything as well.


    ¡°I appreciate the help you have given me Arlom, but I would have preferred it if you did not hide anything from me.¡±


    ¡°I know, but tell me this Xorvos. If you could do something good for one of your close friends, say Shuka or Maryam, but only in a way they wouldn¡¯t like, would you?¡±


    ¡°¡­That scenario is too vague. I don¡¯t know how good the good thing is or how much they would dislike the bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Lets see then¡­ how about if Maryam was enjoying a fight, one with low stakes not anything life or death. It is a fight she wishes to fight alone, however. But her draconic transformation, it goes too far and she is in danger of turning a friendly brawl into a not so friendly one. She could get seriously injured, or perhaps seriously injure another who has done you or her no wrong. Perhaps the law could even get involved and she could be arrested. Do you stop the fight? She would greatly dislike that, but it would be in her best interest.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°That¡­ I would stop the fight, her safety comes first.¡±


    Maryam, who had long since recovered and was pacing impatiently nearby, heard his answer and was not happy.


    ¡°Like hell you would! I don¡¯t care about getting hurt, and I can always bribe guards, just let me fight. Pain is just the price I pay for a good time.¡±


    ¡°Now before things get too heated,¡± Arlom interjected. ¡°I did approach you for a reason Xorvos. I would like to invite you to fight in the third round. On Maryam''s side.¡±


    Xorvos didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not exactly saying no, but why would I join? I have no reason to fight you and two versus one is a dishonourable way to fight.¡±


    ¡°It is not so dishonourable when the odds are so stacked against you. After all, are those not the odds you would often fight Validus with? You and Shuka versus him alone.¡±


    As much as he hated to admit it, Xorvos had to accept that was true. From what he saw in the first two rounds, even both him and Maryam would have little chance of victory against him.


    ¡°As for a reason to fight, well you saw what it took for Maryam to accept defeat in the last round. Her transformation will only get worse in the third round, I will need to go that far or farther to get her to concede in round three. But if either of you land one solid hit on me then I will concede myself. Maryam alone won¡¯t be able to achieve that, but the two of you together might.¡±


    Xorvos thought back to the sound of Maryam¡¯s arm popping out of its socket, the image of her face smashing into the floor. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, even if he knew she didn¡¯t mind. He looked to her now and saw a burning intensity in her eyes that told him she would not stop for anything.


    ¡°Maryam, are you okay with this? Didn¡¯t you want to fight him alone?¡±


    ¡°I just want to fight him. With you, without you, I don¡¯t care, just decide already so we can get started. I¡¯m going crazy waiting here.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­ fine, I accept.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, then I will allow you two a moment to strategize before we start.¡±


    Xorvos was glad to take any sort of advantage he could, but Maryam just looked annoyed she had to wait even longer. Still, she approached her friend and once Arlom was out of earshot, gave Xorvos her plan.


    ¡°Alright, so here''s the plan. I¡¯m going to go up and fight him and you can distract him or whatever.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maryam, that¡¯s not a plan.¡±


    ¡°Well, why do we even need a plan anyway? He¡¯s too smart to get tricked and too good to get outmanoeuvred. Let¡¯s just go in and fight, and if we win we win, and if we lose we lose.¡±


    Xorvos knew, and he knew Maryam knew as well, that more likely than not, they would lose. He also knew a plan could only help so much, but it would help. He just needed to figure out how to convince Maryam to try to win instead of just have a good fight.


    ¡°Maryam, the more effort we put into a plan to actually win, the better we will do, and the better we do the longer we will last.¡±


    Maryam grumbled, and then growled, making a primal sound that Xorvos wasn¡¯t sure a human body could naturally make, before finally barking her agreement.


    ¡°Fine. But if we¡¯re going through all the trouble then we better win.¡±


    *


    It took a few minutes of arguing, but a plan did form. Xorvos wasn''t confident in its success, but he wouldn¡¯t have been confident in any plan''s success with who they were up against. Arlom was a fair ways away, with his hands over his ears to prevent himself from overhearing their conversation. However, he quickly got up when he saw they were done. Xorvos would have thought he was far enough away that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear anything even without any extra precautions, but perhaps he was just being careful. Regardless, once he got into position, he started the countdown without delay.


    ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ begin!¡±


    As planned, as soon as he started counting down Maryam started to conjure purple orbs of magic floating above her head. In the three seconds she was given, she managed to create six. When the match officially began, she shot two of them towards the monk, one curving around to the right, the other, the left. She called them force bolts, but she couldn''t use them properly in close range and Arlom was sure to close the distance quickly. That was where Xorvos came in. Activating his boots, Xorvos dashed across the room, reaching his target even before the first two bolts did. Knowing his opponent would be fast enough to react to even his magically enhanced speed, Xorvos defended his face with his arms. His torso was armoured, and the rest of his body didn¡¯t need to be defended as much. Arlom decided to go through the armour sending a punch into the quanso¡¯s gut so hard it felt like he wasn¡¯t wearing armour at all. Then, without missing a beat, he maneuvered himself behind Xorvos in an almost dance-like movement, dodging the force bolts in the process. The manoeuvre ended in a spinning kick that landed square on his back causing Xorvos to lurch forward a step. He almost got hit by the force bolts that was meant for Arlom, but Maryam had enough control over it to make them swerve out of the way before they hit him.


    Maryam! Crap, he got behind me, I need to stop him from chasing after Maryam.


    Turning around Xorvos saw that Arlom was already on his way towards the draconist shooting magic at him, dodging another one of her bolts in the process. Xorvos chased after him, but he knew he was too slow to catch up on his own. Luckily, he and Maryam accounted for that in their planning session. After shooting one more bolt, the Draconist inhaled, and unleashed her dragon breath at the man who was fast approaching her. This one was extra powerful and pushed the monk back several feet when he got hit by it, although it still wasn¡¯t powerful enough to do any damage. Xorvos was affected as well, but between his armour and his size, he was heavy enough to not get pushed around so easily, especially since he saw it coming. Arlom, annoyingly, managed to stay on his feet, even if he was pushed back, but it was still enough for Xorvos to catch up. Reaching out to grab the monk, Xorvos felt nothing but air as Arlom deftly slipped out of the way, planting an elbow into the quanso¡¯s stomach as he did. Xorvos took it, and then made sure to position himself between Arlom and Maryam, blocking his path to her. He quickly hopped to the side, looking to bypass Xorvos¡¯ barricade, but then was forced to stop for a moment to dodge another force bolt from Maryam. That was all the opportunity Xorvos needed to intercept him again. Seeing the quanso was going to be a persistent problem, Arlom decided to go on the offensive. Xorvos was expecting an attack, so he managed to block the first punch, and he weaved out of the way of the second. It was the knee the monk buried in his gut that he didn¡¯t manage to avoid, nor could he stop himself from getting grabbed and pulled into the path of the last of Maryams force bolts. The bolt hit him square in the back of the head and it hurt in a way he had never felt before. Like a blunt impact filled with needles. It stunned him long enough for Arlom to kick out his legs and drag him to the ground. When Xorvos finally oriented himself enough to figure out what was happening all he saw was the heel of a foot raised high in the air above him. It was an axe kick less than a second away from driving his face into the floor.


    ¡°Get the Fuck away fucker!¡±


    Maryam leapt at the monk from all fours, screaming through inhuman vocal chords. Her voice was unnatural and distorted, like she was some beast simply imitating speech. Arlom pivoted his kick, turning it away from Xovos¡¯ face, and into Maryams. It knocked her out of the air, but she landed nimbly on her hands and feet like a cat with her newly grown tail whipping from side to side in agitation. Maryam didn¡¯t wait for him to start attacking again, so she charged in while Xorvos slowly started to stand up. Maryam was going wild trying to hit Arlom even once, but she wasn¡¯t doing so well. At the very least, her ferocity wasn¡¯t giving Arlom many opportunities to counterattack. Still, the monk dodged, blocked, or redirected all of her attacks with ease, and it didn¡¯t look like he was going to slip up any time soon.


    The plan, we need to follow the plan. Well, plan A is out now, so I guess it¡¯s time for plan B. We just need to make him jump somehow.


    Xorvos was feeling rough, but the adrenaline and ki pumping through his veins was keeping him up. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then went to join the fray. As he ran, he shouted.


    ¡°Strike his legs!¡±


    Xorvos looked to Maryam and, to his relief, saw the glimmer of understanding in her eyes. He was worried she was too beastly to understand what he really meant. She was already crouched on the ground, as her more draconic form preferred, and at his order she tensed up, ready to pounce. When Xorvos reached the monk, he went low and attempted to grab the monk at his waist. At the same time Maryam launched herself at Arloms ankles, flying through the air mere inches above the ground. Both Maryam and Xorvos were coming in from different directions, but the answer, to Arlom at least, was simple. Jump. High enough that both attacks would pass below him. So he did so, and even had the luxury of kicking Xorvos in the face as he did. It hurt, but Xorvos smiled anyway. The plan worked. Maryam twisted her body mid air and let out the dragon breath she had subtly prepared before leaping, directly at the monk. The wide wave of force hit Arlom, and pushed him higher in the air and he was, for once, not in control of the situation. Maryam slid along the ground on her back, but was already working on the next part of the plan. A lot of force bolts.


    Is this going to work? His mobility is reduced in the air, but what if he can block them, or destroy them pre-emptively? We need just one more thing to attack him with. Maryam is already giving it her all, it has to be me who does it.


    With barely more of a plan than run forward and hope for the best, Xorvos charged in the direction it seemed Arlom was going to land. When Maryam hit him with her dragon breath, it wasn¡¯t perfectly timed, and she hit him at an angle, causing him to fly off away from them. Now, Xorvos was struggling to catch up before he landed. Maryam made as many force bolts as she could, four, and sent them all to Arlom at once. They streaked past Xorvos towards their target, but the quanso knew they wouldn¡¯t land. Arlom had righted himself in the air and looked calm, even as he fell to the ground. Xorvos wouldn¡¯t make it in time, but he ran anyway, desiring speed. Wishing he didn¡¯t use his greaves at the start of the fight. His body was filled with pain, his unarmored head especially, but he focused on something else. The ki that flowed through every inch of his flesh. What use was it in his face, or even his arms right now? He didn¡¯t need it in his chest, or neck, or fingers. He needed it in his legs. Xorvos circulated his ki straight down, and immediately regretted his decision. The pain from the repeated blows he had taken during the fight nearly doubled in severity, and his body groaned in protest. Not only that, but he overshot his target, and all his gathered ki went not to his legs, but his feet. And then, it was all sucked up by his greaves. And then, they activated. Xorvos flew through the air with the power of his enchanted greaves, and reached Arlom just after the bolts. As expected, not a one landed a solid hit, they were all either punched, or kicked into harmless motes of magic. But he had used every limb in defense of himself, and he had not expected the quanso¡¯s rapid approach. Still, he almost managed to twist out of the way, but just barely, Xorvos grabbed him. He caught him on the hem of his monkly robes, which wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough. Xorvos didn¡¯t have a plan for landing, and probably wouldn¡¯t be able to land safely even if he did, so he put all of his effort into making sure Arlom didn¡¯t land safely either. He tensed his arm, used all of his strength, even without the ki, and pulled the monk down, into the ground. They both landed with a thud, and Xorvos almost fell unconscious right then and there, but he held on just long enough to hear two words.


    ¡°I concede.¡±

 Chapter Fifty

    Chapter Fifty


    When Shuka had agreed to come along with her friends to meet a monk they apparently knew, she hadn¡¯t expected it to turn into such a brawl. She was just glad she was never invited to join in, she knew that level of combat was far beyond her. It was entertaining to watch though, even if she did wince every time one of her friends took a particularly nasty blow. And it was worth it to see them so happy now. Well, Maryam was happy, and she showed it by running around, yelling, and throwing stuff. Xorvos was too unconscious to be happy, but that would probably change when he wakes up. Shuka was paying so much attention to her friends that she didn¡¯t even notice Arlom until he sat down right next to her.


    ¡°How do you do Miss Shuka? It is nice to finally meet you.¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah. Nice to meet you too. Oh, if we¡¯re going to talk, could you hold this talisman for it? I¡¯ll need it back after though.¡±


    Shuka took out her anti-curse talisman and held it out to the monk before her. Arlom however, just held out his hand to stop her and shook his head.


    ¡°It would be utter foolishness for me to take such an obviously cursed item. Or at least that is what my first instinct tells me, which I find quite odd. Everything I am seeing of you tells me that you are genuinely offering me this item out of goodwill, and yet, my instincts cry out in danger.¡±


    ¡°Right, uh, I¡¯m cursed to make people not trust me.¡±


    ¡°An obvious lie. In fact, I am so certain that it is a lie that it must be the truth. There is no reason for me to not even consider that you are telling the truth other than outside interference. Especially since I detected no actual lie from you. I think I will take the talisman, but I warn you not to make the same offer to others. Only the extremely reckless and arrogant would accept.¡±


    Arlom took the talisman from Shuka¡¯s still outstretched hand and put it away in a pocket in his outfit.


    ¡°I guess I will have to get Maryam or Xorvos to offer it. Probably Xorvos. Still, it¡¯s nice that it does seem to be possible to get through the curse with logic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but this curse seems powerful enough to trick even the smart. The advantage I have is my talent in reading people. I was also predisposed to think well of you from my knowledge of your friendship with Xorvos and Maryam.¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s why it only kinda worked on them too. Xorvos knew me well enough to know that the feeling he was getting from me wasn¡¯t normal.¡±


    I hope it won¡¯t be too hard to get people to take the talisman, I went through a lot to make them. Still, I think it¡¯s probably too late to get Validus to use it.


    ¡°So what is it you desire?¡±


    The question came out of nowhere and it took a moment for Shuka to respond.


    ¡°Um, removing the curse I guess.¡±


    ¡°And after? Removing your curse is an immediate goal, but what is it you want to spend your life doing? What brings you fufillment?¡±


    Shuka really had to think about the question this time. What brought her fulfillment? She had never considered it before.


    ¡°I think¡­ I just want to go back to the life I had. Hunting in a small village. I guess I enjoy learning magic too, but I don¡¯t have anything in particular I want to do with it.¡±


    ¡°How unambitious. That is good, it means you will find happiness easily.¡±


    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you think my goals are too simple? I feel kind of dumb for not having anything more important to want.¡±


    ¡°I have met many people with even simpler goals than that, and I find they are often the most content with their lives. You had already achieved what many great people strive for their entire lives. Your life''s purpose was fulfilled.¡±


    I never considered it like that before. Although it¡¯s making me even more annoyed about this curse, just let me get back to my fulfilled life already.


    ¡°So if you are all about helping people, does that mean you are going to help me remove my curse?¡±


    ¡°No. Not for any malicious reason, mind you. Curse removal is beyond my area of expertise, and I would rather help you return to a peaceful lifestyle yourself, rather than do it all myself. It is not the curse I believe you need assistance with, however.¡±


    ¡°If not the curse, then what? You said it yourself, all I need is the simple life of a hunter, and the only thing preventing that is the curse.¡±


    ¡°The only thing? And what of Validus? Or whoever it is that placed the curse on you? And will it be so easy to return to such a peaceful life after surviving such a stressful situation?¡±


    Well, Mervil can probably deal with Validus since he¡¯s the Grand Priest, and hopefully, Asheli will handle the whole Sandrin situation. Is returning to a peaceful life really so hard though? It seems like the easiest step to me. I might have to move to a new village, but compared to dealing with Validus that hardly seems so bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the first two problems are going to be dealt with, and I¡¯m not really worried about the third one, but if you have any advice I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t see the problem already, then I doubt you will until it is too late. Just try to remember what you truly desire when the time comes for you to go home. And if you ever get the chance, you should speak with Pommel, I¡¯m sure he would help alleviate a plight such as yours.¡±


    ¡°Pommel? You mean the demi-god? I¡¯m not exactly religious, I don¡¯t know if he would answer any of my prayers.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t mean pray to him. I just meant that if you happen to encounter him in your travels it would do you well to speak to him. Although I believe he currently resides in Draconia so a chance meeting may be unlikely.¡±


    When I asked for advice ¡®go meet a god¡¯ is not what I was expecting. And he¡¯s in Draconia? That¡¯s an entirely different continent, am I supposed to sail across the sea just to talk to one man?


    ¡°Is that it? You know, I was kind of hoping for something a bit more solid, like something I can actually act on.¡±


    ¡°There are some small things that I could give you advice on, but I doubt you would listen to them with such a looming threat hanging over you. Before anything else, you must return to normalcy, but I don¡¯t need to tell you that. As for things to act on, I am not all knowing. I do not know the perfect way to remove your curse and I do not know how to give you a peaceful life. I trust that it is possible though, and as long as you seek a solution, you will find it. Now, I must speak with your friends and then I think it will be time for you to leave. I am sure you have much to do outside of my monastery. Ah, and before I forget, here is your talisman back.¡±


    Arlom handed Shuka¡¯s talisman back to her and then made his way to Maryam, who was running around in circles on all fours. How she still had so much energy after the fight, Shuka had no idea. Xorvos was only just now getting up from where he landed, but both looked to Arlom as he approached. Shuka''s two friends listened intently as the monk started to talk.


    They sure are friendly with a person who was just beating them up. I guess he¡¯s not so bad though.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    *


    Arlom watched as the three newest visitors of his monastery left. They were an interesting bunch, and he wished he could¡¯ve spent more time with them. They were not the only people who demanded his attention, however. There was an old regular who had been patiently waiting for quite a while now, although he almost seemed more interested in the poor cursed hunter than in the monk. Now that she had left though, his gaze locked directly onto Arlom. He was a plain looking man, average height, average looks, short brown hair and simple clothing. He could have been a farmhand, or a cobbler, or any number of other simple professions, it was impossible to tell. The name he had given Arlom when they first met was Richard, but he had since learned his real name. Sandrin. He had entered the monastery shortly after Shuka and her friends but kept far away from them the entire time. He sat on a bench on the far side of the training hall where Arlom had sparred with Maryam, and had a small wooden sculpture in his hands he pretended to carve. He had admitted to the monk once that he didn¡¯t actually know how to carve and it was all an illusion, but it made him look busy and not spying on people. As Arlom got within a few feet of the archmage he felt the nearly imperceptible tingle of mana passing over him. He knew this meant he walked into a spell, and knowing who he was approaching, probably one that prevented people from eavesdropping.


    ¡°Richard, it¡¯s been years. How have you been?¡±


    The disguised archmage gave a faint smile, before giving up on the pretense and dropped his illusion, revealing his true self, to Arlom at least. He was sure that the spell he entered was keeping Sandrins identity hidden still. He looked different than what Arlom remembered, for one thing he had hair now. The Sandrin he remembered was bald, and had distinctive arcane tattoo¡¯s on his scalp that was now covered by his head of straight black hair. And he wore glasses now, although he quickly removed them and tucked them away in one of his robes¡¯ pockets. That was another oddity for anyone who knew the famed archmage of illusion and his disdain for mage robes. Now, Arlom surmised, he played up his hatred of robes precisely so no one would ever imagine him wearing them if he ever had to hide. Between the hair, the glasses, and the robes, it would be hard for anyone to recognize him unless they knew Sandrin very well, or had a very good memory. The one other thing Arlom took notice of, was that he was tired. Emotionally and physically. But still determined.


    ¡°I have spent every waking hour of my life for the last three years working on a project that is on the verge of failure. How have I been? Not great.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you found the time to visit that lich I recommended to you then?¡±


    Sandrin let out a weak laugh, and a bit of vigour returned to his face.


    ¡°No, but thanks for the recommendation. I didn¡¯t have the time to go halfway across the world to meet her even before Mervil and Asheli raided me, so I coerced a local necromancer into helping me instead. If I hadn¡¯t then the fake soul I conjured to trick Mervil into thinking I was really dead might not have worked.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad it worked out for you, but you really must be a bit more careful. There aren¡¯t many competent necromancers in the Celestial Empire, and most aren¡¯t very honourable regardless of their skill. They could have given you flawed knowledge, intentionally or unintentionally. Meeting the Ivory Horror would have taken longer, but ensured a favourable result.¡±


    ¡°If I could convince her to teach me in the first place that is. But what¡¯s done is done, I¡¯ve already learned all I need about souls. In fact, you¡¯ve already seen my handiwork.¡±


    ¡°Shuka¡¯s curse? Impressive work for a field outside of your specialty. I take it she factors into your plans somehow?¡±


    ¡°Of course she does, I wouldn¡¯t just let a loose end walk around like that for no reason. Although the plan is starting to fall apart a bit. She was never meant to meet Asheli, and I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s going to interfere.¡±


    ¡°You always did struggle to consider her involvement. That¡¯s why you got caught three years ago.¡±


    Sandrin got a genuine look of surprise on his face for a moment before he controlled his expression.


    ¡°I had assumed one of the temple''s spies had caught me. Was it Asheli?¡±


    ¡°One of her thieves. I believe he was simply looking to rob you when he encountered your more¡­ incriminating possessions, and he reported it to Asheli without taking anything. She told Mervil and they assembled a team in secret.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, I¡¯m not going to let her be my downfall again, I just have to take her into account this time. I should have been more careful though and ensured she wouldn¡¯t assist Shuka. I thought the curse would be enough, but she¡¯s too careful.¡±


    Arlom looked upon Sandrin and saw anxiety and stress. Stress that had been there for years. He had always known Sandrin to be an anxious man, but never had it been so severe. But there was one other thing the monk saw in him, something he had never seen in the archmage before. Guilt. Where could that have come from?


    Ah, the hunter. I do not know how she factors into Sandrin¡¯s plan, but a stranger would add too much uncertainty. He must have gotten to know her quite well in the last three years.


    ¡°Out of curiosity Sandrin, did you happen to take Shuka as your apprentice?¡±


    ¡°How did you¡­ yes, I did. I finally took your advice and got an apprentice.¡±


    ¡°And? Did you find it an annoying chore like you claimed it would be?¡±


    ¡°Alright fine, you were right, I really enjoyed it. It was a bit frustrating at first since she was learning slower than I had hoped, and I¡¯m on a time limit, but eventually teaching her magic was my time to relax. I was worried I had messed up picking her, but she¡¯s done remarkably well. If I just picked up a kid with talent, they would have probably panicked in their first fight and gotten caught, even with my help.¡±


    While his eyes were still tired, Sandrin started to smile, if only slightly. And he wasn¡¯t just happy that he found a good tool to use.


    ¡°There are few people you feel guilt over sacrificing, could you not have found someone you cared less for?¡±


    ¡°I considered it. Actually, that quanso, Xorvos, almost got cursed instead of Shuka. I certainly wouldn¡¯t feel guilty about that. But then Shuka would have probably gotten involved anyway, and he was less likely to follow my orders. No one else in the village was a good candidate, and I couldn¡¯t afford to search elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°You require the best possible candidate to ensure your plan works, but if it brings you turmoil, then will you not be getting an imperfect result?¡±


    Sandrin scoffed at the remark.


    ¡°The result is already imperfect. If it was perfect I wouldn¡¯t need a plan at all, and I wouldn¡¯t need any help from a narcissist who thinks being called a tyrant is a good thing. As long as I get what I want at all I will be happy. Would I be happier if Shuka didn¡¯t have to suffer for it? Yes. But I would also be happier if some thief didn¡¯t stumble into a pentagram while looking for a fancy bottle of wine to steal.¡±


    ¡°I take it you are still working with your patron then?¡±


    ¡°I have to. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get good enough at demonology to summon an archdemon in time for the penta. Like it or not, I need him.¡±


    ¡°What you like is often more important than what you think you need. Even if you two share a goal, you do not share your desires. Eventually you will come to a disagreement severe enough that it cannot be reconciled. Do you have a plan on how to betray him when that happens?¡±


    ¡°I have a few, but they all require me to summon the demon first. That man ruled a kingdom of backstabbers, a few simple illusions aren¡¯t going to do him in. I don¡¯t think he is going to betray me first though, not directly at least. We made a deal, and I think he will honor it. The only question is, how long will it take for him to turn on me once the deal is over? He doesn¡¯t seem like a man who likes people more powerful than him, and if all goes well, I will be stronger by far.¡±


    It was a bold statement, but Arlom knew what Sandrin¡¯s end goal was, even if he didn¡¯t know how he would get there. If he really did get what he wanted, then there would be few who could take him in a fair fight. It wasn¡¯t a fair fight the archmage was worried about though.


    ¡°So you are already compromising by working with your patron rather than doing it all on your own, could you not make another with Shuka? She at least will weigh on your conscience.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to die for my plan to work. I can¡¯t take back what I¡¯ve already done, and I need her for one last thing, but after that I will leave her alone. I might even make sure she gets out of Sidus alive, as long as it doesn¡¯t put myself in jeopardy at least.¡±


    ¡°Will that be enough? What you need is not to commit lesser evils against her, what you need is closure. You are right, you can¡¯t take back what you¡¯ve done, so do not try to redeem yourself in her eyes, but at least talk to her one last time. Tell her you are sorry, even if she won¡¯t forgive you. If you avoid her then you will be running away from the price you are paying to achieve your goals.¡±


    ¡°Well what am I meant to say to her then?¡± Sandrin near shouted in distress. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry I ruined your life for my own selfish goals? How is that going to make things better for either of us? I don¡¯t have the time or resources to remove her curse, and even if I did it wouldn¡¯t fix her reputation. I¡¯m not even done hurting her yet, but an apology is meant to make everything better? Why bother at all?¡±


    ¡°An apology won¡¯t make everything better, in fact, it won¡¯t change anything at all. Your actions will still harm her, she will still hate you for it and you will still feel guilty. But you don¡¯t apologize to gain something out of it, you apologize because it is the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the right thing for me to do be not harm her in the first place?¡±


    ¡°If it came at the cost of your dream? Then no. Not for you at least. I know what you value and I know that if you did give up on your dream for her sake you would end up resenting her for it. Perhaps there is a world where you could achieve your goals without harming her, but we are not in that world. So stab her one last time, but at least give her the courtesy of stabbing her in the front, and not the back.¡±


    Sandrin was uncertain, conflicted. Anxiously weighing his options inside his own mind, even in matters so emotional. But then he stopped, calmed himself and took a deep breath, just like Arlom taught him. He had come to a decision.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let her distract me any longer. I will meet her one more time, and then remove her from my life.¡±

 Chapter Fifty One

    Validus was tired. He worked anyway. He always worked, even when there wasn¡¯t anything to do. Because there was always something to do. If you don¡¯t see a problem, find one, they¡¯re everywhere. The only issue with that, was Validus knew about a problem, and a pretty big one at that, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. No, that wasn¡¯t right, he could do something about it he just didn¡¯t know how. Shuka the witch was gone and he had no idea where she was. Somehow, some of the best trackers in the Celestial Empire had failed to find her. Aurulin had told him that her tracks were being hidden magically and she had a very powerful ward against divinations on her. The ward made sense, she was travelling with the daughter of the archmage of artifice, she was sure to be protected well, but how did the witch hide her tracks? It would take more than simple illusions to trick the empire''s best trackers, and devious though she may be, Validus was not impressed with her magical capabilities.


    It must have been that mage that was with her, but who is he? And why is he helping Shuka? I had thought she was gathering her allies through magical charms, but a mage of his calibre wouldn¡¯t be so easily enchanted. Servianna¡¯s daughter would also be warded against charms, wouldn''t she? So how is she enlisting their help? Deception? Blackmail?


    It was a question he didn¡¯t know how to find an answer for, but luckily for him, he wasn¡¯t alone in this endeavour. There was a knock on the door to the Grand Paladins office, and after Validus informed the person on the other side they could enter, the door opened. Aurulin walked into the office with a polite and demure demeanour, bowed slightly to Validus and then began to speak.


    ¡°Stars guide us Grand Paladin. I would request a moment of your time, if you would be willing to speak with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course high priestess, what is it you would like to talk about.¡±


    As he spoke, Validus pressed a rune hidden on the underside of his desk that activated the privacy wards of the room to prevent spying. Sound would not reach the outside, anything invisible would be highlighted with a magical glow, scrying of any kind was prevented, and many more magical effects, most of which he had forgotten. In truth, Validus rarely even used his office, let alone its privacy functions, but Aurulin had insisted he had it on for their every conversation. Immediately the priestesses posture changed, from a shy girl in front of her superior an irritated punk about to mug a man in a back alley. It was quite at odds with her ceremonial robes covered in religious iconography, but Validus was starting to get used to it. She stomped over to a chair, fell into it with the posture of a rebellious teen, and dumped a stack of papers Validus didn¡¯t even see her take out onto his desk.


    ¡°So I got some info on Shuka¡¯s two newest friends, but it aint fuckin much.¡±


    ¡°Well at least it¡¯s something, I was worried you were bringing me bad news.¡±


    ¡°Oh just you fuckin wait, I am. But read the document first.¡±


    So he did. It was only a handful of papers and Validus had gotten plenty of practice reading since he became the Grand Paladin, so it didn¡¯t take long. The first thing noted in the document was that both Shuka and Maryam grew up in the Vondoom Orphanage located in Rainsburg. Xorvos, the quanso, had also lived in the small village since he was young and Aurulin theorized they were all childhood friends. It made sense to Validus, he had originally assumed the quanso had been charmed by Shuka, but that seemed less likely the longer he chased them. Charms were hard to maintain long-term, and Shuka didn¡¯t seem to have the magical expertise to keep one up for months. Maryam''s mother probably protected her from such things, so trickery and emotional manipulation were Shuka¡¯s only real avenues for gaining allies. The document then went into ¡®Ralisdor¡¯ the mage that they encountered in Lancrin. Apparently, it took Aurulin a bit to even find his name. He was a freelance illusionist that nobles and merchants would hire to decorate and entertain for their parties. He had a suspiciously blank background though, and only took on a few rare jobs, indicating it was likely a fake persona created by someone else. The real interesting part was that around three years ago Ralisdor retired and moved to Rainsburg of all places where he took on an apprentice. Shuka.


    ¡°Shuka is this Ralisdor¡¯s apprentice? Or is that also some sort of cover for him?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I think that¡¯s legit. Your witch has the competence of a wet sock, he¡¯s probably the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°You think the mage is the mastermind behind this whole thing?¡± Validus asked incredulously. ¡°That seems a bit far-fetched don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Aurulin rolled her eyes, obviously about to go on some insulting tirade, when she, and Validus too, heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. Immediately, she fixed her posture to sit in her chair properly and put on the most innocent and polite face she had. A moment later the sound of metal against wood rang out in the office as someone wearing a metal gauntlet pounded against the door. Validus sighed, there was only one man who dared risk damaging his door with such aggressive knocking. The door was enchanted and unlikely to sustain damage even from a directed assault, but that was beside the point. Validus deactivated the privacy enchantments so the man outside his office could hear him, and then called out, trying his best not to let his displeasure show in his voice.


    ¡°I am in a meeting Kreivos, is it important?¡±


    Kreivos, the only man it could have been, answered in a deep and intense voice that did not know how to whisper.


    ¡°IT IS.¡±


    Validus expected that answer, for all the flaws that Kreivos had, and he had many, he did not waste time with petty issues.


    ¡°Then you may enter.¡±


    The door opened, it automatically locked and unlocked with the activation and deactivation of the privacy enchantments, and in walked Kreivos. He was a mountain of a man, clad entirely in well-worn metal with only his face showing through his helmet. It wasn¡¯t some standard issue set of armour though. The set Kreivos wore was enchanted and had channels cut into it through which an eternal source of oil flowed. The oil stuck to the armour rather than make a mess everywhere he went, but more importantly, it was lit with the right white holy flame of Humanus. Always. Validus had never seen Kreivos outside of his iconic armor and he had never seen that armor not burning with pure white fire. He knew that it hurt the man who wore it too, and the flame of Humanus was far harsher than mundane fire. The pain was how Kreivos showed his devotion as a paladin of Humanus, and if he didn¡¯t feel it, what was the point? Validus had a different opinion on the matter, and the two paladins often had arguments of faith, among other things. Kreivos stomped up to Validus¡¯ desk, all but ignoring Aurulin, and slammed his hands on its surface. The flames licked dangerously close to some very important papers, but neither paladin was worried. Holy flame only burned flesh.


    ¡°SEND ME AFTER THE WITCH.¡±


    ¡°Kreivos, we don¡¯t know where the witch is. While I respect your strength in combat, there is not much either of us can do until she is found.¡±


    ¡°SHE IS WITHIN THE CITY, I CAN FEEL IT. MY FLAMES BURN WITH THE DESIRE TO KILL, AND HER CORRUPTED SOUL WILL FEED THEIR RAVENOUS HUNGER.¡±


    She¡¯s in Sidus? No, Kreivos¡¯ hunches have been wrong before. Still, I can''t ignore this. Sending him is dangerous though. Shuka is surely evil, and that mage is likely fully complicit as well, but I feel like Xorvos and Maryam are being tricked. Kreivos would kill them all, and anyone else who might be in his way.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°If they are in the city then I will search for her myself, but you have a tendency to cause¡­ collateral damage in public area¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°MY FLAMES HAVE YET TO KILL AN INNOCENT. THEIR PAIN IS WORTH HER DEATH.¡±


    I wonder how many of those innocents would agree with you.


    ¡°Your methods aren¡¯t subtle, if you start interrogating people for her whereabouts it might spook her and cause her to go into hiding. Now that I know she is within Sidus I will focus my attention here. Once her exact location is found, I will call upon you to aid me in her arrest.¡±


    ¡°IN HER DEATH, NOT ARREST. THERE IS AN IREDEEMABLE EVIL WITHIN OUR WALLS THAT IS DESERVING OF ONLY ONE PUNISHMENT.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But stay your blade from her companions, I have reason to believe they are being tricked.¡±


    ¡°THEN THEY BEAR THE SIN OF ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO BE DECEIVED BY EVIL. I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO STOP MY JUSTICE.¡±


    It sounded bad, but Validus knew that was the best he was going to get.


    Surely the sin of being deceived is not worthy of death. I will just have to hope it isn¡¯t, even if I ordered him Kreivos follows his own rules. I would rather not bring him at all, but leaving him to his own devices would probably be worse.


    ¡°If that is all Kreivos, then you are dismissed. May Humanus guide you.¡±


    ¡°MAY HUMANUS GUIDE YOU.¡±


    Kreivos pounded his fist against his chest plate in a salute and then turned and strode to the door of his office with intensity. Before he left though, he turned his head and gave one last remark to Validus.


    ¡°IF YOU FAIL TO STOP THE WITCH, I WILL CHALLENGE YOU FOR THE POSITION OF GRAND PALADIN ONCE MORE. YOUR STRENGTH IS GREAT, BUT YOUR WILL IS WEAK, I WILL NOT FAIL A SECOND TIME.¡±


    The door slammed closed and Validus could hear the heavy sound of the paladin''s footsteps fade away. Validus reactivated the privacy enchantments and Aurulin wasted no time letting her thoughts be known.


    ¡°Fucking freak. Asshole just wants your title so he doesn¡¯t have to pay a fine every time he ¡®accidentally¡¯ kills a petty thief.¡±


    ¡°He believes his cause is righteous. And he has only ever killed murderers, even if they lacked a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°Only because he knows how much he can get away with. That all changes if he becomes the Grand Paladin. He will go after anyone who is any less than his stupidly strict definition of pure and have absolute immunity while he does it. You may not be liked, but everyone hates him.¡±


    It was hard to argue against her, Validus had his own worries about his fellow paladin. But he also knew that the Grand Paladin was no mundane governmental position held up by law alone. It was blessed by the gods themselves, and could not be held by any they did not accept. If Kreivos truly was fueled by his dark desires alone, no amount of won duels would grant him the position.


    ¡°Earlier you said you had some bad news for me Aurulin. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you finally remembered how everything¡¯s going to shit? Good job.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me what¡¯s wrong already.¡±


    ¡°Fine, here¡¯s the deal. Mervil told me to drop the Shuka case, he said he has something else he wants me working on.¡±


    Something else? What could be more important than dealing with this witch? He knows she is likely planning on summoning demons, why is he interfering now? He could have just denied me when I requested more resources a few days ago. Is this a political decision? Or does he really not believe in the danger of the situation?


    ¡°Can¡¯t you deny him?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Your dumbass privilege as the Grand Paladin means you¡¯re outside his authority, but he¡¯s my direct superior. I could tell him to fuck off, but I don¡¯t really have much room to argue if he decides to put his foot down.¡±


    ¡°Why is he interfering now though? Do you know what this more important thing he wants you working on even is, or is he just making an excuse to deprive me of an ally?¡±


    ¡°Well, some bullshit¡¯s actually going down. I don¡¯t know the specifics, but a few days ago Mervil took Frederick and had a little chat with Asheli about something real hush hush. Even most of the thieves guild members don¡¯t know the details, and what they do know they''re not snitching on.¡±


    ¡°Frederick is involved too? I know the two of them are friends, but Mervil doesn¡¯t normally take him to his meetings, does he?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Whatever¡¯s going on, it requires the expertise of the idiot savant himself. Probably something to do with the perfect dual alignment happening in a few days.¡±


    There¡¯s a perfect alignment in a few days? Could Shuka be planning something then as well?


    ¡°Who is the alignment between?¡±


    ¡°Gnollan and Varkos.¡±


    Unity and war¡­ it¡¯s a good alignment for armies. Maybe that means Shuka will try to summon a mass of demons rather than one particularly powerful one. I can¡¯t imagine what Mervil is planning with it though.


    ¡°So what do you plan on doing?¡± Validus asked.


    ¡°Well, the big boss man just called me, of course I¡¯ve got to answer. He never said anything about who else I could bring though. I¡¯m meant to be meeting Mervil at the thieves guild in an hour, and I want you to come with me. You just gotta promise to play nice in the guild, okay?¡±


    ¡°I know your opinion of me is low, but at least think better of me than that. I may not like Asheli and her people, but I¡¯m no Kreivos.¡±


    ¡°You keep him around though. You could have kicked that psychopath out ages ago, you wouldn¡¯t even need to make an excuse. Just say ¡®You¡¯ve gone too far this time¡¯ and then he can fuck off to somewhere else.¡±


    It was true, Validus knew. He had both the authority and the reason to banish Kreivos from the paladin order. But it wasn¡¯t so simple for him.


    ¡°Aurulin, how many paladins do you think are in my order. Not squires, but full paladins.¡±


    ¡°Two dozen? Three?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-three paladins.¡±


    ¡°So what, you gonna whine about how you¡¯re undermanned?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am, because if our historical records are to be trusted, eight hundred years ago when this empire was founded there were thousands of paladins, each with multiple squires assisting them. Half the paladins now don¡¯t even have one squire, I don¡¯t even have a squire.¡±


    ¡°Eight hundred years ago this land had more demons in it than humans, of course paladin was a popular occupation.¡±


    Validus knew she was right, there was a much greater need for divine warriors during the Celestial Crusade, but he still felt all the good he didn¡¯t have the manpower to do, and all the evil he wasn¡¯t prepared enough for.


    ¡°The reason I have yet to banish Kreivos from the Celestial Empire, is because if Shuka succeeds, or any other nefarious evil doer, he will be the first man on the front lines. In times of peace he may be¡­ unpleasant, but one day he will be needed. We may be approaching that day right now.¡±


    Aurulin just spat onto the pristine floorboards, a look of disdain still covering her face.


    ¡°That fucker better die a hero then cuz I¡¯m one more fuckup away from shanking him in an alley, and I¡¯m not the only one.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, the moment he goes too far I will ensure he will meet proper repercussions. I am prepared to strip him of his rank and banish or arrest him, and he is on thin ice.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been on thin ice for a decade, and that ice is never going to break. He knows how to play this game, ¡®too far¡¯ isn¡¯t going to happen until he is the one who decides what ¡®too far¡¯ is.¡±


    ¡°Aurulin enough! I understand your concerns, but I have to trust my brother in arms to do the right thing.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    Aurulin roughly got up from her chair, letting it tumble to the floor carelessly, anger and frustration clear on her face.


    ¡°Everyone is someone''s trusted brother, even the assholes. Sometimes, you just gotta tell your brother to fuck off.¡±


    *


    Kreivos had his orders from the Grand Paladin. He was duty-bound to follow them. But the Grand Paladin was weak. The witch would not escape justice. He could not interrogate, but Kreivos had no intention to. He had no victims with the information he desired. Evil had a scent, one Kreivos knew well. The city was awash with it. Vile thievery, opulent corruption, and weak minds in power making weak decisions. Kreivos could sense it all, each evil unique in its own nauseating way. But today he hunted a witch. The scent of witchcraft was muddled though, by one of Asheli¡¯s vermin. Melia. Kreivos longed to see her head on a pike, but she was favoured by the Ashen Hand. One day, all the scum of the thieves guild would burn in holy flame, but that day was not today. The witch¡¯s goal was to summon demons. A familiar fate the empire had faced before. Too familiar. For sixty seven years a gate to hell had been open in the very city the paladin stood in. Nearly eight centuries had passed since it was closed, but even still, the stench of the infernal remained. He would not find her through her hellish desires. But she was not alone. A quanso, a mage, and a draconist. The quanso surely reeked of broken honour and wretched deception, but the guild of thieves had such a scent in droves. The mage Kreivos was sure was filled to the brim with sin, but what sin exactly, he could not know. The draconist however, bore the blood of dragons and their tyranny. It was faint, and he had to search for it, but it was there. No other draconists lived within Sidus, and only a handful of dragons were even found outside of Draconia. It had to be the witch''s companion. Her life would be spared, he did have his orders, but she would pay dearly for her transgressions. All of them would, but the one named Shuka most of all.

 Chapter Fifty Two

    Chapter Fifty Two


    Strands of mana weaved into an unfamiliar pattern, forming runes of well-known power. Structure and rigidity, protection and containment. Abjuration. The runes were formed, and their wells began to fill with the mana of a spellcaster, and the spell¡­ fizzled. It failed. Again. Shuka cursed herself mentally for messing it up again, but abjuration magic was entirely different from the illusions she was used to. It didn¡¯t help that she had an audience.


    ¡°Hey, you almost got it that time. The runes felt good enough; you just gotta not fuck it up next time.¡± Maryam ¡®encouraged.¡¯


    ¡°Any idea how I¡¯m fucking it up? You know, so I don¡¯t do it again?¡±


    ¡°Nope. But you¡¯ll figure it out. It¡¯s only been what, a day and a half? Just keep practicing.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re getting tired of practicing your magic, you can always go back to training your swordsmanship with me.¡± Xorvos added in ¡®helpfully.¡¯


    Oh boy, the only thing worse than failing to cast a simple spell. Losing fights.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been at it for hours, ¡± Shuka complained. ¡°and before this, I was sparring with Xorvos. Can¡¯t I take a break?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you know how important this spell is. I don¡¯t know how you two went up against the Grand Paladin without a hint of protective magic on you, but it ain¡¯t happening again.¡±


    Shuka knew Maryam was right; the spell really was useful. She was trying to learn a basic shield spell, or more specifically, she was trying to harden her mana in the shape of a disc. Or even harden it at all at this point. It was the absolute starting point of all abjuration magic, the same way changing mana¡¯s colour and making it visible was the absolute starting point of illusions. Learning this spell was the gateway to an entirely new school of magic, one specialized in protecting her from harm. On the other hand, abjuration magic had nothing to do with illusion magic, and learning it from the ground up was hard. Even with the new method of spellcasting she learned from Melia she was struggling to get her mana to do what she wanted it to.


    At least Maryam¡¯s a pretty good teacher, and I¡¯ve got nothing but time here. It¡¯s not like I ever spent this long practicing magic back in Rainsburg. It might have taken me a week to get to this point if I had been taking it as casually as I normally do.


    The door to Shuka¡¯s room slammed open with a panicked ferocity, taking all of the room¡¯s inhabitants by surprise. Melia stood in the now open doorway and gave the briefest of explanations before letting herself in.


    ¡°Hey, we gotta scram! Validus is in the guild, and you can¡¯t be in here with him.¡±


    That was all Shuka needed to hear. Luckily, all of her things were with her in her room, and she didn¡¯t have too many possessions in the first place, so after a dozen or so frantic seconds Shuka, and her friends too, were ready to leave.


    ¡°Melia, where do we go? If Validus is in the guild then I can''t risk him seeing me in the common room trying to leave, can I?¡±


    ¡°The common room? Are you crazy? No, we¡¯re going out your window.¡±


    ¡°Window? But this room doesn¡¯t have a win-¡±


    Shuka turned to see what Melia was talking about and saw her roughly sticking a large painting of a window on her wall. She must have used some sort of glue on it because all she did was slam it against the wall, and it stuck in place. Or maybe it was just magic.


    Where did she even get the painting from? It¡¯s bigger than her.


    With the painting in place, the small witch shoved her hands into it, causing the ¡®window¡¯ to open wide into an alley. Melia then wasted no time before crawling through the window and into the alley herself.


    ¡°Well hurry it up already. And don¡¯t forget your disguise.¡±


    *


    It was almost surreal how fast Shuka went from fleeing her room in a panic fueled dread to snacking on street food in a crowded market. The alley the window painting led to connected to the market, and Melia wasted no time in shoving Shuka and her two friends into the mass of people. To blend in, she claimed. A few minutes later she shoved a couple of probably stolen sandwiches into their hands. Fresh, she assured them, which was good because Shuka had seen Melia take food from the garbage before. The sandwich was good; the bread was high quality, and it had a wide range of fruits and vegetables on it. Sidus had plenty of farmland in its vicinity, so wheat and produce like that must have been cheap. It was a curious thought you had while munching on a good sandwich. But Shuka had been fleeing for her life.


    What am I doing thinking about this crap? The produce must be cheap? Does Validus know I¡¯m hiding in the thieves guild? I might not be able to go back there now, and there¡¯s still several days until I can get the curse removed. What do I do? If Asheli can¡¯t hide me, will Grand Priest Mervil be able to? But where, a temple? That¡¯s a terrible idea; someone would tell Validus about me in an instant. Actually, can Validus track the magic of that painting to here? Or even just recognize the alley depicted in it? He does live in Sidus, doesn¡¯t he? Why are we still here? We should be getting as far away from here as we can.


    ¡°Hey, uh¡­ I think that bite is chewed enough.¡±


    Shuka realized she had become lost in her thoughts mid-chew and had just continued chewing. She swallowed her thoroughly chewed food and looked down at Melia, who had broken her out of her trance.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I was thinking about stuff. How can you be so calm? Or I guess¡­ casual? If Validus catches you helping us, you¡¯ll be in danger too.¡±


    All the witch did was shrug.


    ¡°Ehh, a guy like him isn¡¯t so bad. All he¡¯s gonna do is throw me into a jail cell and pretend I¡¯ll stay there longer than an hour. Besides, even if he did wanna kill me, all I gotta do is not get killed.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°But he could still hurt you; doesn¡¯t that scare you?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Most animals live every day in survival mode; you can go a few more days.¡±


    ¡°Should we be talking about all of this here?¡± Xorvos interjected. ¡°It¡¯s a bit¡­ public.¡±


    Shuka realized he was right. Neither she nor Melia had said anything too incriminating, but they had implied criminal activity in a crowded market, surrounded by people.


    ¡°Oh fine, let¡¯s skulk in a dark alley if you are so worried about us being too suspicious.¡±


    The look on Xorvos¡¯s face made it obvious that skulking wasn¡¯t exactly the solution he was looking for, but Shuka decided it probably wouldn¡¯t matter either way and followed the witch. Thankfully, she went to a different alley than the one the painting led to. This alley was on the other side of the market. It still didn¡¯t feel far enough away, but it would have to do. Melia quickly found a trash can to perch herself atop like one of the gargoyles Shuka fought in the dungeon. Maryam leaned up against the wall of the alley, and Xorvos paced nervously, constantly looking out towards the marketplace.


    At least I¡¯m not the only nervous one.


    Shuka simply sat down with her back against the wall opposite Maryam¡¯s, but kept herself ready to get up and run if she needed to.


    ¡°Boy, you guys are jumpy, ¡± Melia stated. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s good; it¡¯ll keep you alive, but c¡¯mon, have you considered stopping and smelling the roses while you¡¯re running for your lives? Like, what¡¯s the worst that could happen? Validus catches you and stabs you to death?¡±


    The absolute shit-eating grin Melia had as she said that should have pissed Shuka off, or at least annoyed her, but oddly it reassured her instead. After all, if Melia was acting like that, then things couldn¡¯t be that bad, right?


    ¡°What were you even doing before I showed up?¡± Melia asked with the curiosity of a child. ¡°Anything fun?¡±


    ¡°Magic training.¡± Shuka answered. ¡°Maryam was teaching me a spell.¡±


    Melia¡¯s face distorted in disgust at the horrid thought of their activities.


    ¡°Eww, yuck, training. Count me out; that sounds like work.¡±


    Scurry, Melia¡¯s raccoon familiar, poked his head out from the witch''s hat for the express purpose of sticking his tongue out at Shuka before returning to his hiding spot. It was rather rude.


    ¡°You guys can go back to your yucky training, I¡¯m gonna go steal something shiny. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay in the market in case you get in trouble, but you¡¯re all too boring for me to hang out with.¡±


    Before Xorvos could protest Melia¡¯s thieving, she was gone, leaping off her trash can and landing amidst the crowd.


    ¡°You know,¡± Maryam started. ¡°We really should get back to training. It¡¯s not like we have anything better to do right now anyway.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But I better learn this spell soon if I¡¯m putting this much effort into it.¡±


    *


    Carefully, ever so carefully, Shuka started to construct a round disk out of mana. As far as she knew she made the spell circle correctly, and things were going well so far. But she had failed at this stage before by losing concentration on the spell circle while she was forming the disk, so she took it slowly. Finally, the disk was formed and she commanded the mana to harden. In an instant, a translucent, slightly blue disk the size of a plate apparated in the air. It worked, for the first time it worked! And then the disk, with nothing holding it up in the air, fell and shattered on the ground.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was pretty good.¡± Xorvos encouraged. ¡°You managed to create a disk this time; that¡¯s farther than you¡¯ve gotten before. You must be close to finishing the spell now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I want to be done already.¡±


    ¡°You practically are, you just gotta make sure you hold onto the non-converted mana in the shield.¡± Maryam instructed. ¡°And may pump some more mana into it in general, it broke pretty easily.¡±


    Shuka didn¡¯t need the advice, she knew what she needed to do. The spell involved converting most of the mana put into it into a type of hard mana that acts as the actual shield that blocks stuff. But she can¡¯t control that mana, or at least not well. It becomes a solid object instead of a mystical energy, so instead she left about a quarter of the mana in its natural state that she could control. She just¡­ forgot to. She had never gotten that far before so she forgot that she needed to keep it floating to be useful.


    And of course it didn¡¯t have much mana in it, I¡¯ve been failing this spell all day, I¡¯m running out of mana. If I do any more I might not be able to maintain my disguise illusion, and that would be a problem. Still, I¡¯m so close to learning this spell¡­ should I try one more time?


    Just as she was about to start casting again, she heard the distant clank of armour from the marketplace. It reminded her of Validus, so she looked over but didn¡¯t see anyone.


    Maybe it¡¯s just an adventurer or a guardsman. Or is Validus done with whatever he was doing at the thieves'' guild and is looking for me now? I should be careful just in case.


    A commotion was coming over the marketplace now, and Shuka thought she saw the flickering of white flames through the stalls and people, but that must have just been her imagination. Validus would hardly use such a dangerous flame in such a crowded place, right? Then she saw the source of the flame, and found it wasn¡¯t Validus. A imposing man clad head to toe in steel was burning like a pyre in white flame. A sword with a blade as long as he was tall was strapped to his back, also lit aflame with holy fire. He stalked the marketplace like a hound, searching for something, and Shuka had a dreadful suspicion she knew what he was looking for.


    ¡°We gotta leave. Now.¡±


    Xorvos and Maryam also noticed the flaming man and did not need to be told twice. Maryam was even casting some physical enhancement spell to aid her in the endeavour of running away. But at that very moment, their pursuer turned his head and started directly in their direction. Without hesitation, he started to sprint at them. The people of the marketplace were giving him a wide berth, but not everyone could get out of the way in time from the sudden movements he made. Several people screamed out in pain as the burning man pushed past them, callously allowing his armour to burn them. Shuka was out of the alley and was running as fast as she could away from the terrifying man chasing her. She wasn¡¯t fast enough. The man drew his sword from his back and dragged the tip of its blade across the ground for a mere moment before swinging it in an upwards slice. The already flaming blade burst into an inferno of fire with its contact with the ground, and that inferno was sent in a line across the ground with the swing of his blade. A wall of holy fire erupted in front of Shuka, almost hitting her directly. It blocked off her escape, and the flaming man was still approaching, now with his blade drawn. Maryam was the one who moved first, conjuring several force bolts and shooting them at the approaching menace. They each impacted the man¡¯s armour, displacing the flames for a moment and causing him to stagger a bit, but otherwise not doing much. Xorvos intercepted the man, getting in between him and Shuka, but his opponent was covered in holy flame. He couldn¡¯t grab, or even punch him without getting burned. While the quanso hesitated, the paladin struck, hitting Xorvos with a powerful shoulder tackle that knocked him to the ground. He then followed it up by stomping his head with an armoured boot before continuing to his true target, Shuka. In a panic, she hastily shot an arrow at her pursuer, but he simply let it shatter against his breastplate, doing nothing.


    ¡°Look over here, fuckass!¡±


    Maryam leapt onto the man, shouting obscenities, but before she could even land, he grabbed her by the neck and held her aloft for a second before slamming her down onto the ground. Maryam screamed in pain, a rarity in her dragon form, but Shuka knew how much the holy fire that wreathed his gauntlet hurt. She might have tried braving the wall of fire behind her if she didn¡¯t. With no one left in his way, the paladin once again approached Shuka, giving her no way to escape. Then, all of a sudden, he lunged, sword flashing through the air in an instant. Almost as a reaction, Shuka cast the only spell that could have saved her, the shield. With no time to think, she poured all of the mana she had left into the spell and solidified the mana before she had a chance to see if it was going to work. Miraculously, it did. The shape was a bit wonky, more like a splatter of paint than a perfect circle, but the shape didn¡¯t matter. It formed directly in front of the blade right before it pierced Shuka¡¯s heart, and she remembered to keep it floating as well. The sword broke through the shield with little effort, but its trajectory was shifted ever so slightly. Instead of piercing her heart, it went through a lung.

 Chapter Fifty Three

    A witch was impaled on Kreivos¡¯ sword, her mouth open in a silent scream. She was in shock, he knew, but the agony would soon come. Good. A quick death was too kind a fate for those who partake in witchcraft. An eternity of torment was all that she deserved. A sword through her lungs was a fatal wound, Kreivos knew, especially with his holy flame burning her organs, but it was one that could be healed by potion or magic. That was unacceptable. Heart, brain, neck, those were his targets. Kreivos removed his sword from the wretch and watched as she slumped to her knee¡¯s weakly, unimaginable pain in her eyes. The paladin raised his sword high in a strike that would cleave her head in two. But just as his blade fell, the lid of a trash can flew out of the wall of flame he had previously created and struck his sword. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t have done much to impede him, but the lid was magically propelled and impacted his blade with a blast of force that even his strength couldn¡¯t resist. It didn¡¯t end there either. After the lid deflected the paladin''s sword, it ricocheted two more times, first against a wall and then a nearby stall, before finally hitting Kreivos in the side of the head. It flew with the speed of a crossbow bolt and hit with the weight of a Warhammer. Even so, Kreivos did not fall, even as blood trickled from the side of his head where he had been hit. A mere annoyance.


    Spellcraft, but not hers. Nor that of the draconist behind me. The mage then. THEY WILL ALL BURN. I must not let the witch escape; the rest will face their punishment afterwards.


    Now ready for interference, Kreivos moved once again. Shuka had started to gasp for air and choke on the blood filling her lungs, rendering her unable to fight back. Good. A barrel filled with apples flew at Kreivos from behind, thrown at him by the purple dragon¡¯s daughter. It flew too slowly. Kreivos smashed the barrel with his off hand, sending apples and splinters flying. It was a distraction. Hidden behind the barrel was a blast of purple force energy, several times more powerful than the force bolts she¡¯d sent at him before. It sent him off balance, and unable to take advantage of the witch¡¯s vulnerability. That was the only opportunity the quanso needed. He was still on the ground, blood flowing from his head, but he was pushing himself up, at least enough to get his feet on the ground. That was all he needed as a flash of magic ignited on his greaves and sent him hurtling past Kreivos with unnatural speed. The quanso grabbed Shuka, and before the paladin could run the both of them through, ran into the wall of holy flame. He tried to protect his villainous companion from the fires of Kreivos¡¯ fury, only to suffer the burns himself. Though he screamed in pain, he pressed on with misguided courage. Forward, Kreivos stepped, but he did not get far before he felt fell magics corrupt his senses. A blanket of darkness fell over his vision, accompanied by the stench of arcana. It mattered not; he had the witch''s scent, and now there would be no escape from the bloodhound of justice.


    *


    Everything was¡­ fuzzy. And painful. Shuka was worried about something, wasn¡¯t she? She couldn¡¯t remember, except that it probably had to do with her difficulty breathing and the pain in her chest. She felt like she was drowning. Probably because she was. Blood filled her scorched lung, her wound not quite cauterized enough to prevent the bleeding. Was that by design? Shuka was in too much pain to consider it. She was moving, shaking up and down in such a painful way. Why? Did it have to do with the worried face of a quanso she saw above her? Something cold touched Shuka¡¯s lips, glass, it felt like. A potion bottle. A liquid that tasted like a forgotten but pleasant dream entered her mouth and found its way down her throat. It made the dying girl cough painfully and almost caused the potion to come up with the blood. Luckily, it did not, and the pain she felt became far sharper, as the haze of death began to lift from her. She tried to scream, but her lungs were still filled with blood, and she started to cough violently instead. Then, when that wasn¡¯t enough, she vomited. Red blood fell to the pavement with a sickening splat. Then again, and again. Finally, on her fourth heave, she had no more blood to evacuate from her lungs. Just the sight of that much blood on the ground might have made her nauseous, but Xorvos was still carrying her, and he never stopped running. The blood soon disappeared from her sight, at least the stuff on the ground. There was still plenty dripping from her chin and covering Xorvos¡¯ legs. It didn¡¯t matter much; there were still plenty of reasons to be nauseous, like blood loss and being a passenger on someone else''s mad dash for their life. The pain was beginning to recede, not disappear completely, but it was now the dull pain of a mostly healed wound. It gave Shuka enough clarity to fully take in her current situation. Xorvos was carrying her under one arm and was dashing through the busy streets of Sidus. Well, busy as they were, no one was getting in his way, not even the guards who were shouting at him to stop. Why was that? And why was she so hot? Then, she noticed a flicker of white at the edge of her vision.


    ¡°Xorvos, you¡¯re on fire!¡±


    There it was, white holy flame burning bright on Xorvos¡¯ back and shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Can you run?¡±


    He grunted out the question through clenched teeth. It was very obviously not fine.


    ¡°Can I run? Probably not fast enough; my chest still hurts, and it¡¯s a bit hard to breathe. Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Melia is leading me somewhere. Not the guild; it¡¯s not safe.¡±


    Melia? I don¡¯t see her anywhere. Oh wait, is that Scurry ahead of us?


    It was indeed Scurry. That rapscallion of a raccoon was scampering through the streets ahead of Xorvos, leading them¡­ well, somewhere probably.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Melia here with us? She could probably put out the fire with a spell.¡±


    ¡°She tried. It didn¡¯t work. She¡¯s behind us slowing down the paladin.¡±


    As if to confirm his statement, a loud crash erupted behind the two of them. Looking to the source of the sound, Shuka saw the man who had impaled her surrounded by a storm of splinters. It was the remains of a large cart that had been pushed into him. He stumbled for a bit but barely slowed down. A moment later, a spectral raccoon that must have been from Melia, apparated in front of Xorvos. When it spoke, it was in the witch¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not dead yet. Good job. Anyway, got some good news for you.¡±


    ¡°Good news?¡± Xorvos asked, wincing through the pain.


    ¡°Yeah, great news. Kreivos, that¡¯s the guy who¡¯s chasing you; he can¡¯t see shit right now. I don¡¯t know why, but he¡¯s currently blind.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s blind, then how is he still chasing us?¡± Shuka wondered out loud.


    ¡°Beats me. Probably a tracking spell.¡±


    A spell? When did he place a spell on any of us though? When he stabbed me? No, he was trying to kill me then; he wouldn¡¯t bother with a tracking spell. Wait, the holy fire on Xorvos won¡¯t go out; maybe that¡¯s it.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Xorvos, we need to extinguish the fire on you; he must be tracking you through that.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, yeah, that might be it, ¡± Melia remarked. ¡°It¡¯ll need to be dispelled though, and I ain¡¯t no good at dispelling.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has to be maintaining it, right? Either we wait for him to run out of mana, or we make him lose his concentration on the spell.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done, Shuka. Not much fazes this guy; we would have to knock him out to stop the spell.¡±


    Could we do that? He¡¯s blind right now, but I¡¯m not in fighting condition and Xorvos is still on fire. Maryam isn¡¯t around; if we¡¯re lucky, she¡¯s chasing behind him, but if we aren¡¯t¡­ The longer we hesitate, the worse Xorvos gets.


    ¡°We¡¯ll set a trap for him. Lead us to an alley where we can ambush him. If you know where Maryam is, tell her to pincer him from behind the moment we get him on the ground.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡±


    The spectral raccoon winked and then blinked out of existence. Ahead of them, Scurry changed directions, which Xorvos promptly followed. As they made their way through the busy streets, the noise of Kreivos crashing his way through Sidus was never far behind. A few guards moved to intercept them but found themselves stymied by several small rodents lit aflame with Kreivos¡¯ holy flame. As they ran, Shuka explained her plan to Xorvos.


    ¡°Xorvos, drop me at the entrance, but continue to the end on your own.¡±


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to protect you if I¡¯m too far away.¡±


    ¡°He can only see you, not me. I¡¯m going to try to knock him to the ground. The moment I hit him, you need to charge in and disarm him, or at least keep his sword arm restrained. Hopefully Melia, Maryam and I are going to be enough to knock him out after that. Or just me and Melia if Maryam can¡¯t help us.¡±


    Ahead of them, Scurry ran into an alley, perfect for Shuka¡¯s plan, and Xorvos followed quickly behind. Dropping Shuka off at the entrance, Xorvos ran to the other end of the alley, then stopped and turned around. He faced the approaching paladin with arms raised and hands unclenched, ready to grapple. Shuka, for her part, stumbled a bit when she was dropped, her still weak legs almost giving out from underneath her. She was feeling a bit woozy, and her chest hurt, but she put all that to the back of her mind. She was going to be a lot worse than woozy if she didn¡¯t do this right. The young hunter took her sword out of her belt and held it by the still sheathed blade. There wouldn¡¯t be a point in unsheathing it; she doubted the blade could get through his skin, let alone his armour. Besides, she was going to need all the power she could get, and the handguard was better for that. Kreivos was getting closer, and Shuka could feel the heat radiating off of him, running up her arm like a fever. Behind him were two people that gave Shuka just a bit of hope and confidence in her plan. The first was Melia, who was grabbing something yellow from a garbage can she passed. The other was Maryam, covered entirely in purple scales and running on all fours like a beast. She was hot on Kreivos¡¯ heels and was creating a veritable swarm of force bolts above her head. It was all coming down to this moment, and Shuka couldn¡¯t help but tense up.


    If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m dead. I have to hit him with everything I¡¯ve got.


    Kreivos entered the alley, still blind to all but his flame. So blind that he did not see the handguard of Shuka¡¯s sword before it impacted him directly in the face. The paladin wore a helmet, but it had an open faceguard and he took the impact right between his eyes. But that wasn¡¯t enough to knock him down. Or at least it wouldn¡¯t have been if not for a banana peel Melia threw under his foot at just the right moment. It must have been enchanted in some way by the witch because it propelled Kreivos¡¯ foot straight into the air, almost in defiance of physics. Kreivos fell, and he fell hard - the back of his head impacting the cobblestone with a loud clang. It must have hurt, even through the helmet. But Shuka hurt too; the strenuous activity had reopened the wound the healing potion had closed, and she almost doubled over in pain. Fresh blood oozed from her wound; it might¡¯ve stained her clothes if she were not already drenched in crimson.


    I can¡¯t stop now; I only knocked him over. He needs to be unconscious to end the spell tracking Xorvos.


    Raising the sword above her head, with effort, Shuka prepared to bring it down on her opponent''s head. But even stunned as he was, Kreivos moved faster. His hand shot out, fumbling at first, missing its target, but then finding purchase on Shuka¡¯s ankle. His gauntlet still burned with holy flame.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Shuka screamed and almost dropped her sword as Kreivos moved his up for a killing blow. But before he could strike, Xorvos leapt and tackled the sword, wrapping his arms around the blade in the tightest grip he could manage. The flames of the sword burned him, but he only grunted as all it did was add to the pain he was already suffering. Despite his immense strength, Kreivos could not bring his blade to bear with the full weight of an armoured quanso weighing him down. Maryam was next. A slightly draconic purple hand of magical energy formed in front of Kreivos¡¯ face and grabbed onto his helmet and yanked. The still flaming helmet flew off his head. He was bald apparently. With his hairless top newly exposed, Maryam began to launch all her gathered force bolts. One after another, they launched unerringly into the paladin''s head. She had not even used half of them before the fire engulfing Kreivos surged with strength like a forge receiving a gust of air. Shuka knew she had to get away, but Kreivos still held her ankle fast; she was trapped. All at once the flames grew, growing several times their normal size. A bonfire erupted from the man on the ground, engulfing all in the alley. The pain was worse even than her impalement; every inch of her body was screaming in agony. Every second was an eternity of suffering, and she couldn¡¯t move: she couldn¡¯t think past the pain. The fire was so all-consuming that she didn¡¯t notice a hand grasp her shirt and tug her to her feet. She didn¡¯t even know that she had fallen. But a voice spoke into her mind, and with it came the magic of a spell. The voice was Melia¡¯s, through gritted teeth and with a hardness Shuka didn¡¯t know she had. It said one thing.


    ¡°Survive.¡±


    The pain didn¡¯t disappear, but it went back to doing its job. Telling her she was in trouble. Her thoughts turned primal, like that of an animal. One that would do anything for survival.


    Pain, pain, pain, must escape! Trapped, I¡¯m still trapped. Must move, must fight. Break his grip and escape; only way. He will not feed on me; I must survive!


    Desperation forced her hands to rise, and with a strength only granted to those about to die, she smashed the hilt of her sword against the face of the predator that hunted her. She could barely see it through the flames, but again and again she smashed it, the pain she felt only fueling her desperation. It was the only way to survive, and survival was everything. A snarl of primal viciousness erupted from Shuka¡¯s mouth before she struck one more time, mana flowing into her arms, eager to grant the cornered animal her one wish of survival. A loud crack sounded out as the pommel of Shuka¡¯s sword broke off in this final attack. But then the inferno died out and disappeared. Only the man¡¯s armour remained aflame as the paladin lay in the alley, his face a battered and bloody mess. Eyes closed, he was unconscious. Xorvos was still at his side, clutching his sword, but seemingly unable to move. He was covered in the wavy burns of holy fire, and Shuka worried for a moment if he had died. But then he jerked back from the blade he was grasping and rolled on the ground away from Kreivos. Maryam was just outside the alley, but she must have been hit by the inferno as well because she was on her knees, arms propping herself up. It was Melia who seemed most in control of her body at the moment. She was sprawled out on all fours, looking more like a beast than Shuka had ever seen her. Her face was set in a permanent snarl, and her teeth were now sharpened fangs. Her nails too had turned into claws, and Shuka was sure she could find many other minute changes if she looked long enough, but the feral girl didn¡¯t give her a chance to look.


    ¡°Run. Follow. Now!¡±


    Melia spoke almost in a growl, and not with the composure she normally had, then bolted off through the alley, away from Kreivos. Everything hurt, her lung especially, but whatever primal spell Melia had put on Shuka still persisted. So she did the first thing the animal part of her brain thought of and ran to Xorvos. She grabbed him by his armour, shook him violently, and then yelled into his face.


    ¡°Up! Run!¡±


    She then dropped him and ran after Melia. Maryam would be fine on her own; she was a dragon, and the raccoon wasn¡¯t going to wait. It was only now that Shuka noticed something was strange about her body, and not just her mind.


    My arms! Furry and big? When? Must be raccoon.


    True enough, the muscles on her arms had grown enough to rip the sleeves of her shirt and revealed black and ragged fur underneath. Her hands had turned into big, meaty, paws with nasty claws at the end of her fingers. Her thoughts were still¡­ simplified, but even through the spell, Shuka knew it must have been Melia¡¯s doing. That didn¡¯t matter; only one thing did. She''d survived once more.