《The Unnamed God》 Chapter One: One Hour, Forty-Seven Minutes Chapter One: One Hour, Forty-Seven Minutes The universe was silent. A microsecond earlier, the constant hum of existence had swelled to a monstrous, ear-shattering crescendo. And then, there was nothing. Everything was gone. I faced an endless blackness stretching in every direction. Or I think it was me in the middle of it. The concept of ¡°me¡± felt slippery, fading in and out. I reached back, searching for a sense of who I was, but there was nothing, just emptiness, like the world around me. A blank space where something used to be. The idea of ¡°before¡± felt just as unreachable, like the vague blur of a dream where time doesn¡¯t exist. NEW QUEST: WHAT THE F? White words appeared in the black universe. Helvetica, I thought. Or maybe Arial? Yeah, definitely Arial. Why would anyone, especially me, know the difference? And, really, why would I care? But it seemed like the critical thoughts weren¡¯t setting in yet. Unimportant shit was all I could lock onto. My mind wasn¡¯t fully functional; I didn¡¯t know who I was, let alone where, when, or anything useful. The words floated to the top of my vision, like I was watching some VR simulation I couldn¡¯t escape. More text scrolled below at a careful, almost considerate pace: You don¡¯t know who you are. You don¡¯t know where you are. Your very existence is now a mystery. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE DECLINED. TO COMPLETE THE QUEST, YOU MUST: OPEN YOUR EYES.LOOK AROUND. REWARDS: YOU WILL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, BUT YOU MOST LIKELY WILL NOT KNOW YOUR LOCATION.YOU WILL RECEIVE FURTHER QUESTS.YOU WILL RECEIVE 5GP. I opened my eyes. It was no easy task, by the way. My eyelids felt glued shut. The moment I pried them open; light blasted me like a supernova at point-blank range. I slammed them shut, trying to block it, but it still seeped through my eyelids. After a moment, or maybe a year, who knows, the intensity seemed to dial down. Carefully, I tried again, opening them just a sliver. Blurry shapes of warm light and shadow emerged. I opened them a bit more, letting the world seep in. It wasn¡¯t even that bright, but it felt like my eyes had never seen light before. QUEST UPDATE: WHAT THE F? YOU HAVE OPENED YOUR EYES. As my eyes adjusted, the words blinked into my vision over the fading light. The blinding light thing had subsided, and the room I was sitting in started to come into focus. The smell of hay and barn animals came online, which was weird. And I was in a barn. I blinked. Still a barn. A mother fucking barn. It was rustic, with bulky wood beams hammered together with square nails and no lights, fans, or heaters around. The metal items looked rusty and handmade, with nothing that looked machine-tooled. Except for my chair, of course. Because that would be just crazy. I was strapped into a middle airplane seat. QUEST COMPLETED: WHAT THE F? REWARDS: YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. BUT NOT THE LOCATION.YOU CAN NOW ACCEPT QUESTS5GP. A small, brown fabric sack fell into my lap with a soft clink, it was tied at the top with a bit of twine. I just stared at it, not sure of what to do exactly. ¡°Hello,¡± I said quietly, looking at the little sack. I was talking to a sack. Go figure. Worse yet, the voice that came out was raspy, my vocal cords seeming to have trouble lining up right. I coughed quietly, trying to sort out my throat. Around this time, the reboot finally finished, and information started filling my brain. Regan. My name is Regan...Regan Summer. And I was still sitting, evidently, in the middle seat on a flight from Denver to Phoenix. Looking down, I saw I was wearing my black Target jeans, a pair of black Chuck Taylors, a Flock of Seagulls T-shirt, and my Colorado beanie was on my head. My phone was wedged between my thighs on the seat, and my new sack of gold coins was sitting right in my lap. My fingers were gripping the armrests so tightly they ached. The next step in the bootup sequence was the sounds of the world around me¡ªbasic barnyard noises, being as how I was seemingly in a barn. A sheep, a goat, and several chickens were making their usual barn animal noises. Outside, through the gaps in the wood beams, I could hear the breeze rustling and pigs snorting at each other. Dust swirled in the sunbeams, stretching down through the holes in the roof. I was facing a large, closed barn door. NEW QUEST: SURVIVE. Your name is Regan Summer. You come from the city of Denver, Colorado. You were on an airplane heading to Phoenix, Arizona. You are now sitting in a barn, in an airplane seat. You are not safe here. You have to leave this place to survive. The immediate area is controlled by a band of hostile orcs that will kill you on sight. Your current level needs to be higher to fight them successfully. You must clear the area and find a safe place without being captured, or you will face a most gruesome death. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE DECLINED. TIME TO COMPLETE QUEST: ONE HOUR, FORTY-SEVEN MINUTES. REWARDS: SURVIVALUNLOCK THE WHISPERERFINE LEATHER GLOVES6GP ¡°One hour, forty-seven minutes,¡± I whispered out loud. My soft brain was still trying to grasp the concept of me just being me at the moment. The idea of time was still a bit on the theoretical side. A timer appeared in the lower right corner of my vision, counting down hours, minutes, and seconds. I instinctively reached toward the ticking numbers; it was like a 3d movie with subtitles; my fingers just pushed behind the digits, like they were an overlay in my vision. Orcs? What the fuck? Like, actual orcs, Lord of the Rings-style? The whole idea seemed ridiculous. Orcs and quests and whatever. But here I was, in seat 25B, in the middle of a creepy-ass, Friday the 13th: Part 3 barn. Same airline chair I¡¯d boarded at DIA, now sitting in a barn. Orcs or no orcs, what in the ever-mother-fucking hell? And quests? Like in a video game? I¡¯d played Witcher and Skyrim, so I got the concept, but this wasn¡¯t it. This was not a game. Or was I some test subject in a government experiment? One where they pluck some random chick off a flight, drug her up, and drop her into VR hell? I reached up and touched my face. Nothing. Just me with no helmet, no goggles. I didn¡¯t even like Skyrim all that much, it looked too damn cold. And orcs. Now that I thought about it, orcs would be terrifying in real life. I closed my eyes, giving myself a couple of breaths. I could feel my body in the seat, cramped between two metal armrests, minus the middle-aged woman on my left by the window and the cute guy on the aisle to my right. It felt the same. Tense but the same. Only now, seats 25A and 25C were occupied by a barn, orcs, and presumably, certain death. Naturally, I picked up my phone to check it. According to the screen, it was 10:22 a.m. on March twenty-fourth, about 45 minutes after takeoff. I swiped, and there was my Home Screen: a photo of me and my sister smiling up at me from last Christmas. Megan was the pretty one, with big blue eyes, a bright smile, and wavy blonde hair, a perfect this and that. I was the one with the trouble spots: breasts too small, butt too big, tummy too soft, mousy hair. Mom used to call us her Sun and Moon. Megan played volleyball; I played chess. Megan loved boys and couldn¡¯t keep her hands off them. I liked both girls and boys, but I was still a virgin. Yes, a twenty-six-year-old virgin. Megan and I are twins, practically polar opposites, but we love each other fiercely. I flipped to contacts and hit the call icon for Megan¡ªno signal bars, of course. ¡°Well fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity McFuckFace, Fuck!¡± Pressure started building behind my eyes, and my heart began to race. Memories flooded in. I¡¯d landed a new job with an airline and was flying to Phoenix for training. I wanted to travel but couldn¡¯t really afford it. Dad thought it was a great idea; Mom thought it was a waste of my college education. Buried in student loans, I had to move back home. Mom didn¡¯t mind as long as I was working. I drove Dad¡¯s old CRV. I remembered... masturbating while watching something on Netflix last night? Couldn¡¯t recall what. I¡¯m pretty sure my car keys were in my carry-on, but where the hell was the overhead bin? How am I supposed to drive home if the bin is gone? My phone had no service. Could I even listen to music? My breathing grew shallow, my vision darkening at the edges as I struggled to catch my breath. I fumbled with the seatbelt. My phone slipped out of my hand, bounced off my shoes, and landed in the straw at my feet. I couldn¡¯t reach it¡ªthis stupid seatbelt had me pinned. NEW QUEST: SURVIVE. The words appeared again like a little reminder to me that I needed to take this shit seriously. So, I read them. And then I reread them. I reached down and pulled up on the buckle, and the belt swung off my lap and clanked against the side of the seat. Just let it happen. I stood, the dirt and straw crinkling under my shoes. I picked up my phone and the bag of gold and stuffed them into my pockets. ¡°So,¡± I whispered to the fading words. ¡°Where am I?¡± You are in a barn. You do not know your location. You have to leave this area in the next one hour and forty-four minutes to survive. ¡°Not helpful. Is that all I get?¡± No response came from the floating words. I presumed that was a yes. I walked to the barn''s large door and gently pushed it. It gave a little before bouncing back against my hand. It must have been braced from the outside. ¡°It¡¯s like chatting with a tech support bot. What are orcs?¡± I whispered. They are hostile towards you and will attack you on sight. Your level is too low to fight them. ¡°Can you tell me anything?¡± Information is rewarded upon completing Quests and or gained from your firsthand experience or collection. ¡°You know what? Fuck you.¡± Yes, I say fuck a lot. Fuck you if you have a problem with that. I moved to the sunny side of the barn. Luckily, the animals seemed tame enough and didn¡¯t make a fuss with me around. Pressing my hand to the wall, I peeked through a crack. Outside, I saw a semi-circle of small wood huts with thatched roofs around a fire pit. Next to it, carcasses hung on a wooden rack, presumably to dry out or smoke. I guess I¡¯d slept through the medieval meat-smoking segment in history class. I had no idea how people used to prepare meat. About half a dozen orcs milled around. I mean, of course, they were orcs. Orcs are orcs. They are what you would expect to find: big, green-skinned, hulking brutes, just as advertised. They had to be at least three hundred pounds, with dark green skin, massive muscles, arms dangling to their knees, and tiny bald heads. Their faces looked pig-like, with upturned noses and tusks poking from their lower jaws. Their eyes were tiny and spaced wide, and they had this dim, detached way of looking around like they didn¡¯t process the world so much as¡­ just noticed it was there. Was that judgy? Am I a fantasy-world racist?This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Most of them were covered in black tattoos or ritual scars. Some wore just loincloths; others wrapped themselves in single pieces of fabric or fur. Mostly, they were just lazing around. One leaned against a hut, while others grunted at each other in a language, or what sounded like one. It had rhythm, but their vocal cords weren¡¯t designed for human words. I hated to say it, but it was like hearing pigs trying to talk. Their laughter came out in high-pitched squeals. I realized it wasn¡¯t actual pigs I¡¯d been hearing. One was squatting by the fire pit, poking it with a stick. ¡°Oh shit,¡± I whispered. ¡°They¡¯re not just gonna kill me, are they?¡± If you do not escape, you will face a most gruesome death. Panic reared its ugly head again. This wasn¡¯t reality. I struggled with having to live with my parents and never being able to find a decent razor to shave my legs. My mom¡¯s friends were always trying to rope me into MLM scams, and my Instagram Reels only sent me cats doing cute stuff and girls jumping on trampolines. Okay, I actually liked my feed. Why add horrifying supernatural monsters to the mix? Yeah, no. And you know what? That goat staring at me was freaking my shit out too. I moved over to the shady side of the barn and had a peek. There were a couple of buildings but no sign of any of the village occupants. In the distance between the two buildings, I could see the tree line of a forest and what I presumed was safety. Okay, Murder World, I¡¯ll play your game. The course of action seemed obvious: escape on the side with no orcs, make a run for the trees, and lie low long enough to survive. The barn walls were made of wooden planks, standing about five feet tall from the floor to the first crossbeam. Each plank was a foot wide, maybe three-quarters of an inch thick, nailed from the outside at the top and bottom. I sat down and gave the bottom of one a few gentle kicks, hoping I could wiggle through. But then again, I wasn¡¯t exactly high school skinny anymore. Let¡¯s just say the COVID fifteen, and my freshman fifteen, come to think of it, had stuck around and even found a way to flourish. Screw society¡¯s beauty standards. The plank pushed outward but was bucked up against dirt and leaves piled up on the ground outside. But I was consistent and steady. I had to kick just hard enough to push the plank out but not so hard to alert the locals. After about fifteen minutes, according to the timer in my vision, I managed to get the beam pushed back enough to lift it off the ground. The upper nails groaned as I leveraged them out with the plank. I let out a little hiss as I got splinters in my right palm. Worst day ever. I wedged into the opening, quickly realizing how grossly optimistic I¡¯d been about fitting through a twelve-inch gap. With a huff, I started tapping gently on the upper part of the next plank, working it free from the top down. It was slow going, but I could take my time with over an hour and a half left on the timer. After fifteen more minutes of tap-tap-tapping, I finally managed to ease the top of the plank down and slip out of the barn. A high-pitched voice squeaked out. ¡°Huh?¡± It seemed orcish to me. I was only one step out when I heard the orc on the left, next to the front of the barn. I looked over at him and he looked at me. He was standing with an armful of firewood. There was a moment when neither of us did anything. For me, it was sheer panic. For him, I think it was his general disbelief that he was seeing what he was seeing. I smiled weakly and waved at him, you know, just trying to be all non-confrontational. Did I just wave at him? My mind erupted with visions of angry green monsters jumping around. I could feel the adrenaline rush fill my body as the lizard brain kicked the panicking captain out of the chair and took over the controls. I followed the plan and dashed into the space between the huts. I was fully embracing the concept of fight or flight¡ªemphasis on the latter. As fast as I could pump my legs, I ran and quickly closed the distance to the huts. There also didn¡¯t seem to be any more orcs on this side. ¡°HUMAN!¡± The creature bellowed behind me. I cleared the tiny village and made my way to the open field that led to the forest. The horror of my reality was starting to sink in. From my vantage point in the barn, there were two huts, a grass field, and then the forest''s edge. However, this was different when I was in the middle of things. The grass was a waist-high grain field, and the woods were more like a half mile away. Instead of jumping into cover, I would be exposed all the way. And full disclosure: I wasn¡¯t exactly a track star. I found watching the Olympics exhausting. But the plan was all I had to work with. I hit the brakes. I wasn¡¯t looking at the world through a quarter inch slit in the wall anymore; I was now dealing with full-blown reality. I paused long enough to take in the current environment. The village was nothing more than I had seen. The other side was up against a steep hill that would have been just as brutal to try to climb as the miserable field was to cross. The sound of squeals from the orcs echoed as the alarm was sounded. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they would be on me. So, I ran. But in a flash of either stupid or brilliant, I belted toward the right-hand hut I had just passed. The plan of the dash for the cover was still on, but the forest was just not a viable option. I banked on a bit of misdirection, and while the orcs made for the field, this might buy me enough time to take off in another direction with a strong enough lead to get away. I dove to the ground at the foot of the hut and pressed my body as close to the ground as I could. The grass was high on this side of the building, and I was hopeful none of those things would be looking back as they raced forward. I tried to steady my breathing. My body ached, with arms and hands scraped up from rolling on the ground. The orcs ran by on either side of the hut, grunting with effort and squealing at each other. I cautiously rolled to my side to see. I counted six of them, all running into the field. I crawled around the outer side of the hut, wanting to avoid getting between the two small buildings. The noise of my pursuers was getting further away. On the side, I saw the small wood pile from which the orc pulled the logs he was carrying. Next to it was an axe. It wasn¡¯t a woodcutter¡¯s axe; this was a combat axe with a single, curved blade on one side. The handle was crafted from pale wood, almost white, and runes adorned the blade¡¯s edge, etched in an elegant style, the meaning of which made absolutely no sense to me. It reminded me of a badass metal guitar. My guess is orcs didn¡¯t worry much about tool specificity. The axe was nearly as tall as I was, but I picked it up because why not? Despite its size, it felt surprisingly light in my hands. It gave a faint, buzzing vibration for a moment, and then floating words appeared in my vision. NEW ITEM: RAZOR MANDOLIN ENCHANTED AXE OF LEGENDARY QUALITY This axe has been in the possession of a prominent family of dwarves for many generations, and then one day, poof! It¡¯s gone. The circumstances of why it¡¯s gone are not necessary right now. But keep in mind, it¡¯s extremely valuable. More valuable than you. The axe applies the following benefits: Plus ten to strength, plus ten to dexterity, plus fifteen to attack, and seventy-five to damage. Like I said. This is worth more than you, and while it is a great item, it may lead to more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Careful with it. I gasped, almost losing my breath as a wave of strength rippled through my body. I think I was experiencing plus ten to Strength and Dexterity, whatever that meant. ¡°Magic Axe,¡± I whispered. ¡°Okay, Then.¡± I crept around the corner and slinked past the back of the barn to where I had seen the orcs before. I wasn¡¯t sure where to go, but heading up the hill on the other side seemed the only sensible escape route. At least the knucklehead creatures weren¡¯t coming back yet. ¡°Human.¡± The beast was mainly facing away from me. It was the one I saw just staring into space earlier; he was just muttering to himself with little grunts and snorts, as merry as could be. Beside the log, he was sitting on, lay a ceramic jug tipped on its side. That explained his lack of enthusiasm for getting up and moving. ¡°Human. Human. Stinky, squishy human,¡± he muttered. A drunk orc didn¡¯t seem much dimmer than a sober one, not that I had much experience. Holding my axe across my chest, I sidestepped behind him, moving toward the cover of the row of huts. I hoped my pounding heart wasn¡¯t loud enough for him to hear because, in my head, it was all King Diamond in my chest. Blood rushed through my ears and face, my entire body pulsing with adrenaline. I steadied my breath, taking one step at a time. That is, until I tripped over an exposed root, hitting the ground with a thud and a grunt. With surprising agility, the drunk orc spun around to his feet. ¡°Human girl.¡± He grunted, staggering toward me. Standing and spinning seemed to take most of it out of him, and he swayed back and forth there for a second. From the waist of his loincloth, he produced a dagger with a wavy blade on it. It was old and rusty, but still, with his muscle mass, he could probably kill me with a corncob. I tried to get up, but panic turned my legs into goddamn jelly. But my hands refused to drop the axe. ¡°No,¡± I gasped, holding it in front of me defensively. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Gonna poke human girl.¡± He grunted as he closed the space between us with a few unsteady steps. ¡°Lots of pokes. Lots of holes.¡± He came up to me, his dagger raised. I swung the axe at him with everything I had. And I missed as he leaned back. The weapon just chopped into the ground with an unsatisfactory thump. And that would be my first and last day in Murder World. The orc squealed. It was ear-piercing. Not anger or rage, but pain. The axe was embedded in the dirt a couple of inches, but it had also passed through and chopped off half of the toes like they were made out of butter. Emerald-green blood sprayed from the severed ends and filled my nostrils with the smell of copper. I wrenched the axe out of the dirt and tried to get to my feet, but his hulking form was bearing down right on top of me. I lifted the axe to swing again, and the orc batted at it with his dagger, knocking it aside. His fist came crashing down at me. I leaned back, and it bounced off my forehead with a painful Thump! I was thrown back, my vision blinded by flashing lights, and my ears rang. All the muscles in my hands and body clenched, and I rolled over and over on the ground. DEBUFF: MINOR CONCUSSION. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE 25% SLOWER FOR THE NEXT THREE MINUTES. -25VP The lights faded as I lifted my throbbing head off the ground. I was on my stomach with the axe beneath me, still gripped in my aching fingers. As I pushed on the ground, my head pounded, and the spots kept coming. Everything was moving more slowly. I managed to roll onto my side and got up to one knee. The death blow from the orc never came. Despite my disadvantage, the orc didn¡¯t make a move toward me. He stood, panting, swaying on his feet. He was so shit-faced that he could barely stand. The missing toes probably didn¡¯t help. For a brief moment, we both kind of just looked at each other. He suddenly lunged at me. I lifted the axe again and took another swing, reaching as high as possible from my kneeling position. This time, it connected right below his chin, neatly slicing halfway through his neck. His squeals were silenced before they came out and were replaced with burbling as he struggled to breathe. His free hand tried to cover his gaping throat as he came down on top of me, his dagger scraping painfully across the side of my neck before slipping out of his hand. It was close. Too fucking close. The green crap poured all over me. I coughed and choked as it sprayed into my mouth, nose, eyes, everything. It was horrifying. The world spun. An overwhelming wave of nausea rose in me, and the vomit quickly started shooting. Accompanied by coughing up the nasty green blood, both pipes were spraying out of me. DEBUFF: TILT A HURL TIME REMAINING: 5 SECONDS. -3VP The vomit wouldn¡¯t stop. I had some food in my stomach, lunch from the airport, but that was it. As the orc collapsed next to me, I rolled onto my side and puked again and again and again as a timer ticked down in my vision; all the time, the world spun like a, well, a tilt-a-whirl. At the end of five seconds, after I had spewed the last of my bile, which blended in nicely with the orc blood, everything stopped. All was quiet and still. The orc lay next to me, no longer moving or breathing. I was drenched from head to toe in stuff that I didn¡¯t even know existed up to that point. ¡°F¡­F¡­Fuck.¡± I was sitting there. Orc blood and the remnants of a twelve-dollar sandwich all over the face of Mike Score, and a dead Lord of the Fucking Rings, ugly, green monster, was right next to me. My throat burned, and my abs were sore from vomiting. I used the axe handle to get to my feet; my entire body quaked, but I wasn¡¯t dead. There was still no sign of the orcs. I could hear them yelling at each other, but the sounds were still very far off. The dead one was, well, dead. So, Yay. I looked down at his prone form. The familiar words of whatever it was appeared above the body. CORPSE: PRAIRIE ORC LOOTABLE ITEMS: SICK STICK ENCHANTED DAGGERCRUDE, HAND-DRAWN MAPORC LOIN CLOTH, SOILED. The dagger, the loincloth, and a small, folded piece of parchment paper glowed on and next to the body. I snatched up the dagger, which glowed and vibrated in my hand. NEW ITEM: SICK STICK ENCHANTED DAGGER OF SUPERIOR QUALITY A favorite among sadists and masochists alike, the sick stick applies the Tilt a Hurl debuff for five seconds upon any successful attack. In addition, Sick Stick also adds three points to dexterity and one point to strength when wielded. I tucked the dagger into my back pocket and carefully slipped the folded parchment from the orc¡¯s waistband. The map was crude, for sure, complete with not one but three sketches of penises doodled along the edge, clearly the guy¡¯s obsession. The layout showed the huts, the barn, the field, and the hill. About one hundred and fifty yards to the left and around the hill, there was a road I could use to make my escape. I started jogging. Fifty feet in, I was pretty sure I¡¯d broken my personal record since high school. I held the axe over my shoulder with my left hand and Sick Stick in my right. The ¡°boosts¡± from the two weapons made me feel light on my feet, and the jogging felt almost effortless. I wove between the huts, then veered left along the base of the hill, following a worn footpath in the grass. I kept an eye on the field, but it looked like the morons had charged straight into the trees on the far side. Not the brightest, but I had to admire their tenacity. Once I rounded the hill, I spotted the road, barely wider than the worn path that led to it. But it stretched away from here, and away from here was infinitely better. Instinctively, I went right, keeping the hill between me and the orc village. The quest timer was still ticking down. I had one hour and three minutes left. All I could do was keep moving, hoping to find a place considered ¡°safe¡± by whoever had assigned me this quest. The landscape was rugged and hilly, with patches of green grass, wildflowers, and dusty red earth. As it wove through jagged hills, large, smooth red rocks cropped up along the road. I couldn¡¯t see far enough to get a sense of where I was. Finally, I noticed the overcast sky and the long, fuzzy shadows. It was late afternoon, wherever this place was, which meant darkness in two or three hours. The valley was already starting to cool. My mind was starting to light up after operating in instinct mode for too long. I killed somebody. That big gross thing was dead because of me. ¡°Fuck!¡± I stopped, dropping the axe on the ground. As I did, all strength left my body, and I just collapsed onto my knees in the middle of the dusty road. The blood, the spray. It was real. I was covered in it and could smell and feel it. I was on a flight to Phoenix less than an hour ago. There was an airplane seat in that barn back there. Where was the plane? Where the Hell was I? Was I even who I thought I was? I thought about Megan, Mom, and Dad, you know, the only people in my life who were probably wondering where I was. My stomach twisted as I pulled out my phone, hoping for some miracle. But, of course, nothing. Then I realized the damn thing was still in airplane mode. I switched it off quickly, holding my breath for a split second¡ªstill nothing. No service. I scrolled through my last texts with Megan, which were just the usual ¡°Good luck¡± stuff. She¡¯d mentioned she might try flying out to join me for the weekend if she could squeeze it in. Typical Megan, always busy but always trying. Nothing from Mom, unsurprisingly, but Dad had sent a quick, supportive note before I left. Now, though, it felt like a relic from another life. Did they think I was dead? What the hell happened to the plane? It was time for the breakdown. Just let it happen. Chapter Two: Most of the threats In my life were from my student loan servicer. Chapter Two: Most of the threats In my life were from my student loan servicer. ¡°Whoa there!¡± A deep male voice echoed through the rocky valley. I was still in mid-breakdown when the man¡¯s voice thundered over me. I gripped the axe and sprang to my feet, a surge of borrowed strength filling me. My mind was racing with all kinds of stinkin¡¯ thinkin¡¯ as I tried to puff myself up and look intimidating. The streams of ugly tears and my snotty nose didn¡¯t exactly help the look. There were four of them. Another orc-like person was towering well over six feet in the middle. He was built more like a human, with his limbs and torso looking more proportional, just big. He had light green skin and ape-like features. He held a long metal hammer, which he grasped in both hands and unlike the prairie orcs, he was fully clothed in leather armor, complete with a helmet with holes cut out for his long, pointed ears. He had dark green dreadlocks hanging out behind. Next to him was a man in a navy blue hooded robe; his hands were up in a wary pose, the fingers bent at odd angles. He looked wiry, with tight skin over veiny arms. I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly since he had his hood up. Behind them, a young woman with a bow drawn and the same kind of armor as the orc stood, her eyes leveled at me. Her face was strange, elongated with a wide mouth and a very pronounced chin. She had chestnut-colored skin, a crazy curly head of hair, and a crown that looked like horns. The last figure was another robed person. A young, pretty woman leaning casually on a large staff. Her silvery-grey robes flowed around her like a dress, accentuating her curves and generous bust. Her golden curly hair cascaded halfway down her back, catching the light against the soft fabric. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The orc said. ¡°We have business down this road and are just walking by.¡± Despite his size and appearance, his voice was mellow and sophisticated, like a documentary narrator. It was strange. ¡°Stay the fuck back!¡± I yelled. I felt the words come out of me. But the feeling was distant. Blood rushed to my face, and my hands wouldn¡¯t stop shaking. ¡°This has been a fucked-up day!¡± I bellowed, tears welling in my eyes again. ¡°We are just walking by.¡± The orc repeated. He lifted his massive hammer and slipped it over his shoulder into a strap that held it. ¡°We have a quest in the village about a mile down the road.¡± He took a tentative step forward, his hands up. ¡°Yeah,¡± I panted, the energy revving up in me. I was getting ready to flee or fight, but the archer made me nervous. ¡°I have a quest, too.¡± ¡°Ah shit,¡± the robed man said, lowering his hands. ¡°She¡¯s got the axe.¡± His voice was raspy and sounded like a British gangster on TV. ¡°Many parties were on it.¡± The orc said. ¡°You got there first. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not gonna break the rules for some gold.¡± ¡°Did the words give you the quest? ¡°What?¡± ¡°The floating words. My quest is to survive. It¡¯s still ticking down.¡± ¡°Hang on, Kev,¡± the robed man said to the orc. He then turned to me and stepped forward. ¡°Oi, you said it was a timed quest? ''Ow long was it for, then?¡± ¡°An hour and forty-some minutes.¡± ¡°Ah, hells.¡± The robed man said. He took another step. ¡°How much time you got left?¡± ¡°Fifty-three minutes.¡± ¡°Alright, love, here''s the deal: we''ll lend a hand with your quest, you do the same for us, sound good?¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± He turned around to the rest of his party. ¡°We gotta sort out them orcs in that village in the next fifty minutes, all right?¡± ¡°Why?¡± asked the archer. ¡°She''s like me, but she''s a bit fresher.¡± There was a moment when the group of three looked at each other in silence. The pretty one with the staff still looked on mainly with indifference. ¡°Okay then,¡± the orc said after the moment was over. He pulled the large hammer out again and gave it a couple of test swings. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the orcs, and you can give us the axe.¡± ¡°No, Kev,¡± said the hooded man. ¡°She gets a cut, but not a whole. Judging by the look of it, she''s already taken down one, so she''s earned her bit.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± the Orc said. He nodded his head and locked eyes on me. ¡°We help you; you hand over the axe, and we will give you half a share of the reward when we return it. You agree to the terms?¡± ¡°Let me hang on to it until we¡¯re done. It helps me run better. Then you can have it, I guess.¡± ¡°Works for me, love.¡± The robed man said. ¡°I''m Jinx, this big fella''s Kev, and them two birds over there are Heather and Gem.¡± The archer girl lowered her bow down. I didn¡¯t realize how much tension that thing caused me while it pointed in my direction. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°Before you say anything else, here''s a tip for ya. You gotta guard your identity on the road. This ain''t Earth, love, you¡¯re on Nya now. Dishing out your real name here can land you in a world of bother. So, get used to playing it close to the vest. Now, what do we call ya?¡± ¡°Regan,¡± I answered. Then I thought for a second. I already blurted out my first name. Shit. ¡°Regan Moon. And you obviously haven¡¯t been to Earth in a while.¡± ¡°Listen, Regan Moon, I don¡¯t look it, but I came here the same way as you. Right now, you need to fall in with us. I¡¯ve been in yer shoes, you and me come from the same place.¡± The group immediately broke into a light jog, and I joined in next to them. ¡°I''m sure you''re proper confused. We''ll look after ya, don''t worry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck is going on.¡± I was still not breathless from the jog. The axe was terrific. ¡°There¡¯s orcs and shit.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Kev said. ¡°Orcs aren¡¯t all the same.¡± He looked at me, seeming a bit offended. ¡°I mean orcs and magic and crazy fucking things. He almost fucking killed me.¡± ¡°You say fuck a lot.¡± Kev the orc said. ¡°Yes, I say fuck a lot!¡± I bellowed. ¡°You¡¯d say fuck a lot if you, I don¡¯t know, woke up someplace and had¡­weird stuff be real.¡± ¡°Don''t fret,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It''ll all click into place soon. For now, let''s get you somewhere safe. Then, you''ll meet The Whisperer.¡± He smiled at me. He was actually pretty young, even though he sounded like an old sailor. His face looked alien, with pointed ears and bright purple eyes. He had no facial hair or any hair at all. His cheekbones were high and sharp, and he had a Roman nose that didn¡¯t seem to stop. ¡°There ain''t much point tryin'' to explain things right now. It''ll only make things more bafflin''.¡± ¡°I guess that explains the bizarre outfit.¡± The archer girl said. ¡°She¡¯s a rifter.¡± ¡°Not now,¡± Kev said, waving her off. ¡°Like Jinx mentioned, bringing it up now is just going to confuse everyone, and we¡¯re on a tight schedule here.¡± Honestly, I had no clue what I was doing, running straight back into danger. It was a dumb move, no question. My mom would never use the ¡°S¡± word, but she got creative with her disapproval when I told her I was majoring in Art History. We jogged along in an awkward silence. The pretty girl in the robes followed orders without a peep, her face blank as a slate. The archer, Gem, kept giving me sideways glances as we went. I¡¯d only been running for about ten minutes when I stumbled across this group, but we were making good time heading back. Gem sidled up next to me. ¡°Where are you from?¡± She had a deep, sultry voice with a melodic tone about it. When I first saw her, I was in absolute panic. But looking at her again, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was dreaming. At first, I mistook her for a human or whatever type of person Jinx was. With, I don¡¯t know, long ears and, like, adornments? But up close, her appearance was far more alien than I could have imagined. Her large, dark, deer-like eyes had giant irises that just pulled me in. What I thought was a crown or headdress, was a small set of caribou-like antlers with three slight points that protruded from each one. She had smooth, chestnut skin with varying light and dark tones that framed her deer-like appearance. She had wide cheekbones, a long chin, and an upturned nose that gave her an otherworldly grace. Her extra-long ears were adorned with wood and gold rings. Thick, untamed, dark curls framed her beautiful, frightening face. She was broad-shouldered and muscular, and her bare arms were covered in tattoos of leaves and flowers that wrapped around her skin like vines. She wore a leather corset and breastplate over a superheroine body, but below her waist, her legs transformed into powerful, fur-covered haunches, ending in graceful cloven hooves. Yeah, I said hooves, like that guy from Narnia? And whipping around her body was a fur-tipped tail, like four feet long or so. ¡°Denver.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a city in Colorado next to the mountains.¡± ¡°Is that in England?¡± She looked at me, her eyes supernaturally wide with curiosity. ¡°Jinx says he¡¯s from a place called England.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s in the United States. It¡¯s on the other side of the ocean from England.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if Jinx was full of shit or not.¡± She smiled, her wide mouth stretching almost impossibly across her face. Her lips and grinning teeth seemed to go on for miles¡ªlarger than any human¡¯s. With her otherworldly features, she was strangely captivating. You¡¯d think someone who looked so alien wouldn¡¯t be alluring, but somehow, the mix of the unfamiliar and the human just¡­ worked. ¡°I guess he isn¡¯t about that, at least. I come from Muilvyrn. It¡¯s a village in North Lulved.¡± She extended her hand to me. ¡°Gem.¡± ¡°Regan.¡± I took her hand and shook awkwardly. ¡°And I have no idea where Lulved or anywhere in the world is.¡± ¡°I like your hat.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE You no longer have time to flee the area and survive. Success now lies in fighting the Orcs. But you have allies and a weapon that puts the odds of success in your favor. We kept our pace and moved up the side of the hill next to the village, careful to stay out of sight. At the top, we silently ducked behind the rocks as Jinx, Kev, and Gem looked down. ¡°How many of them did you see?¡± Kev asked. I moved next to him and poked my head over the boulder we used for cover. Looking down from the face of the hill, I could see the orcs had returned to the village. The body of the dead was already dragged off somewhere, and strangely enough, the entire group seemed to have moved on as though nothing had happened. ¡°Seven that I saw. I killed one with the axe.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I count six,¡± Jinx said. ¡°So, you''re spot on, then.¡± ¡°I can hit the three on the right in two seconds,¡± Gem said. ¡°You put hits on the others, and I¡¯ll make sure they go down.¡± ¡°You got this?¡± Kev asked me. ¡°You need to hit one hard and back off. That¡¯s all you have to do. We must ensure he¡¯s focused on you so Gem¡¯s arrow will be more powerful.¡± I clutched the axe to my chest and nodded, probably looking like a deer caught in headlights. There was a lump in my throat the size of a boulder, and I was shocked I could say anything. Terrified didn¡¯t even cover it. You got this? Really? ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m totally used to hacking down orcs with my Gimli axe,¡± I muttered. Jinx snorted at that, apparently the only one who caught the reference. Cracking a joke helped calm the nerves, but it mostly made me look ridiculous in front of the fantasy world people. ¡°What about her?¡± I asked, nodding toward Heather, who was still just leaning on her staff, looking about as interested as if we were discussing the weather. ¡°I don¡¯t take lives, rifter.¡± She sneered at me, throwing off wicked, mean-girl vibes. ¡°She¡¯s here to heal,¡± Kev said. ¡°This is on us.¡± I just gave out a weak, stupid laugh. A well of anxiety rose inside me. ¡°I got it. One hit, back off.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t easy,¡± Jinx said. ¡°First few times, that''s for sure, but it''s what we gotta do.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Kev said. ¡°The three of us will move down and get into position on the left. Use the rocks for cover.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°For the sake of the gods, Kev,¡± Gem said, pulling her bow out, along with three arrows. ¡°Her name¡¯s Regan.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Kev said, silently slipping down the hill''s side. ¡°Regan, you signal Gem when you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Just raise your axe over your head,¡± Gem said. ¡°I can do that.¡± The three of us cautiously made our way down. Jinx and Kev, obviously more experienced at all things murder, slipped between and behind the rocks with ease. I tried my best to keep up but needed to be more careful with my footing to balance speed and stealth. Within moments, we reached the bottom, each taking cover behind a separate hut. Kev was stationed behind the middle one, Jinx on the far right, and I was on the left. From what I remembered, the orcs were gathered in the center, barely fazed by the death of their tribemate and back to their usual grunting and snorting in what I could only call pig-speak. I moved to the corner of the hut and crept along its side. I couldn¡¯t see Jinx or Kev, but I spotted Gem in position, watching from her perch. Taking a deep breath, I raised the axe over my head. Time seemed to crawl. I darted around the corner; the axe was up, ready to strike. The orcs were all focused on the fire. The arrows flew. Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! True to her word, Gem hit three orcs in the back of their heads. As the three fell, the others all turned to face them. It was a perfect distraction. I raced forward and screamed as I slammed the axe down on the closest one. It embedded into the back of the orc¡¯s neck. I scrambled back, the blade popping out with a tug and a spray of blood. He started to turn when Thwip! Another of Jen¡¯s arrows slammed through his temple. The creature fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. That was two creatures that I had killed. The second time was with help, but still, dead was dead. I looked at Kev as he swung his hammer, first to the orc¡¯s knee, and as he collapsed in pain, Kev swung it again, bringing it down on the beast¡¯s head. The hammer crushed the skull like a melon, splattering what little brain the poor thing had all over the ground while the skull fragments bounced off the walls of the nearest hut. Jinx charged into the fight unarmed, his hands raised like when I first met him, fingers twisted into strange, intricate shapes. He suddenly stopped, and lightning erupted from his hands. I gasped as the orc jolted and convulsed under the attack, stumbling before collapsing to the ground. Twitching and squealing, Jinx¡¯s personal lightning storm consumed him and burned the skin off his body. Within seconds, he stopped moving, his face frozen in a final, silent scream. It was terrifying. But so fucking metal. A loud whoop echoed from the top of the hill as Gem cheered in victory. The realization hit me: she¡¯d only fired one arrow, and it was at the one I attacked. Well, I feel like an ass. She let the others handle their own kills. A twinge of irritation flared up, and I could feel my face heating up. They didn¡¯t trust me. I crossed over to examine the one I¡¯d hit. There was a small arrow lodged in his temple, but I¡¯d practically split the entire back of his head open with that axe. There was no way he wasn¡¯t already dead or dying before Gem¡¯s arrow landed. I mean, come on, I was a chubby girl living in my parents'' basement. I wasn''t strong; I definitely wasn''t brave. But I¡¯d stood up, gone back, and fought when I knew how dangerous those things were. I¡¯d done something I never thought I could. So yeah, maybe I was a bit pissed they didn¡¯t believe I could pull it off. But considering I was the girl who struggled with mayonnaise jars at home... well, I couldn¡¯t exactly blame them, could I? Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me, and I bent over. There wasn¡¯t much left in my stomach to lose, but what I had was sprayed all over the ground by the orc. This was wrong, wrong in all ways. It passed, but only after I turned away from the carnage. ¡°Sweep the village,¡± Kev ordered after things settled down. ¡°Make sure there aren¡¯t any others.¡± QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE All orcs are dead. You have managed to eliminate the threat with the help of magical gear and allies. Find a safe location and wait for the timer to run down. Good job, hitting above your weight. ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡± I groaned. The nausea was gone, but it could return any second. ¡°My quest just updated.¡± My quest clock continued to count down. Now, at twenty-three minutes. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna make sure,¡± Kev said, marching off to check the huts and barn. HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED: KILL THE PRAIRIE ORCS A band of prairie orcs have been terrorizing travelers along the imperial highway. Eliminate the threat.
  1. REWARDS:
  2. XP
  3. 700GP, shared among combatants.
A sack of coins, much larger than the one that landed on me earlier, bounced painfully off my head and onto the ground. I was too surprised to say anything. Kev and Jinx paused for a moment. I assume they were reading the notification; however, they did not get pelted with bags of metal. ¡°Oh, hells Yeah!¡± Gem came bounding down the hill at full speed. She bounced from rock to rock on her cloven feet, springing into the air higher than I¡¯d ever seen anyone in my entire life. As she bounced, her tail waved back and forth, working as a counterbalance as she flew through the air at seemingly impossible angles. With striking features, an awesome bod, and the whole Narnia thing she was rocking, she reminded me of one of those freaky Cirque Du Soleil acts. ¡°You were great, Rifter!¡± She landed two feet from me with a thud and threw her arms around me. I dropped the axe, and my strength just melted away, but she hugged me tightly, almost lifting me off my feet. She smelled like a cross between a wild animal and how you would expect a supermodel to smell. I had mixed feelings. I felt absolutely disgusting. My clothes and hair were caked in orc blood. My clothes practically fell off me from the saturation, and she was flinging her arms around me like it was not a problem. She kissed my nasty, messy cheek and stepped back with a massive smile. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so gross.¡± I wrinkled my nose. Feeling stupid. ¡°You wield an axe, you¡¯re gonna get messy. Don¡¯t worry about it. You keep cutting them down like that, and you¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± ¡°You were scared, but you went back in.¡± Gem was bouncing on her feet, the excitement still rushing through her. ¡°That¡¯s not something most people do. So, chin up.¡± She gripped excitedly at the bag in my hands. ¡°You want me to hold that for you?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, sure, I guess.¡± I was still a little dazed, but I let her grab the bag, which disappeared with a bit of a Schwoop! ¡°We¡¯ll get you a pack after you finish your quest.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± I was still feeling a little numb. Killing was a thing here. It was something that I would have to deal with. I glanced back at the bodies. Shot, burned, chopped and smashed. But I¡¯m gonna get a new back pack, so win. ¡°You never offed anything before?¡± Jinx asked, coming up to me. ¡°No,¡± I picked up the axe. ¡°Most of the threats In my life were from my student loan servicer.¡± The notification said I was clear but expecting something else to happen. Like, I don¡¯t know, another thousand orcs or so, an evil white wizard and a nasty little creature that just wanted to steal my shit and toss me into a lava flow. ¡°Where we''re from, love,¡± he said. ¡°We don''t deal with this kinda stuff. It''s proper tough.¡± ¡°Sure. Proper tough.¡± I handed the axe to Jinx. He took it, and the strength left my body again. Gravity weighed down, and I almost buckled in front of him. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°It''s like a whole other world, innit? People like us just end up here somehow.¡± He pushed his hood back and smiled. ¡°But what is it?¡± ¡°It''s a place called Nya. Kinda like Earth, but it''s packed with magic.¡± ¡°But why am I here?¡± ¡°Dunno, love. I ain''t got a clue why I''m ''ere neither.¡± He placed his hand on my shoulder. ¡°But there''s loads of us, folks from Earth, you know? We came through the rift, and now ''ere we are.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rift?¡± ¡°How much time do you have left, love?¡± ¡°Twenty-two minutes.¡± ¡°In twenty-three minutes, you''ll find out. Hey, not a big genius you¡¯re talking to, just been around longer.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°Come here.¡± I gestured for Jinx to follow and led him to the barn. I yanked the cross beam up and pulled open the door. Sitting in the middle, facing the open doorway, was my seat, now the home of a very contented-looking chicken. ¡°Holy Shite!¡± He erupted in a croaking laugh, leaving me feeling like an idiot for half a minute. It worked his way through his system before he stopped. I found his amusement the worst. ¡°Bit cramped for an airplane seat, innit?¡± ¡°I wish. You¡¯re from London, but airplane seats have been tiny forever.¡± ¡°I only flew on a plane once, way back in ¡®93, off to Australia for the FIFA World Cup. Uncle won a trip and took me with ¡®em. Seats weren''t nearly that tight, I tell ya.¡± ¡°How long have you been here? ¡°Five years, love. 1997, that''s when I landed ''ere.¡± ¡°Shit, are you sure? It¡¯s 2025 where I come from.¡± ¡°Heard rifters drop in from all sorts of times into Nya. But blimey, that''s a proper long time from now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking this well.¡± ¡°None of this is news to me, love,¡± he said. ¡°This world''s way more interestin'' than what I left behind. Fer the record, I was right pissed at Victoria Station, sittin'' on a bench waitin'' for me train. Next thing I know, I¡¯m flat on me arse in the middle of a bleedin¡¯ forest full o¡¯ talkin¡¯ rats. Least you got to keep yer chair!¡± He reached into his robe and produced a full-sized blanket despite the apparent violations of the law of physics. ¡°Right then, love, ''ave a seat or lie down. If ya don''t, you''ll end up toppin'' over anyway. This way, you can relax and let things ''appen the way they''re supposed to.¡± He spread it out on the ground. ¡°You might wanna strip off them clothes. I''ll ''ave a look and see if Gem ''as got anythin'' you can chuck on instead.¡± ¡°How did you know I was a rifter?¡± ¡°The quest,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It takes one hour and forty-seven minutes for the magic from Nya to infuse your body, and then, would ya believe it, you go through a magical evolution.¡± He dipped out the door, Leaving me standing in the barn. With nothing else to do, I plopped down on the blanket. A moment later, Gem walked in, carrying a small bundle of clothes under her arm. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°Jinx said you needed something to wear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already wearing something.¡± ¡°Your body might change shape, so you¡¯ll need self-adjusting clothes.¡± She tossed the bundle onto the blanket in front of me. ¡°I can¡¯t wear pants without a hole for the¡­¡± She turned and wiggled her butt; the tail swayed back and forth. ¡°So go ahead and keep these if you want.¡± ¡°Why would my body change?¡± ¡°Magic infusion,¡± Gem said casually. ¡°Rifters like you come from a world without magic, and Nya is packed with it. Your body will adjust. I¡¯ve never seen it myself, but I¡¯ve heard people can come out¡­ pretty different from how they came in.¡± She gave me a quick once-over and smirked. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t change too much. You¡¯re pretty cute as-is.¡± My face went hot. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ totally insane.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s something to do with how living beings adapt to a big dose of magical essence.¡± She backed out of the room, waving it off. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! Jinx says we should give you space for a few hours while it happens. Can¡¯t wait to see how you turn out.¡± She tilted her head with a playful smile. ¡°Hopefully, not as an ogre or anything weird.¡± Once she left, I stared after her, thinking, This is so messed up. I checked the door, then tried to wedge the broken planks back into place, though it barely helped. The barn was getting dark, and most of the animals had already settled down. I slipped off my shoes, jeans, and shirt, all covered in dark green orc blood. Off came my underwear and beanie, too. I half-expected the crew to burst in at any moment, yelling, ¡°Gotcha!¡± like some weird Animal House prank. Gem had given me leather pants and a cotton tunic. I pulled them on, and although they were way too big at first, they magically shrank to fit perfectly. This place was seriously freaky. I lay back on the blanket and waited. The timer ticked down: 00:00:05 00:00:04 00:00:03 00:00:02 00:00:01 00:00:00 QUEST COMPLETED: SURVIVE REWARDS:
  1. SURVIVAL
  2. UNLOCK THE WHISPERER
  3. FINE LEATHER GLOVES
  4. 6GP
With a little metallic clink, a little leather pouch landed on my lap, along with a pair of really nice leather gloves. Chapter Three: Cute is one thing, but this is stupid cute. Chapter Three: Cute is one thing, but this is stupid cute. The world blinked to black, and for a split second, I had no idea what was happening. Was I dead? Unconscious? Slowly, things started to sharpen, and I realized¡ªnope, not dead, maybe just...passed out? An electric guitar began to wail in the vast, swirling void, accompanied by a steady drumbeat. A woman¡¯s voice, low and intense, like some film or TV voice-over, echoed softly in my head. ¡°Greetings, Rifter.¡± The drums picked up, building like a band about to make its big entrance. The guitar shredded, pulling out metal riffs hinting at something epic. I still couldn¡¯t see anything, but I was getting a sense of space around me as if a stage was lighting up just outside my vision. ¡°You completed your first quests, survived your initial trials¡­and now, you¡¯ve arrived.¡± The guitar hit a high, almost screaming note as the drums thundered faster like a roller coaster charging downhill. Suddenly, with a pyrotechnic flash, flames, and a deafening crack of explosions, an unseen metal band erupted into a thrashing anthem. ¡°Welcome to Nya,¡± the voice boomed, nearly blowing out my eardrums, ¡°It¡¯s a world of magic, adventure, and mystery!¡± Lights flickered, and the music settled into a fierce, steady rhythm. I tried to glance around, curious about this mysterious voice, but¡­ no dice. I had no body to move, no head to turn. Just a formless consciousness in what looked like some dark, foggy space that would be right at home on a loading screen. A loading screen? Really? This whole scene had serious video game energy, which was¡­ weird. ¡°Umm, hi.¡± The voice continued, relentless. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a million questions, so let¡¯s jump right into Character Creation!¡± ¡°Character¡­what?¡± I managed right before another guitar scream, and a fresh metal riff drowned out my words. A massive globe appeared before me, flames licking up behind it. It spun briefly before a gigantic sword came down, slicing into the north pole with an explosion of rock and lava. The words CHARACTER CREATION flared up in jagged, iron lettering, landing with an ear-splitting crash. Then, like a character from a heavy metal fever dream, she appeared. Tall, blonde, and decked out in a leather-and-lace corset and hot pants, thigh-high boots, and fishnets torn to perfection. Her bare shoulders were tattooed with electric guitars, medieval weapons, and grim, hooded figures wielding swords. She had immaculate makeup and a smile that melted the soul. She looked right at me. Well, she looked right at the floating patch of air I seemed to occupy. ¡°You passed through a rift in time and space,¡± she said, dark and serious, ¡°from your world to this one.¡± Her gaze deepened. ¡°There¡¯s no destiny here, no divine intervention.¡± Cue another guitar squeal, and the music cut out. ¡°It just¡­happens.¡± She strolled around the spinning globe. ¡°The magic that infuses Nya constantly pulls people and things from non-magical worlds.¡± The drums kicked in again, and the rhythm guitar rolled with a new riff as she gestured to the globe, flashing a wicked smile at me. ¡°Now you¡¯re one of us. Be a hero. Be a villain. Climb mountains, dive into the sea. Fight. Fuck. Become something you never dreamed of. Unlock the mysteries of this world¡­and maybe even yourself.¡± Sparks erupted at a dramatic angle behind her, and the wind tossed her hair like she was featured in an eighties music video. The whole intro was undeniably cool, but considering I mainly¡¯d been getting my butt kicked and getting covered in nasty, green blood so far, it felt a little over-the-top. Besides, I couldn¡¯t see my¡­slightly tubby self¡­doing any of those things. Climbing mountains? Not happening. And the ¡°fighting and¡­other activities?¡± didn¡¯t sound like things I was exactly excelling at in life. ¡°Are you working from a script or something?¡± I yelled over the shredding guitar. The music eased into the background as she sauntered over, getting close, at least close to wherever my incorporeal self was floating. Her eyes locked onto mine or whatever version of ¡°me¡± she could see. ¡°You have no idea how this world works,¡± she said, her voice slipping into a low, intense whisper. ¡°I¡¯m here to guide you, help you shape this new life, and make it what you want.¡± ¡°So¡­is this some kind of heavy metal hellscape?¡± She stepped back, tilting her head with a slightly amused smirk as she dropped the act a little. ¡°What¡¯s your experience so far?¡± ¡°Oh, you know¡­mostly axes, orcs, and getting knocked around a lot.¡± She waved a hand. ¡°This is no stage show and definitely not a game.¡± She gestured around the dark, foggy realm. ¡°But it¡¯s nothing like your old world. Here, magic is in everything.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay. But can I go home?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied firmly. ¡°Nya and its realms are your new home now. Earth? Completely out of reach. Realms without magic are closed off to beings infused with it.¡± ¡°Then why me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®why,¡¯¡± she said, almost matter-of-factly. ¡°Nya doesn¡¯t choose its rifters. They just happen to be in the right or wrong place when a rift opens. The sooner you accept that, the better.¡± I thought for a second. ¡°What about the plane?¡± She paused. ¡°You and the seat you were sitting in ended up here. As for the rest of the plane? Probably finished its trip as scheduled, minus one passenger.¡± ¡°And my family?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about them? I can only answer questions about what happened to you when you crossed over. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll miss you unless you¡¯re, like, a total bitch or something. But I¡¯m not getting bitch vibe off you.¡± ¡°Well, shit.¡± I sighed or tried to, given my lack of actual lungs. ¡°Please,¡± she said, sounding almost impatient. ¡°We have a lot to cover.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like your transference to Nya.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m already here. Is this, like, magical customs or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here, but you can¡¯t stay as you are. The magic now within you is highly transformative. If you don¡¯t adapt, your body will begin to¡­mutate, let¡¯s say, in unpredictable ways.¡± The globe faded, and flashes of various fantasy creatures appeared one after another behind her: elves, dwarves, and creatures I couldn¡¯t even name. ¡°To avoid that fate, you¡¯ll transform into an enlightened race of Nya.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I stay human?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of a roll of the dice. If you spin up human, you¡¯ll stay human, but magic has its ideas about how you¡¯ll end up,¡± she explained with a shrug. Then, with a wave of her hand, she vanished, and the space around me morphed. A figure was in the center of the room on a slowly rotating platform. And to my complete and utter shock, that figure was me. Stark, well-lit, 3D, and absolutely, unapologetically naked. I don¡¯t care who you are; nobody wants to see a full 3D render of themselves, and I was no exception. It was like gawking at a car crash: you can¡¯t look away, but you kind of wish you could. There I was, every detail out in the open: fair skin, shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, everything. I got a front-row view of the rest as well¡ªsmall chest, big butt, soft stomach and waist, the whole package. I¡¯d never been athletic or anything close to it and didn¡¯t have my sister¡¯s gym-toned body, but¡­ this was me. Honest, unfiltered, unmistakably Regan. But oh boy, up there, mocking me in ultra-HD glory, was every little flaw I¡¯d successfully ignored for years. Cellulite on my thighs and ass I hadn¡¯t even known was there. My back? Let¡¯s just say it was not my favorite angle. Nobody wants to see themselves from behind in the real world, and judging from this unflattering perspective, I was starting to understand why. I almost couldn¡¯t believe it was me I was looking at. And yet, to make it crystal clear, this was the real me: I could see the full moon tattoo on the back of my left shoulder. Megan had the matching sun on her right. We¡¯d gotten them together on our eighteenth birthday. It was our dumb way of saying that for all our differences, we were forever connected. ¡°This is you as you entered Nya,¡± the woman¡¯s voice echoed behind me. ¡°Like all beings here, you come with basic stats that describe your attributes.¡± One by one, words slapped into the air above my virtual naked self, each one announced by a guitar squeal and a dramatic rumble that shook the entire virtual space. The list finished hovering over my head: Strength Dexterity Spirit Charisma Intelligence Endurance Luck ¡°The Average human attribute on Earth is five. You entered Nya with the following attribute scores:¡± Then, out of nowhere, a male announcer¡¯s voice blasted into the scene as if he were hyping up a monster truck rally. Each attribute name was called out with the enthusiasm of a Sunday night demolition derby, and every number was punctuated with a mini firework exploding behind it. ¡°STRENGTH: THREE!¡± Fireworks popped, though maybe with a little less enthusiasm, like even the fireworks knew this was nothing to brag about. ¡°DEXTERITY: THREE!¡± Another pop, this one sounding suspiciously like a sarcastic golf clap. ¡°SPIRIT: SIX!¡± Pow! He threw in some extra grit for this one as if trying to make up for the first two. ¡°CHARISMA: FIVE!¡± Boom! Not bad, not superb, but the announcer kept the energy up with a confident tone like he was trying to convince himself that solidly average was awesome. ¡°INTELLIGENCE: EIGHT!¡± A grand explosion echoed as if the announcer was thrilled to have a stat worth shouting about. ¡°ENDURANCE: SIX!¡± Pop-pop! It was not exceptional, but the announcer didn¡¯t seem genuinely impressed. God bless him; he put in the effort. And then, the big finish: ¡°LUCK: SEVEN!¡± A drumroll kicked in as the fireworks burst in a colorful finale, hinting that maybe, just maybe, I¡¯d have something on my side after all. The complete list of attributes hovered there, every stat a personal little neon reminder of precisely what I¡¯d brought with me into this strange world. Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Spirit: 6 Charisma: 5 Intelligence: 8 Endurance: 6 Luck: 7 ¡°This is your base level,¡± the woman said, giving virtual me a once-over. ¡°But here in Nya, magic infuses body and mind, allowing you to push your attributes well beyond the average for your race or species. There¡¯s virtually no limit to how high you can raise them. Every ten levels, you¡¯ll unlock unique skills tied to each attribute. You can also assign attribute points during your initial setup.¡± I glanced at my stats. Sure, my intelligence was higher than average, which was a relief, but my strength and dexterity? Yikes. It was like the numbers were laughing at me. Not that I could argue; my usual workout routine was lifting the remote and dodging emails. And luck? A solid seven? I felt like the unluckiest person on two worlds right now. ¡°All abilities, skills, and magic draw directly from these base attributes,¡± the woman explained as the attributes glowed with a pulsating light. ¡°The higher your attribute level, the stronger your skills and magic. As I mentioned, magic is woven into every living thing on Nya. People can channel it both within their body and spirit and the world around them. The magical energy, or essence, each person can draw on depends on their Intelligence and Spirit. We call this EP for short.¡± As she spoke, the corresponding attributes glowed. ¡°Combat skills, athleticism, and physical prowess depend on Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance. Special skills use a pool of Adrenaline Points, AP for short.¡± ¡°Your attributes can grow through usage, pushing your limits, and with magical items, potions, or spells. Everyone in Nya has a level, a measure of life experience, that adds points to their attributes. As you unlock new skills through discovery, your related attributes increase, too. For instance, hit level one in sword fighting, and you¡¯ll get a boost to Strength and Dexterity.¡± It was a lot to take in, but at least there were ways to beef up my sad stats¡­ ¡°You¡¯ll find your body and mind adapt quickly to Nya¡¯s environments as you move through this world,¡± the woman explained. ¡°Wait, so I have points that measure my abilities?¡± I asked, trying to wrap my head around it. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, nodding. ¡°But I literally just got here. Am I going to be a weakling compared to the locals?¡± ¡°At first, yes,¡± she said. ¡°But rifters like you mature quickly. You¡¯ll catch up to an age-appropriate level of skills and attributes within nine to twelve months, so taking your growth seriously is important.¡± I grimaced. ¡°Is this world as violent as it seems? Like¡­ are there orcs everywhere?¡± She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s like any place. Some areas are safe, others¡­ not so much. But in a world rich with magic, strength, and resilience are valued. Magic is powerful; it can heal or corrupt, creating intense environments. Use the next few months to explore, learn, and figure out where you fit in. Think about who you want to become in your new life.¡± ¡°What about law enforcement? Are there police or any kind of rule of law?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°People are people. Some suck; some don¡¯t. There are countless governments here, some organized, some chaotic, some freer than others. It all depends on where you go.¡± ¡°So, basically like Earth.¡± ¡°Close enough,¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°But just different enough to keep you on your toes.¡± The woman stepped back, her face lighting up with a mischievous grin. She spread her arms wide, dramatically lifting her chest as the music shifted into a full-blown ''80s metal anthem straight out of the AC/DC playbook. The long, pounding intro built up, louder with every beat, until CRACK! A flash of lightning split the room. One by one, the words blazed onto the screen in that heavy metal font, each word read out by the monster truck announcer, his voice vibrating with rock-and-roll drama. The woman struck a fierce pose with each new word, leaning into each syllable. ¡°WHEEL!¡± Sparks rained down, lighting up the dark as if the letters were forged in molten metal, each hammering into place with a thunderous clang. The woman struck a triumphant pose, arms outstretched, as the word blazed across the room, shimmering in electric fire. ¡°OF!¡± The word boomed, rocking the room with a pulsing energy. The lights strobed, each pulse ramping up the intensity, building suspense. ¡°RACES!¡± The final word thundered into place with a deafening metallic slam as pyrotechnics erupted in a blinding flash. The words arranged themselves over a massive spinning wheel of fortune, which now took up most of the surreal space. Then, just as quickly, the music stopped. The woman stepped close to my virtual self, dropping her voice to an intense whisper. ¡°Now, for the big event. The Wheel of Races.¡± I squinted at the wheel. It seemed to have only two options on it, though it spun too fast for me to tell for sure. Meanwhile, the woman leaned back, her hips swaying in a slow dance to the soft, echoing pluck of a single guitar string, somehow soothing and ominous at the same time. ¡°The magic within you is ready,¡± she murmured, her voice almost lost in the haunting melody. ¡°The change is beginning. Fate will decide what you become.¡± ¡°Fate?¡± I echoed, my not-there stomach twisting with a jolt of anxiety. I stomped my non-existent foot. ¡°What? A freaking wheel? Can¡¯t I just pick?¡± Her eyes twinkled as she smiled through her dance. ¡°Magic¡¯s not that predictable. But you¡¯ll have some choices, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Oh, Mother Fuck!¡± I sputtered, ¡°Shit stained mother of fuck shit fuck!¡± I knew the expletives I let loose in frustration, probably lighting up the invisible swear jar. It just didn¡¯t seem fair, leaving my future, my very existence, to a carnival prop. She laughed, scrunching her nose. ¡°Love the language. So cute. Now give the wheel a spin.¡± I stared at her, again, no body. ¡°I don¡¯t have hands, remember?¡± ¡°Use your mind,¡± she prompted with a graceful flick of her wrist toward the wheel. With an internal shrug, I thought flick, and the wheel lurched to life, spinning faster and faster as the faint beat of drums began to build, steady and intense. The rhythm synced with the wheel''s rotation as it spun, a relentless clicking that started to slow. A deep, primal chant rose around me: ¡°Whole... or... Half... Whole... or... Half...¡± With each click, the beat slowed, drumming down to a suspenseful crawl. Finally, with a heavy final beat, the wheel stalled. The last click echoed in the silence, and the booming announcer''s voice returned, vibrating through the room: HALF-BREED The word slammed into place above the wheel in giant, jagged letters, punctuated by an ear-splitting guitar screech and an eruption of imaginary crowd cheers. The choice was made. Well, sort of. Half-breed? I would have said it out loud with one of my signature F-Bombs in front of it, but it would kind of sounded racist. ¡°You get to choose one race to be part of your new makeup,¡± the woman announced with a smile, standing beside the still-spinning wheel. She pointed to a glowing, golden frame above the wheel, hovering like a prized slot for my ¡°chosen race.¡± ¡°Human,¡± I snapped, my not-there arms crossed in defiance. I was furious. Here I was, dragged into a new world, spinning wheels and rolling dice with my existence, and my so-called luck was nowhere to be seen. Level seven luck, my ass! She tilted her head, eyebrow raised. ¡°You sure about that, sweetie?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m fucking sure!¡± I practically shouted, the words punctuating my mounting frustration. The woman shrugged, turning in profile as a blue index card seemingly materialized in her hand. She peered down at it, and as she did, white Arial font magically appeared above her head, displaying the words like some cosmic PowerPoint: Human: The second most populous race on Nya, Humans share ancestry with many Enlightened races, including Dwarves, Elves, and Gnomes. Known for their extreme versatility and intelligence, Humans adapt well to most environments worldwide and excel at various classes. Due to their versatility, there are no sub-races for Humans¡ªonly minor differences in appearance and physical traits, reflecting their adaptation to diverse surroundings. With a flick of her fingers, she sent the card spinning off into nothingness, where it evaporated in a puff of light. She glanced back at me, a playful smile creeping across her face. ¡°No points for originality.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± I grumbled. The Wheel of Races erupted in a fiery display, hundreds of slots igniting as new options carved themselves into its surface. I squinted and saw a few as the wheel lazily turned, some familiar from mythology, like elves, dwarves, dragons, and orcs. Others were more cryptic: ¡°caprid,¡± ¡°feline,¡± and ¡°divine¡± were available, along with a whole list of things I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. I¡¯d briefly considered what it might mean to be a half-something else. Orc, maybe? Sure, scary, but then I thought of Kev, strong, rugged, rocking bod¡­not bad. But what if I landed on something weird, like ¡°prairie orc¡±? Strong, yeah, but¡­ dumb and ugly too? Yikes. Maybe a snake woman or a cat girl. I wasn¡¯t sure if having fur or shedding my skin every few months would help my look. ¡°Great,¡± I muttered, focusing all my frustration into another mental spin. ¡°Human and¡­?¡± The wheel spun, the usual music and pyrotechnics kicking in, building the suspense. Finally, it began to slow: Click, click, click¡­ click¡­ click. ELF Monster Truck Announcer was in great form, making the word seem long. The fanfare exploded around me, confirming my fate. ¡°So, I¡¯m a Half-Elf.¡± I didn¡¯t even need to think too hard about that one. I¡¯d played enough RPGs to know Half-Elf wasn¡¯t a bad roll. Elves were always tall, elegant, and way cool, as if they¡¯d just stepped out of a David Bowie concert in another dimension. But combine that with human, and you have that perfect middle ground. And let¡¯s face it, elves are sexy. Half ain''t that bad if I couldn¡¯t be a whole elf. It seemed safe, at least. What could go wrong? I thought to myself sarcastically. Before I could react, the woman had whipped out another card. The PowerPoint loaded up, and in crisp white letters, it read: Half-Elf: Neither a member of the Human community nor the Elven, but fetishized by all. Half-elves are the product of the unlikely cross-breeding between a Human and an Elf. These offspring gain the versatility of their Human parent and the magical inclination of their Elven parent. Often envied for having the perks of both races without drawbacks, Half-Elves thrive in human environments and even in some of the more extreme Elven ones. Yet, like many half-breeds, Half-Elves don¡¯t have a community to call their own, instead adapting to existing ones as outsiders. The card vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving her smiling at me like she¡¯d just given me a winning lottery ticket. ¡°Perfect,¡± I muttered. ¡°Half magic, half versatility, outsider, and being fetishized? Just what every girl dreams of.¡± ¡°We''ve got one last spin to go,¡± the woman said, grinning like this was her favorite part. ¡°To see just what kind of elf you''ll be.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than one kind of elf?¡± I asked, half-expecting her to say this was a joke. ¡°Oh, there are hundreds! Elves and humans share the same progenitors, but while humans stayed adaptable, elves evolved with nature. They¡¯re full of magic, so every environment pulls them in a new direction. You¡¯ve got tundra elves, jungle elves, nocturnal elves, even naiad elves that live in water.¡± Before I could ask for a list, the wheel reformed, blaring the same fanfare as it spun back to life. The flashing lights and intense drumbeats had started to wear thin, but I couldn¡¯t look away. This time, the wheel was covered with a wide range of elf types, from desert to swamp and every possible niche in between. I gave it a mental flick, and it spun wildly, clicking down until: URBAN ELF Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The monster truck announcer¡¯s voice boomed through the room as fireworks exploded around the globe. I blinked, trying to process what that even meant. ¡°What the fuck is an urban elf?¡± The woman reached up, pulling another card from thin air. URBAN ELF Urban Elves have adapted away from nature to thrive in cities. Cunning, intelligent, and charismatic, these elves are fierce fighters, rogues, and spellcasters, but they prefer cobblestone over grass and skyscrapers over trees. Unlike other elves living in remote forests or mountains, Urban Elves flourish in the cosmopolitan mix of cities, enjoying the lively variety and culture. They retain many classic elf traits with a few twists. ¡°Really? What Twists?¡± She tossed the card aside, smirking. ¡°Looks like you''ll be right at home in the city.¡± Perfect, I thought. An elf with a streetwise streak, maybe not what I''d imagined, but I could work with it. The wheel shattered in a blaze of flaming wood, scattering embers in every direction as the music hit a thunderous peak. Once more, I was left trying to make sense of the spectacle, barely keeping up with the chaotic display before the room plunged into darkness. For a brief moment, there was silence, just a short, dramatic pause. And then, as if on cue, a spotlight blinked on, illuminating the center of the space. There I was again, naked and rotating slowly on the platform, the same as before. No enhancements, no heroic aura. Just me, completely exposed. I groaned inwardly. God, just shoot me. Somewhere out of sight, the woman¡¯s voice echoed through the darkness. ¡°As a half-urban elf, you will receive a plus five to Dexterity, plus five to Charisma, plus five to Intelligence, and plus two to Luck.¡± Suddenly, my view of my 3D self zoomed in like a camera on a dolly. It felt like I was watching from a front-row seat. The announcer¡¯s voice cut through the darkness, each of my new stats rattling off to the deep beat of the drummer. BOOM. ¡°Strength: 3.¡± BOOM. ¡°Dexterity: 8.¡± BOOM. ¡°Spirit: 6.¡± BOOM. ¡°Charisma: 10.¡± BOOM. ¡°Intelligence: 13.¡± BOOM. ¡°Endurance: 6.¡± BOOM. ¡°Luck: 9.¡± With each number, my avatar subtly shifted. Dexterity tightened my figure, giving it a sleek grace. Charisma lent an aura of confidence, and Intelligence sharpened my gaze. Even my Luck stat seemed to add a faint spark of good fortune to my image as if things might break my way a bit more often. I stared, a mixture of shock and grudging fascination, as this new version of me turned on the platform, the transformations all pounding out to the steady rhythm. I blinked in disbelief as the 3D figure continued to shift, evolving into a surreal version of myself. It was me, but¡­ more. First, my chest. It swelled, reshaping into something much more generous, my breasts more defined, more pronounced than I¡¯d ever imagined they could be. My waist tightened, drawing in to create a striking silhouette, and my hips became more sculpted, giving me a balance of form that seemed almost too ideal. Even my arms and legs took on a new, subtle muscularity, the outlines of abs pressing through on a now perfectly lean stomach. My face softened yet sharpened at the same time. The roundness gave way to a heart-shaped elegance, with delicate features that felt both familiar and alien: a smaller, slightly upturned nose, fuller lips, and cheekbones that sat higher on my face, giving me an almost ethereal look. My hairline shifted, framing my face with a new widow¡¯s peak, lending a certain intensity to my gaze. Then the ears stretched becoming pointed, not dramatic like Jinx¡¯s, but just enough to mark them as elven. And my hair¡­ It erupted in wild, vibrant pink curls that cascaded over my shoulders in glossy waves. My eyes glowed an intense, almost unnatural green, shimmering under the spotlight. And then there were freckles. They exploded into existence all over me like fireworks over the Magic Castle at Disney. They covered my face and trailed down my arms and shoulders, dotting my body. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, a glance downward confirmed that my pubies were pink, matching the vibrant shock of curls framing my face along with my eyebrows. I stared at the transformed figure, caught somewhere between horror and fascination, realizing this new form was now, somehow, an inescapable part of me. Still, It was elven, a little punk rock, but it was something I could work with. I mean, I was looking at some sexy chick as she rotated on the platform. ¡°Okay,¡± I murmured, still processing the whirlwind of changes. ¡°I guess, weird, but I could live with¡ª¡± SCHUMP! The sound tore through the room, and in a flash, the body shrank an entire head¡¯s length, the vibrant pink curls bouncing wildly before settling down around my now-shorter shoulders. ¡°What the fuck!¡± I shouted, looking up at my new, more diminutive form in disbelief. ¡°You said Urban Elf!¡± The woman smirked like she¡¯d anticipated this reaction all along. ¡°This,¡± she replied with a casual shrug, ¡°is what a Half Urban Elf looks like.¡± I glared at her, then back at my transformed virtual self, realizing that my image now had an unmistakable, almost mischievous quality, a blend of scrappiness and charm in an entirely more compact package. ¡°More like Half Keebler Elf!¡± I barked. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I look like a Pixar cartoon; can we do anything to make me look more¡­¡± ¡°Human, no.¡± ¡°What about the hair?¡± ¡°It is randomly selected based on the genetic makeup of the two races.¡± ¡°What kind of race has bubblegum pink hair? ¡°Urban Elves.¡± ¡°But, how in the name of all holy Hell does a race of people evolve to have pink hair?¡± ¡°Hells, Regan, more than one here.¡± ¡°Whatever, I can cut it. Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Of course you can, but I think it¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Cute is one thing, but this is stupid cute. I look like the diversity hire for the Lollipop Guild, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡± She started to ignore me and kept on with the program. ¡°A couple of notes.¡± She read from the card again: Racial benefits of half-elves include enhanced Night Vision, Internal Navigation, and shadow skills. Urban Half-Elves also have The Gift of Tongues, allowing them to speak the natural languages of all enlightened species with city-sized settlements of five thousand or more. ¡°Do I get, like, a veto or something?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± She glared at me. I was ruining the vibe of the show. But damn? I wanted a kick-ass Half-Orc or a tall Rivendell Elf with a killer bow and long, sexy dress. Or even something like that sexy blond chick that Conan was banging in the movie. Not Mitsuri from Demon Slayer. I mean, all the party members I met looked way more fabulous. She eased her posture and sighed. The music had stopped. ¡°This is a lot for you to take in.¡± She was standing next to the platform. My little avatar was rotating, the head at tits level with the woman. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get to choose how you started life in your old world, did you?¡± ¡°Um, no, not really.¡± ¡°Do you think you would have chosen something different if you had the choice?¡± I thought about it. Of course, I would have. I would have looked like my sister, to be honest with myself. But I wasn¡¯t unhappy with myself. I liked the skin I was in. But standout-ish it wasn¡¯t. It suited who I was well enough. I was just standing there, not standing, because, I still had no body, looking at the Sugar Rush driver spinning on the platform. Big eyes, freckles. Oh boy. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with resignation. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Can we move on? We have a lot to cover.¡± ¡°Cool with me, but I¡¯m kind of over the heavy metal thing now that I look like the newest resident of Lazy Town all grown up.¡± ¡°Okay then. Next, we have to customize.¡± ¡°Alrighty then.¡± ¡°Assign five points to your base attributes, but you can¡¯t assign more than three to any single attribute.¡± ¡°Okay, so running is endurance, right?¡± ¡°How fast you run is based on strength and dexterity. How long you can run is based on your endurance.¡± ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s put two in strength, one in charisma, and two in endurance. Can I change these before we¡¯re done?¡± ¡°You can one time.¡± My ability scores were now updated with the newly added points: Strength: 5 Dexterity: 8 Spirit: 6 Charisma: 11 Intelligence: 13 Endurance: 8 Luck: 9 The average human score is five; I looked at the scores above the pink head. I was now at average human strength, but everything else was above average. For the first time, I was starting to feel excited about what was happening. The body shifted, and the extra Strength and Dexterity buffed the muscles slightly. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°We can calculate your Adrenaline, Essence, and Vitality Points. ¡°Remind me about those?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be nice if you rubbed some please on that, but okay. Those points are used to power skills and spells. The first two are ways that your mind and body connect and channel the magic of Nya. The third is the measure of your overall health.¡± ¡°Okay then, what have you got?¡± ¡°Adrenaline points are the average of strength, dexterity, and endurance, plus the total of those attributes, times five, and rounded up. Your current attributes give you one hundred forty adrenaline points.¡± ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°As a starting fighter, you have the skill slash. It triples the damage you deal with a blade. Before you attack, you mentally engage the skill. The cost is twenty-five AP. Your body can also use AP to avoid becoming fatigued.¡± ¡°How do I recover AP?¡± ¡°It regenerates at five points per second at level one. As you move up, it recovers faster. It can also be filled with potions or other skill moves.¡± ¡°Okay, Great. What about essence points, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same basic formula: The average of spirit and intelligence, plus the total of the attributes, times five, rounded up. For you, it would be one hundred and twenty-eight. It regenerates at five points per second also.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s used to access magical spells?¡± ¡°Yes, priests use a different form of the same thing, with the same numbers, but the points are only regenerated if they are in good standing with their god.¡± ¡°Their god? Like, gods are real?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Weird.¡± ¡°Okay, Vitality then.¡± ¡°Vitality is the measure of your life; when the number hits below zero, you die. It can only regenerate outside combat, when you sleep, or with potions or healing spells.¡± ¡°All right, then, how do we calculate that? ¡°It is the average of all attributes, plus the sum of all attributes, times the luck attribute, and rounded up. For you, it would be six hundred eighteen.¡± ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°When you killed your first orc, the damage you inflicted with the axe was seventy-five points, plus the base attack of eighteen points, which tripled from the hit on a critical area, and since the orc was intoxicated, tripled again. He had a vitality of eight hundred sixteen, but you dealt a single blow of eight hundred and thirty-seven; you killed him.¡± ¡°Alrighty, my little six hundred and change vitality isn¡¯t all that great.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a place to start.¡± I thought about things for a moment. ¡°We¡¯re almost done, right?¡± ¡°We have two more areas to cover after this.¡± ¡°Will any of those change my attributes?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I want to change my point allocation. Instead of putting two into endurance, put one into it and one into luck. Let me see what that looks like.¡± ¡°No problem, here you go.¡± Strength: 5 Dexterity: 8 Spirit: 6 Charisma: 11 Intelligence: 13 Endurance: 7 Luck: 10 Adrenaline Points: 134 RC 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 128 RC 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 686 RC 5 pts/sec I took a good look at the half-urban-elf girl standing in front of me. She was oddly cute in that ¡°Hey, you could bench-press me¡± kind of way. The muscles were noticeably more defined¡ªbroader shoulders, thicker thighs, and arms well on their way to rocking some lady guns. Strength and Dexterity points would do that, I guess. Her face was familiar, but...off. Like a sister or a cousin from a parallel universe. Except, nope. That was me. Or rather, it would be me. My suspicion was confirmed as she turned around, revealing my moon tattoo peeking just visible beneath the hot pink explosion of cotton candy hair. ¡°So, uh, what¡¯s the deal with Luck? Am I gonna crush it at blackjack or something?¡± I asked, eyeing the numbers on the stats list. ¡°It¡¯s not that kind of luck,¡± came the reply. ¡°It¡¯s more about influencing random chance in your favor, better odds of landing critical hits, dodging attacks, and nailing skill checks. But cards or dice? Not so much.¡± ¡°Bummer,¡± I muttered, feeling a little cheated. Before I could complain further, the room plunged into darkness. A wave of vertigo slammed into me, and I hit the ground. It wasn¡¯t painful, more like an awkward tumble onto something soft. I scrambled to my feet, and, whoa, my body moved like it was on a finely tuned suspension system. I couldn¡¯t resist testing it, hopping up a little as I stood. Yep, springy. Looking down, I was in the middle of the same room, but now in her body¡ªmy new body. I was wearing the tunic and pants Gem provided me. They fit like a glove, thanks to the autofit enchantment. My perspective was...different. Closer to the ground, for one. And my hair¡ªoh, the hair. A riot of colorful fluff that refused to stay out of my eyes. I blew at it in frustration, only for it to bounce right back into place like some caffeinated slinky. ¡°How do I¡ªFUCK!¡± I slapped my hand over my mouth. ¡°What the shit?¡± I muttered, startled at the sound that just came out of me. The pitch of my voice had changed. Higher. At least an octave. It wasn¡¯t like I inhaled helium or anything, but it was way up from where I used to be. Natural, sure, but it sounded like¡­ well, like I was twelve. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡± came her voice, laced with some barely contained amusement. ¡°What the fuck happened to my voice?¡± I demanded, loud enough to make it worse. Then, in a fit of frustration, I squeaked, ¡°MOTHER FUCKER!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just¡­ a smaller-sized person,¡± she said, smiling down at me as if I were an adorable kitten. ¡°Smaller throat, smaller larynx, and all that.¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± I trailed off, trying to process it. It felt strange but also familiar in some weird way. I¡¯d always had a low voice since I trained it that way. I thought it made me sound more intelligent. I growled, trying to summon something dark and menacing. No luck with that. The sound that came out was more adorable than anything. I huffed in frustration, then sang, ¡°La, la, la,¡± just to get a feel. Deciding to really test it, I launched into a tongue twister. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would If a woodchuck could chuck wood! It came out a little¡­ otherworldly. The worst part? My inner voice seemed to have taken on this new, higher pitch. Great. Just what I needed. ¡°It would have been nice to get a bit of heads up that this would have happened.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to overload you with everything you¡¯d have to get used to.¡± She gestured at my new body like I was a mannequin in a discount store. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t even mention that you¡¯re now going to have trouble reaching the top shelf.¡± ¡°Great,¡± I grumbled, trying to avoid sounding like an angry middle schooler. ¡°How tall am I, then?¡± ¡°Four feet, eight inches.¡± ¡°Well, shit!¡± I spun around, looking down at myself. ¡°I used to be five-six.¡± ¡°Seems so,¡± she said, unbothered. ¡°Urban elves are one of the shortest elven races. Most don¡¯t top four feet.¡± ¡°Jesus H...¡± I stared down at my tiny feet, now suspiciously closer than the old ones were. I shrugged, feeling the weight of my new reality. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this body would feel¡­ like this.¡± The woman stayed silent momentarily, her expression softening into a genuine smile. Not mean, not teasing, just¡­ kind. ¡°What?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes as I tried to read her. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°How do you feel?¡± she asked. ¡°Stupid.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said patiently. ¡°How does your body feel?¡± I glanced down at myself, flexing my fingers experimentally. My hands were lean and strong, their grip powerful. I clenched a fist, feeling a surge of energy ripple through me. This wasn¡¯t just stronger than the average human. It was stronger than I¡¯d ever been in my entire life. Curiosity sparked, and I jumped. My head soared well above hers as I grinned midair, landing lightly on the soft floor. Exhilaration bubbled up, and before I could stop myself, I leaned back and flipped, landing on my feet with a flourish. ¡°Wow!¡± I gasped, adrenaline coursing through me. This was me. A body that finally did everything I wanted it to, with the potential to do so much more. And it was all connected to my brain, my mind like it had been waiting for me all along. ¡°You see?¡± she said, her grin widening. ¡°You¡¯re just smaller. You¡¯re not weaker. You¡¯re becoming the person you¡¯re meant to be. This is what this world does.¡± ¡°This is so¡­ fucking strange,¡± I said, my voice caught somewhere between awe and disbelief. ¡°Sweetie,¡± she said with a knowing shrug, ¡°strange is the default setting for this world.¡± I bounced a couple more times, testing my new agility before finally settling down. ¡°So¡­ now what?¡± ¡°Well, now for the fun part.¡± She clapped her hands with a new, wider, more excited grin. ¡°Rifter bonus time!¡± She spun around dramatically, pointing to the glowing wheel of fortune that appeared with a whoosh. ¡°Wheel time!¡± Without any of the over-the-top heavy metal fanfare, the wheel spun, its surface packed with nearly unreadable categories. There were pets, gold amounts, magical items, starter packs, mounts, and way too many others to decipher as the blur of colors zipped by. Three ominous red spots labeled Nothing stood out starkly among the chaos. ¡°You get three spins,¡± the woman said. Her tone was casual, but there was a weight in her words that made me suspicious. ¡°These will give you a leg up when you start.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± I said, stepping forward. I grabbed the wheel with my slender elf hand and spun it. As the wheel turned, I got momentarily distracted, examining my new hand. It looked delicate but was surprisingly strong. I turned it over and examined the shining nails. I smiled. Elven beauty? I thought. The clicking of the wheel brought my attention back to the moment, its steady rhythm oddly suspenseful. Click, click, click, click... click... click. It finally stopped on Enhanced Starter Kit. ¡°Once you leave generation,¡± the woman explained, ¡°you¡¯ll receive a kit of objects, skills, spells, and basic resources. It¡¯s tailored to your chosen class and consistent with what a level-two adventurer with moderate resources would have. It¡¯s meant to give you a head start.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± I said, reaching for the wheel again. ¡°You said skills and spells?¡± ¡°Yes. Skills and spells, along with armor, weapons, supplies, and some gold,¡± she confirmed. I spun the wheel again. This time, I noticed that the Enhanced Starter Kit segment had vanished and been replaced by another red Nothing. Four Nothing spots loomed on the wheel, their presence growing more menacing. ¡°What happens if I land on Nothing?¡± ¡°Then you get nothing.¡± ¡°Swell.¡± The wheel kept spinning. Goodies zoomed by: ten thousand gold, enchanted bow, horse, even a pet monkey. Click, click, click, click¡­ click¡­ click. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me.¡± It landed squarely in the Nothing section. I stomped my foot on the soft pillow ground, but it was utterly unsatisfying. I did it again, just to be sure. Yep, the ground was just too squishy for a satisfying foot stomp. ¡°You get one more spin,¡± the woman said. ¡°Make it count.¡± I gave the wheel another spin and turned away, my mind still reeling. The absurdity of the situation hit me. I was having fun. I was in the middle of what could only be described as a character creation screen in a game. It felt like a damn game, and I was enjoying it. There were stats, levels, points, everything. Why the hell was it like this? This was supposed to be real, wasn¡¯t it? I''d seen danger, actual death. I¡¯d killed. That shit was real. And now here I was, spinning a wheel like I was in some kind of video game. Click, click, click, click¡­ click¡­ click. ¡°Hmm,¡± the woman said. ¡°Good one.¡± I turned, expecting to see Nothing again. But no, the wheel had landed on Null Space Storage. ¡°What¡¯s a null space storage?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be able to store any object you can lift into a six-cubic-foot null space,¡± she explained. ¡°Most people on Nya use enchanted objects for this, but personal null spaces are scarce.¡± ¡°You mean... I get a personal inventory system?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she confirmed as the wheel vanished. ¡°You get 216 feet of storage that you can take wherever you go. Only you can access it. It¡¯s more secure than a bank vault. You can loot bodies without touching them and receive rewards and trades directly, among other things. It¡¯s null space and time, meaning anything you put in won¡¯t age or decay. It keeps the hot stuff hot and the cold stuff cold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty awesome.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, it has its limits. Anything suppressing magic will make it inaccessible.¡± It all felt so strange to me. This whole process is awesome and cool, sure, but also off. The vibe in here didn¡¯t match the brutal reality out there. I thought about that Prairie Orc, his head split open by the magical axe I had been swinging. The blood, the weight of the fight, the harshness of it all. And then I looked around this space, all shiny and whimsical, like some kind of fantasy buffet with spinning wheels and a kicking soundtrack. It didn¡¯t add up. And why the hell was it even called Character Creation? Was I just a character now? ¡°You know,¡± I said, trying to sound casual, ¡°this whole thing feels a bit... video-gamey.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, Regan,¡± the woman said, her tone suddenly stern. ¡°You¡¯ve seen what happens out there. It¡¯s very real.¡± ¡°Then why does it feel like a game?¡± The woman paused, a faint smile tugging at her lips. ¡°You know,¡± she said, tilting her head slightly, ¡°you never asked who I am.¡± ¡°Okay. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m The Whisperer,¡± she said, watching me closely. ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I am how you connect to the magic of Nya.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I muttered, narrowing my eyes at her, ¡°you¡¯re not exactly whispering.¡± ¡°Those native to Nya are born into the world of magic. They¡¯ve known it their entire lives. I do the same thing for them that I do for you. But to them, I¡¯m just a quiet, faceless force. A whisper in their minds that guides them through the realm of magic. They have a native understanding. All of this¡­¡± she waved her hand around the room. ¡°It isn¡¯t necessary for them.¡± ¡°So, it feels like a game because that¡¯s what I understand.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The Whisperer grinned, the expression almost playful. ¡°You needed a rocking hottie to show you around, and that¡¯s what you got. You needed stats and points to describe your abilities, so I enumerated them for you.¡± ¡°So, others don¡¯t use the numbers like that?¡± ¡°They do, and they don¡¯t. Magic in this world is very, very powerful. It¡¯s the operating system that Nya runs on. I¡¯m the interface that allows you to access it. When you speak to others about your abilities, you¡¯ll use the words you understand, and they¡¯ll use the words they understand. But you¡¯ll understand each other. I¡¯m just your interface. The bridge.¡± ¡°You are translating language spoken to me in real time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled proudly. ¡°I am part of your mind. A part that is powered by magic. It is one of the most primal energies in this world, and it is hired wired into every living thing on the planet.¡± She paused, letting that sink in. ¡°I¡¯m part of your mind that interprets the magical energies of the world and helps you understand them. Kind of like your phone. Back on Earth, you couldn¡¯t just start yelling into the air and connect to digital data, right? You needed a device. On Nya, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Okay, but where do you come from?¡± ¡°Some people believe I¡¯m part of the pantheon of gods,¡± she said, spreading her arms with a smirk. ¡°I mean, look at me. But I am unique to you.¡± I just sighed. The flood of information was overwhelming, like drinking from a fire hose. I looked down at my new body: crazy pink hair, rocking new tits, tiny hands and feet. Despite its absurdity, it felt right. This body vibrated with energy. I felt strong. My mind was sharp and focused. It was all so new. It felt like I was finally stepping into something I¡¯d been waiting for, even if I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was. ¡°Don¡¯t have much back home,¡± I said. ¡°But I love my sister and my parents.¡± Yeah,¡± The Whisper said sympathetically with a gentle sigh. ¡°That sucks.¡± ¡°What will happen to them?¡± ¡°They will live their lives. They will miss you and mourn you.¡± ¡°So, no one has ever gone back?¡± ¡°If you, in your half-elf body, were to travel to a world without magic, your face would melt off.¡± ¡°But is there a way?¡± ¡°No, there isn¡¯t. Even if you somehow survived, there¡¯s no vehicle or method to return to your world.¡± ¡°I asked if anyone ever went back.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, no one ever has.¡± Her voice was steady, confident. ¡°It¡¯s a one-way trip. It¡¯s caused by a surge of magic that rips a hole in space and time. You need to let that shit go.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t lie to me, would you?¡± ¡°Girlfriend,¡± She said, sounding almost amused. ¡°Two things. First of all, I am you. A part of you, at least. My job is to tell you what you need to know, so no lies. Second, there¡¯s no agenda behind the magic that pulled you here. It¡¯s just a force of nature. Rain doesn¡¯t give a shit who gets wet. It just falls, okay?¡± ¡°But all this¡­¡± I gestured around the room. ¡°¡­It has to have some intent behind it. It¡¯s nuts.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that made all of this,¡± Her grin was sharp. ¡°But why would a force of nature ensure I had a chance of survival? Why give a shit if there are no shits to give?¡± ¡°I said a force of nature. The world is constantly seeking balance. Beings like you, coming in, are infused with magic. It just happens.¡± ¡°But why are we not just turned into mutant monsters? If it was just nothing but random shit, we¡¯d get flooded with magic, and that would be it. There must be some purpose behind us getting starter kits, new races, and a fresh start in the world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the way the magic in the world balances,¡± She explained. ¡°It makes no sense because we can¡¯t see the whole picture.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put a pin in this,¡± I said, throwing my hands up. ¡°I¡¯m calling bullshit for the record, though.¡± ¡°Whatever, kid,¡± She replied, sounding mildly amused. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be the last one who thinks all this crap makes sense.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s left anyway?¡± I plopped down on the ground, looking at my feet. They were so tiny. But then again, they didn¡¯t feel tiny since I was smaller. ¡°You pick a class to start,¡± she said. ¡°You mean like a job?¡± ¡°Once you leave, you¡¯ll need to pick and learn classes as you go along. But as a rifter, you¡¯ll get one free to start you out. Consider your attributes carefully. There are a limited number of classes you can choose to begin with. Jobs within each class are unlocked through training or experience. Individual skills are unlocked the same way.¡± ¡°So, what are my starter classes?¡± With a final dramatic flourish, The Whisper whipped out a new stack of cards and read off the descriptions. The magical PowerPoint started up again: Mage (Intelligence, Spirit, Luck) Warlocks, Wizards, Witches, and all schools of magic users. Working with your mind, spirit, and dumb luck to capture, manipulate, and use magic to whatever ends suit your needs. The Mage class is not just for nerds; nerds are the best at it. Fighter (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance) Whether you fight for coin, your god, your king, or because you¡¯re just an asshole, fighters are the first to pick up a sword or rock to prove a point. Paladins, Mercenaries, Pit Fighters, Bouncers, and Monks are but a few in this noble fraternity. It doesn¡¯t take too many brains;, a few too many hits to the head, and you might not have any. Rogue (Dexterity, Charisma, Intelligence) Let the Fighters fight fairly. Everyone knows that fighting dirty is the best way to ensure survival. And taking care of yourself along the way ain¡¯t too shabby, either. Thieves, Assassins, Spies, and even Bards use their minds and charm as much as their arsenal of skills to stab, poison, and rob their way to success. Priest (Spirit, Charisma, Intelligence) You¡¯ve heard the call; you¡¯ve seen the visions. Priests, Nuns, Druids, and Clergy of all kinds fight the good fight for the big one above. Power comes from on high to smite those who deserve it. With a pantheon of gods to choose from, the Priest class is full of people kicking ass and saving souls. Artificer (Dexterity, Intelligence, Spirit) Someone in this crazy world has to do the actual work! Artificers craft, brew, cook, forge, and invent everything needed to keep the world running. Blacksmiths, Enchanters, Alchemists, Beast Tamers, and all the other working stiffs are included in this group. It doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be tough, but an artificer is more about making the tools than using them. Great artificers are sought after and paid handsomely for their work. I looked over the list as it hung in front of me. It was like I was perusing a restaurant menu, unsure of what I wanted. I didn¡¯t know what I was good at yet, so I wasn¡¯t sure what the best choice would be. Should I be thinking long-term or short-term? But I had to pick something. I went through mental images of myself in each of the roles. The imagery wasn¡¯t exactly flattering. In my head, I looked like a cartoon, clumsy, over-the-top, and out of place. I sighed. ¡°I choose Rogue.¡± Chapter Four: Helloooo Nurse! Chapter Four: Helloooo Nurse! The whisperer shouted in my head, excited as more words in Ariel appeared in front of my face. She read them off to me as they scrolled past: CONGRATULATIONS! You have chosen race and class! You can now gain experience. You have successfully engaged a creature in combat. Combat experience unlocked. You have killed a creature! Prairie Orc. Experience plus 95! You helped kill a creature! Prairie Orc. Experience plus 70! You have passed level 10 Charisma. Negotiation Level 1 Unlocked. Negotiation Level 1 When sitting down with an adversary or trading partner, you have a better chance to work out an arrangement in your favor. Work deals, negotiate prices, and spin information to increase the level of this skill. You have passed level 10 Intelligence. Arcana Level 1 Unlocked Arcana Level 1 The ¡°metadata¡± of an object. There¡¯s a lot of weird shit out there, like Antique Roadshow on acid. You will find that every object you touch belongs to some guy who lived somewhere that did something. Finding out the history and information of these objects is easier when using the Appraisal Spell. You have reached level 10 Luck. Misfire Level 1 Unlocked Misfire Level 1 Just because you¡¯re stupid doesn¡¯t mean you have to die. Any trap you spring now has a chance to misfire. The text faded as I opened my eyes. I was lying on a blanket in the barn. I had no clue how long I''d been there, but it was pitch dark outside. Through the gaps in the planks, I could see the flicker of a fire, its light dancing faintly in the night. I was in the new body. It felt... like it had during the creation process, normal, but not. It was familiar but absolutely 100% freaky as Hell. The pants and tunic I wore fit fine, but the fabric was scratchy, especially against my skin. I had no undies, so my nipples were keeping score. The barn was dark, yet with my enhanced vision, it might as well have been high noon. The downside? The colors looked washed out like someone had cranked the saturation down to fifty percent. I instinctively rubbed my eyes before remembering. Oh yeah, that¡¯s just how my new ability works. Thanks, brain. I looked around for my old clothes, but they were gone. Completely. Well, except for my Converse. Those were still there. I slipped them on only to discover they were now clown shoes. My stupid tiny feet had gone from a size six to maybe a four and a half. Next to the blanket was a canvas sack about the size of a tall kitchen garbage bag. Whatever was inside? I had no clue, but it was going to be part of this weird new reality. Enhanced Starter Supplies It''s the same old Arial font, just as when I started, with sparkles. The Whisperer¡¯s voice was excited as she read it to me in my head. Place in Storage. I lifted the bag with a grunt. How do I get this into my storage? Just as I was thinking about adding the bag to my inventory, it just added itself, and my hand jerked up sharply with the weight removed. ¡°Okay, how do I- OKAY?¡± I was just about to ask how to examine the contents when they appeared before my field of vision. The inventory system opened up like a spreadsheet. On the left were categories of objects. Apparel, Armor, Weapons, Potions, Food, and a dozen others. Including the sack. My GP, currently three hundred and eleven, was in the lower right-hand corner. The kit supplied me with basic survival gear: ropes, torches, lamps, fishing gear, blankets, flint, etc. There were also a couple of moderately quality vitality, adrenaline, and essence potions. I sifted through the inventory of objects. I just had to think of the item''s name with the intent of holding it, and it appeared in my hand. I was given three weapons: a dagger, a short sword, and a short bow with one hundred arrows. A notice appeared in my vision as I examined each in my inventory. Level 1. It looked like the starter kit included a base of combat skills for a roguish girl like myself. These were non-magical weapons with unremarkable damage capability, but they would give me opportunities to learn to fight. I still had Sick Stick, which was fantastic since it had the debuff and dexterity and strength bonuses. The kit also included a set of leather armor capable of ¡°modest¡± protection. I didn¡¯t see myself running around in heavy plate metal if I was trying to be sneaky; the armor provided no performance bonuses. I also found a small variety of dresses, pants, shoes, stockings, and underwear of various styles. There was even a ¡°fine¡± dress resembling a red velvet medieval cosplay outfit. I found rogue tools of the trade. There were thirty feet of extra light silk rope: a grappling hook, a glass cutter, a prybar, and climbing gloves. There were hoods, robes, soft-soled shoes, and a lighter set of black cloth studded armor, ideal for sneaking around. I also had a set of lock picks. I pulled them out and examined them. There were about a dozen and a half different hooked and grooved tools. To my astonishment, I knew how they worked. Each had a clear and concise purpose, and I understood their functions. The Whisperer said I would be getting a set of basic Rogue skills. It was a good thing since I wouldn¡¯t be kicking down any doors with my pitiful strength any time soon. Back on the inventory screen, I could see a list of equipped items. I unequipped my shoes, and they vanished from my feet with a Vwip! My bare feet sunk into the straw. I selected a pair of soft-soled shoes and equipped them. They appeared on my feet with another Vwip! They buckled precisely. I applied underwear and a bra, which sent a shiver through my body. I took a moment to read over my Character Sheet. It was a ridiculous thing to call it, but it does make sense; at least I understood how magic worked within me because of it. It flowed into my vision, just like something out of D&D with boxes, some corny art, the works. It was intuitive; I could select an individual element, and The Whisperer would explain it to me; I could expand and collapse sections, just like a spreadsheet with a snarky sense of humor. This was how I could view myself in a world of magic: Character Sheet: Regan Summer Half Human, Half Urban Elf Level 1 Height: 4 feet, 8 inches Weight: 85 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 1 Rogue Jobs: 0 Base Attributes: Strength: 5 Dexterity: 8 Spirit: 6 Charisma: 11 Intelligence: 13 Endurance: 7 Luck: 10 Adrenaline Points: 134/134 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 143/143 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 686/686 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills: Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 I clicked on the new skills I got that the Whisperer hadn¡¯t already explain to me already, and she barked in the back of my head a description of each. Each one expanded like a magical power point in my head: Racial Skills: Night Vision: Half Elves can see in low light levels at the cost of color sensitivity. Range of vision: 30 yards in near total darkness. Full daytime vision in a regular night environment at a cost of 50% color perception. Hide in Shadows: Elves are a naturally sneaky bunch. Half Elves, even more so. This racial skill will allow the half-elf to hide in shadows, making them 2x less detectable, so long as they are not moving. This skill is automatic, does not cost AP, and can be stacked with other stealth skills. Internal Navigation: After studying a standard map, half-elves can fully visualize their place on the map and objects and destinations within the scope of the map. Gift of Tongues: Urban elves have lived closely with most other races for thousands of years, and as such, they have gained the ability to communicate verbally with most of them. This gift is also passed to half-urban elves. Half-urban elves can seamlessly speak with any enlightened species with a population center of 5,000 or more. Rogue Class Skills: Back Stab Level 1: 2x damage on unseen attack. Activation: Automatic. Activation time: Instant, Range: Self. Cost 10AP/attack. Stealth Level 1: 3x less detectable in dark, undercover, or outside line of sight. 3x less audible detection. Activation time: 1 second. Range: Self. Cost: 6AP/Second. Enhanced Starter Kit Skills (Rogue): Sleight of Hand (Dexterity/Charisma) Level 1This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The art of misdirection, the tool of the thief and conman, Sleight of Hand is the skill of manipulating objects visually to create an illusion of magic. Surely, a Rogue could find this handy. Lock Picking (Dexterity/Intelligence) Level 1 Locks were put on this world for one reason and one reason only. To keep everyone but you out. The art of tumblers, levers, barrels, and plugs. It all comes together in your mind as you work to dismantle the mechanisms between you and your goals. Pick Pocketing (Dexterity/Charisma) Level 1 A quick hand, a quicker mind, a smile and wink, and a tap on the shoulder. All tools of the Pick Pocket. The craft of removing and even adding objects from and to an unsuspecting person. I¡¯m sure you will only use the skill for good. Enhanced Starter Kit Spells (Rogue): Appraisal Level 1 Allows the person to evaluate any object''s monetary value and magical properties with a moderate degree of success. Activation time: 1 second. Range: Self. Cost: 12 EP Nudge Level 1: Allows a person to apply a slight bit of pressure, equivalent to a gentle nudge, to any creature or object in any direction. Activation time: Instant. Range: 20 feet. Cost: 20 EP It folded up with a flick of my mind, neatly tucked away in my brain somewhere. My vision now had a HUD. There was a map in the corner, some health bars, and virtual buttons to press to access everything. I instinctively knew how to access everything, but right now, my brain was starting to melt slightly¡ªall that magic and new bodies and whatnot. I saw the airplane seat. Sitting in the middle of the barn, I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about it. I cast Nudge on the sleeping hen, and she flopped off, wings fluttering as she complained. With a grunt, I lifted the heavy thing and added it to my storage. I doubted I¡¯d have a use for it, but I could haul it around with me; there didn¡¯t seem to be much sense in just tossing anything away as long as I had space. I looked at the door and sighed. There was a world out there, a big, mean, stinky world with orcs, ogres, elves, and people that looked and dressed like larpers. I didn¡¯t know if I was ready or not. I felt like the new kid at school, about to walk into the junior high building full of the meanest girls in the universe. I sat on my butt. ¡°Crisscross applesauce,¡± I whispered to myself with a little inner giggle. I always said that when I sat cross-legged. I just wanted to give myself a moment. I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. I imagined myself in my room at home, sitting on my bed just like this. I could feel the AC blowing from the vent over my head, chilling the back of my neck. I could hear Dad upstairs, working away in the kitchen as he made one of the five menu items he had planned for dinner this week. Mom was there, too, quietly reading over a file she brought back from the office. I¡¯m not, like, a meditative person or anything. This wasn¡¯t some exercise; I just wanted a tiny slice of time to be the old Regan. ¡°Well, new girl,¡± I whispered out loud in my silly little Elf voice. ¡°You can stay here with the bleating goat, but eventually, that world¡¯s gonna make its way in.¡± I got up, no grunting or moaning. These springy little legs did the job pretty well. I took a deep breath and pushed open the squeaky barn door. The outside world was just as grey and colorless as the dark barn, but the firelight filled the party of mercenaries with rich, vibrant colors. I stepped out delicately. I wasn¡¯t trying to be sneaky; it felt different to me, the world. It was like getting into a swimming pool on the deep end when you were pretty sure you knew how to swim but weren¡¯t quite sure. The crew was sitting around the fire. On the side of it was a small rack of skewered meat and vegetables sizzling quietly. Kev sat next to it and was giving the meat a poke with his knife to check it. He was shirtless, and the fire danced across the hills and valleys of his muscles. He may have been an orc with a bit of a gorilla face, but damn, that body was something, and I found my eyes lingering on his abs and my mind lingering on the bits below. Gem sat on the opposite side, with Jinx in the middle. His robe was gone, and he wore a tunic and pants similar to mine. Gem wore a light dress resembling basic linin with a little blanket around her shoulders. Her tail poked out the back, swaying casually behind the makeshift log slash bench she sat on. Next to the barn, two horses were hitched, and a large wooden wagon stood across the open area beside one of the huts. With my vision, I could see the tree line from here; I could see the buildings, pretty much the entire area, just like I did when the sun was up. The world was grey and washed out, except for the group around the campfire; the light filled the circle of people with vivid Wizard of Oz color in a sea of sepia. I let out a slight cough. To announce myself. I didn¡¯t know how to approach the group. I just stood there, my arms gripping themselves. All sets of eyes turned my way; the reactions were hardly subtle: ¡°Helloooo Nurse!¡± Gem called cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s been a couple of hours. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were coming out or not.¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± Jinx chuckled. ¡°You ain''t the bleedin'' same, that''s for sure!¡± Kev just smiled for a second before realizing he should say something. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Room for one more?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°And you sound different,¡± Kev said. ¡°Yeah, smaller body, smaller voice.¡± ¡°It works,¡± Gem said. ¡°The voice?¡± ¡°The whole thing.¡± Gem was looking me up and down like a predator sizing up prey. I instinctively leaned back. Her eyes were large and expressive, and I found myself pulled into their gaze a little too easily. ¡°So, Yeah,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t hide my self-consciousness, so I just leaned into it. But oh Hell, the sheepishness of my voice only made me sound sillier. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a Half-urban elf now. All the good stuff? None the bad? At least that¡¯s what I was told.¡± I gave a little pose with jazz hands and an uneasy smile. Gem was the closest to me. She stood, offering me her hand. ¡°Have a seat, sweety.¡± I stepped over and took it. ¡°Hello Nurse?¡± We sat next to each other, my shoulder touching her right arm. ¡°Jinx says it a lot when he sees a sexy girl.¡± ¡°For the sake of the god¡¯s Gem,¡± Kev said sternly. ¡°She¡¯s brand new. Ease up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not new.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-six.¡± ¡°For a half-elf, that¡¯s new,¡± Jinx said. ¡°They ain''t usually done growin'' up till they''re thirty or somethin''.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a teenager?¡± ¡°Not exactly. Most ''alf elves come of age at seventeen, same as everyone else, but see, they live a few ''undred years or more, so the body takes a bit o'' time to catch up.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡± I sulked on my log slash bench. ¡°I hated being a teenager.¡± It was a chilly night, like an early autumn night back home. The fire felt perfect. I looked up at the night sky. It was pitch black, but with enhanced eyes, the stars blazed with brilliance I had never seen before. The Milky Way ran from horizon to horizon, so bright I could see waves and waves of distant stars inside it. I recognized the Big and Little Dippers and some of the other constellations from back home. I was kicking myself for not learning more about them. ¡°The sky¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx said. ¡°The moon¡¯s proper different these ¡®ere. It''s, like, massive. Some say there''s folk living up there, but who really knows, eh?¡± He sounded a bit melancholy. ¡°It ain''t risin'' till two nights from now, but it''s gonna be a right sight for yer eyes. But Yeah, the land''s almost the same as it was, but the weather''s all changed up.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would this be just like Earth?¡± ¡°They taught me that there are different versions of Nya in school,¡± Kev said. ¡°Some like yours, with no magic, some with just oceans and no land, all kinds.¡± ¡°Who taught you that?¡± Jinx asked. He had pulled a small ceramic flask out of his robe. ¡°The priests at my school,¡± Kev said, leaning around and reaching for the flask. ¡°Yeah? They got a clue what they''re on about?¡± He took a drag and handed the flask over. ¡°I think so.¡± Kev took the flask and brought it up to his lips. ¡°Church of Xaldes.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Yeah, they probably do, mate. Got that air of know-how about ''em.¡± He took it back and handed it over to me. ¡°What¡¯s Xaldes?¡± I asked. I sniffed at the contents. It smelled smokey, like Scotch, but with a sweetness like honey. I took a sip. It tasted like kettle corn with a touch of salt and smoke. It felt warm and slid gently down my throat. Kev answered. ¡°She¡¯s the Goddess of the sky, the universe, the mechanics of heavens.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right about different worlds, I guess.¡± I handed the flask to Gem. ¡°Where¡¯s that Heather chick?¡± It was just the four of us around the fire. I just realized. ¡°She turned in,¡± Kev said. ¡°She¡¯s not part of the group. We hired the Church of Amania to lend us a healer.¡± ¡°And we got her,¡± Gem said bitterly. She took a swig and handed it back to me. ¡°We aren¡¯t her kind of people.¡± ¡°Not a fan of purity types,¡± I said. ¡°They never really like me all that much back home either.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m interested,¡± Gem looked at me with an impish grin. ¡°Those people give us a hard time where I come from.¡± ¡°Oi, I thought you was from America, love?¡± Jinx said. He slipped the flask back into his pocket. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like it was when you left.¡± ¡°So, what kind of people are you?¡± Gem asked coyly. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± There was a bit of a roadblock there. I don¡¯t have a problem talking about sexuality; it was just easier to type it out on Discord than to speak about it out loud. Gem obviously was into girls; that helped a bit. But I was almost scared to say anything to her. I mean, she was really into girls. ¡°Sort of the bi kind.¡± It came out quietly, almost like a question. ¡°I mean, I like boys and girls, but I¡¯m not all that sexual?¡± Again, it was not easy. ¡°Like touchy and stuff.¡± There was a pause as the group looked at me. Coming out was always a dice roll. It was odd, in any case. The two guys looked at me like I had just told them a joke with no punchline. ¡°That¡¯s a first.¡± Jinx chuckled, looking at me with a goofy grin. I missed the joke, whatever it was. Gem tilted her head and looked at me appraisingly. ¡°Maybe you just haven¡¯t met the right-¡± ¡°Seriously, Gem!¡± Kev interrupted. ¡°Let the girl be.¡± He gave her a stern look. ¡°Besides, we¡¯ve been roughing it for over a week now.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± I asked. ¡°Well,¡± Kev pulled the first of the skewers off the rack. ¡°We¡¯ve been on the road for a week. We all smell and taste like dead rats.¡± ¡°Never stopped me,¡± Gem said. ¡°Or me,¡± Jinx chimed in. Kev smiled. ¡°Me neither.¡± They all chuckled as he passed a skewer around to everyone. I took one and had a bite. The meat tasted gamey but was also tender. I was starving after losing all my food earlier. The vegetables were onion and peppers¡ªclassic kabobs, just like home. A universal constant no matter what world I guessed, I wasn¡¯t sure what the mystery meat was, but it did the trick, and I devoured mine faster than the others and felt full almost immediately. Yeah! Little tummy! The group kept up the banter. I was pretty sure their silly jokes and innuendos were for my benefit. They knew I was scared, and they were trying to keep me occupied. As time passed, we finished our meal and had another round of drinks, the others talking about exploits and ribbing each other. It was that way for a long time, just a circle of friends chatting and having fun. ¡°I¡¯ll take watch,¡± Kev said, finally standing and signaling the end of the night. As was the conversation, the fire was dying down anyway, and someone had to call it. ¡°Spell ya halfway.¡± Jinx got to his feet with a grunt. ¡°Night, love.¡± He said to me. ¡°We ''ad a chat while you were in the barn. You can stick with us as long as ya fancy while we wrap up our little countryside tour. Then we''ll ''talk about what comes next, all right?¡± ¡°All right,¡± I said with a shrug of my shoulders. I didn¡¯t have a choice except to join the group. It would take one orc attack to turn me into pink and red paste. ¡°Yay, team.¡± I gave a little fist bump. ¡°Come on,¡± Gem said when she stood. She offered her hand to me. ¡°Girls in the barn.¡± ¡°Gem?¡± Kev said sternly. ¡°Kev?¡± Gem said in a mocking tone. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna jump your bones,¡± Gem told me, her hand held up like she swore an oath. ¡°Promise.¡± I took her hand and accepted the help off the log, and the two of us went into the barn. Gem pulled the doors shut. ¡°Here,¡± she handed me a clothing bundle out of storage. My clothes from before were folded neatly. ¡°They¡¯re clean.¡± I looked at them, amazed that they weren¡¯t ruined. ¡°I have a laundry bag.¡± She handed them to me. They felt enormous in my hands. ¡°I thought you might like them without nasty orc blood, even if they don¡¯t fit that well anymore.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I took the jeans and underwear into storage and held up the t-shirt. Gem giggled. ¡°Maybe wear it as a nightgown.¡± She turned away from me, giving me a little privacy. I turned around and slipped my bra and tunic into inventory. I pulled my old T-shirt over my head and put it on. It was enormous now, hanging loose on my upper body, almost to my knees. When I turned back, Gem was wearing a rather conservative short-sleeved nightgown. ¡°The boys have the watch.¡± She said quietly. ¡°No need to sleep in armor.¡± She grinned and spun around. I admired her figure. Her arms were muscular, and her breasts pushed up against the thin fabric of her gown. Her nipples pressed out sharply. With enhanced vision, I could see the outline of her body in the dark barn. She was lean, with narrow hips and broad shoulders. Her strong masculine traits now had a nice little feminine twist that I liked quite a bit. Her fur-covered legs were just so alien to me. I didn¡¯t know exactly what to think. ¡°Come on,¡± Gem pulled a blanket out of her inventory. ¡°Lay down, take those leather pants off.¡± She knelt on the blanket that Jinx had given her earlier. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep in leather.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sleep at all,¡± I said, pulling my pants off, suddenly feeling very naked with my weird, renaissance panties. I lay down, and Gem flopped the blanket over both of us. She slipped in next to me onto her back, our shoulders touching. I lay there, tension leaving my body as I closed my eyes. ¡°Not exactly how I expected my day to go.¡± ¡°How did you expect it to go?¡± ¡°Boring. I was just going to land, check into my hotel, and then grab dinner.¡± ¡°This would be different.¡± She bumped against me playfully. ¡°You did get dinner. One out of three pretty much worked out.¡± I laughed. But then, almost instantly, tension released in me. Adrenaline, fear, anxiety, anger, sorrow, everything that was being held back by sheer will exploded inside of me. I started crying¡ªugly crying. As I sobbed, Gem placed an arm over me. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± I breathlessly gasped between sobs. ¡°I don¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± She sat up on her elbow and looked down at me. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be here if you shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°The Whisperer said that this is all random.¡± I was slowing down, the crying easing up. I felt like a stupid toddler just then. ¡°Well, maybe.¡± She smiled down at me. ¡°But there¡¯s more to this world than just chance. My goddess certainly doesn¡¯t leave everything to luck.¡± The eruption was over almost as quickly as it began. Her touch was soothing. And yes, I was full of anxiety, but the contact helped. I didn¡¯t feel as isolated as when I exited the barn. ¡°Who¡¯s your goddess?¡± I asked, inwardly rolling my eyes. I was never sure about god stuff since I¡¯ve never been much of a subscriber. ¡°Dryphine. She is the Goddess of Nature.¡± She smiled and made a small gesture with her free hand. ¡°You may have been randomly plucked from your world, but I know you are here because she willed it.¡± ¡°Be sure to ask her next time you talk to her,¡± I said flatly. ¡°Because right now, I feel like an open scab.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re a half-urban elf, so she may not be your god, but she did deliver you into my life, so I will consider you being here a blessing.¡± She brushed at one of the last tears that ran down my cheek, the rest having already dried up. And followed it up with a little peck. ¡°This is the part where you sleep.¡± She said. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± I did as I was told, settling back onto the ground. Gem mirrored me, lying on her back next to me. She shifted closer, leaning her weight just slightly against me. For a long while, we stayed like that, and neither of us said a word. I tried to let my body relax, but it wasn¡¯t easy. Exhaustion eventually started to win. My mind, however? Still racing. With my eyes shut, I became hyper-aware of everything: the uneven floor of the barn beneath me, the cool night air, and Gem¡¯s steady presence at my side. She fell asleep quickly, her breathing a soft rhythm, like a metronome for the universe. It was oddly soothing. I let its sound guide my breaths, syncing them with its steady pattern. Slowly, the tension in my chest began to ease. ¡°You know,¡± I whispered, my voice barely audible, like I was speaking to the stars themselves, which winked at me through the holes of the crappy barn roof over me. Clarity had washed over me in that fleeting, half-dream state that only happens when you¡¯re teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. ¡°I fucking hate camping.¡± A faint smile tugged at my lips as the words slipped into the night, unnoticed by anyone except me. Then, finally, mercifully, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Chapter Five: Oh, I鈥檓 gonna say it one time: Alfie Thomason. Interlude: The gods notice when the universe shifts, even if it is merely the arrival of one new soul among the multitude. -The Book of Rakbus, God of Destiny
Chapter Five: Oh, I¡¯m gonna say it one time: Alfie Thomason. ¡°Morning,¡± Gem whispered as I awoke. Beams of light showed through the cracks in the barn. She kissed me on the lips. Not what I was expecting. I guess the Mercenary Guild hadn¡¯t gotten the memo from HR about boundaries. I gasped and my stomach gave a little leap. Oh boy. I was overwhelmed by her scent as she leaned in over me, too. And yes, it was a little stale from being on the road, but it was also sweet and feminine, and there was a little of that animal musk that made me blink a little when I breathed it in. She had a touch of morning breath, unfortunately. I made a quick mental note to check my starter kit for a toothbrush. ¡°Good morning.¡± I smiled at her. I leaned up and stretched. My weird, tiny body popped and cracked as any would after waking. ¡°What time is it?¡± I said with a yawn. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Gem sat up. ¡°Jinx did say you rifters were obsessed with time.¡± ¡°No clocks here?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t use them. Not much point unless you have someplace to be.¡± She smiled and got up, equipping her leather armor and boots. I admired her figure in the form-fitting gear and especially enjoyed the view from behind. Her tail swayed lazily as she turned around. I found myself doing that with her and Kev. My new eyes did enjoy the look of a nice body. ¡°So, what are we doing today?¡± ¡°We are heading toward Wood Cut. It¡¯s the village a half a day into the woods.¡± She helped me to my feet. ¡°We¡¯re gonna get resupplied, pick up a couple of quests, and hopefully a bath.¡± ¡°Are we going to return that axe at some point?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Gem said. ¡°Any Guildhall will accept it and pay out the reward, but I don¡¯t think Wood Cut is big enough to have one.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just keep it?¡± ¡°You saw what that thing¡¯s like,¡± Gem said. ¡°It¡¯s enormously powerful; a zero-level person like you managed to kill one and a half orcs with it without breaking a sweat. It¡¯s a family heirloom that a very rich dwarven family will want back.¡± ¡°You know I would have killed that second orc without your help.¡± She winked at me. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll never know for sure, will we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we could just ditch the reward and just sell it?¡± ¡°Nobody would buy it. And it¡¯s way too hot to fence. Besides, none of us are rogues anyway.¡± ¡°Um, kind of am.¡± ¡°No shit?¡± she said, a look of surprise. ¡°Level one,¡± I said with what I hoped was a dashing grin. I equipped my own armor and boots; unlike the others, mine were dark brown, almost black. Better stealth, I guessed. I went on to equip my belt with Sick Stick. ¡°It seemed like a good class to start with. It plays to my strengths.¡± ¡°You have a null space?¡± Gem said, her eyes were wide. ¡°Yeah. You do too, right?¡± ¡°No, Most of us use devices.¡± Gem held up her hand, displaying a gold ring on her index finger. ¡°They¡¯re really expensive. Most of us have to save up for a couple of years before we can afford one. You¡¯re lucky. She rubbed her ring with her finger. ¡°And, of course, someone can steal it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rifter thing, I guess. I got a couple of random bumps to get started; I got this and a starter kit.¡± I really wanted the pet monkey too. I almost added out loud. Outside, the fire had mostly burned down to embers, but it still threw off plenty of heat. Kev had a skillet perched on top, with the sizzle of meat filling the air. Nearby, five plates sat on a blanket, each loaded with eggs and a slice of bread. Kev, the picture of rugged orcness, was shirtless and barefoot, his skin catching the morning light in a way that was hard not to admire. Heather was by the cart, leaning on her staff with one hand and holding a small book open in the other. She didn¡¯t even glance up as we walked out, clearly locked in an epic battle of ignoring everyone within a ten-foot radius. I decided not to take it personally. Jinx, back in his trusty blue robe, grunted as he hauled bundles off the ground and loaded them into the cart. He looked like a magical pack mule, minus the enthusiasm. ¡°We want to add you to our party.¡± He gasped after dropping the last, pillow sized bag into the cart. ¡°That way we can share experience and rewards.¡± ¡°What exactly are we doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all here to gain experience,¡± Gem said. ¡°We hit the outer villages in the county and pick up quests.¡± ¡°I¡¯s a three-week tour.¡± Jinx said. ¡°I gather up crews in Ironstone, then we ''ead out to nab some gold and XP.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t go for anything too far over our levels,¡± Kev said. ¡°Jinx has the expertise to help us find the right quests that are just challenging enough to help us gain without getting us killed.¡± ¡°For a cut,¡± Jinx said with a smile. ¡°Part of which I am now sacrificing to bring you on.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to pull my weight.¡± ¡°Well, you showed us you can ''andle yourself, even if ya don''t ''ave any experience. You moved on two orcs yesterday. One of which, ya didn''t need to. That says somethin''.¡± JINX HAS SENT YOU A PARTY INVITATION DO YOU ACCEPT? The words appeared in my vision, read to me by The Whisperer in her usual over the top enthusiasm. I was still trying to get used to having a different voice in my head. I mentally accepted the invitation. A small line appeared at the bottom left of my vision: Party. Each member was listed underneath, along with the word Chat. I mentally clicked on it and wondered. Can we chat with each other? Jinx: Yes we can, love. His voice echoed through my mind as the words appeared. And just like that, I was getting more voices echoing around inside my brain. Regan: What¡¯s the range on this? Jinx: A ¡®alf mile or so. I shrugged and smiled. Cool stuff. Hands free, voice free texting was the stuff of legends from back home. ¡°I¡¯m not healing her,¡± Heather called out to the group, bound and determined to kill the mood. ¡°The hells you aren¡¯t!¡± Kev bellowed as we all turned towards her. She stood up straight, her staff at her side as she faced the orc. ¡°You contracted with the temple to heal three mercenaries on this trip. I¡¯m not healing a fourth.¡± ¡°We will pay the extra fee for the extra healing.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Heather said snobbishly, returning to her book like she forgot he was there. ¡°I¡¯m not authorized to negotiate on behalf of the temple or church.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a piece.¡± Said Gem. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to come in the first place, and rifters are problematic in the eyes of the church.¡± ¡°Bullshite,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Amania don''t ''ave a problem with rifters or anybody else.¡± Heather held up her little book to the group. ¡°All of those born to this world will know the grace of Amania. The penitent person that loses their way will know it again.¡± She tilted her head to the side and smiled at them. ¡°Rifters aren¡¯t born of this world.¡± Her words were laced with loathing. She went back to reading her book, a smug look on her face. ¡°Not healing her.¡± She sang quietly. ¡°Nice.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see some familiar shit from home here.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t over,¡± Kev said. ¡°The church will hear about this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said. ¡°These purity types are usually the ones who get knocked up in tenth grade by some asshole that looks just like their daddy.¡± ¡°You can fuckin¡¯ walk then,¡± Jinx growled, shoving the last bag into the cart with a scowl. The meat was ready after a couple of moments, and Kev dished the plates. He and Gem handed them around. Heather took hers without looking up or acknowledging. The meat was salty and tender, I mixed it with egg yolk and ate heartily. Then, I sopped the remaining juices with the bread and was soon full again. I pulled a cask of water from my inventory to rinse it down. Yuk! It tasted like a shoe. The others finished breakfast quickly and quietly since things were tense thanks to the Priestess of Purity. Kev took the dishes, and they disappeared into his storage. Everyone started moving to gather up what was left, and Jinx cast a spell that quashed what was left of the fire. ¡°It¡¯s too bad,¡± Kev said, pulling the barn door open. ¡°This looked like a nice place.¡± He gazed at the field beyond. ¡°Apart from the orcs,¡± I said. ¡°Prairie Orcs don¡¯t build huts and barns. They don¡¯t keep animals.¡± The realization hit me. ¡°Oh...Oh shit.¡± He looked down at me and smiled. ¡°And before you ask, yes, I really am an orc. I¡¯m from Uston, It¡¯s way north of here. I¡¯m the youngest son of a shipbuilder. Rather than go into the family business, I was given my inheritance and sent off to make my way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay with that.?¡± ¡°I have two older brothers. They can fight over the business if they want.¡± He looked out, over the field and sighed. ¡°I just wanted to see the world. I worked my way down to Ironstone, and met up with Jinx at the Guild, and here we are.¡± ¡°See much of it yet?¡± ¡°Some,¡± he smiled at me. ¡°Enough to want more.¡± The party climbed into the wagon after Jinx hitched it to the horses. In the back, the sacks he tossed in, and a pile of straw, made it dusty, but comfortable. The wagon had once been painted white, though most of that had long since chipped away. Kev took the reins, with Gem seated beside him on the bench. I hopped in next to Jinx, settling in. Heather walked behind, using her staff as a walking stick, and I noticed for the first time that she was barefoot. ¡°She¡¯s really going to walk then?¡± I asked Jinx after we started rolling toward the road. ¡°She sures as ''ell is,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It¡¯s not in the bleedin'' contract that we provide transportation, only that we feed and protect ''er. She¡¯s not about to throw a fuss about it since she¡¯s bein'' a right cunt about it.¡± We reached the road and turned left, away from the direction I was running in during my escape the day before. ¡°Tell me about the tour then.¡± ¡°We left Ironstone a week ago,¡± Jinx said, pulling a map out and unrolling it in front of me. MAP ADDED: GRAY ANVIL COUNTY The notification appeared as I looked at the map, and the tiny map in the corner of my vision instantly updated with the information. Very cool. ¡°We took the Imperial Highway southeast.¡± He pointed at the winding road south of the marked city. ¡°Here''s Gray Anvil Keep, where we picked up the quest for the axe. That was a day¡¯s travel, since then, we¡¯ve been followin'' the highway, stoppin'' by each ¡®o the villages to look for quests or bounties.¡± He pointed at a part of the map, about halfway down. ¡°Here¡¯s where we are now, outside Wood Cut about ''alf a day or so. We¡¯ll look for some work there, and then start ''eadin'' west at the crossroads.¡± ¡°Imperial Highway?¡± ¡°We are in the Rawen Kingdom.¡± Jinx said ¡°It¡¯s a Dwarf kingdom, that¡¯s why it ''as all these bleedin'' weird names. Dwarfs like makin'' stuff, so all the names sound like craftin'' materials or tools.¡± He gestured at the road as we turned onto it. ¡°This ''ere''s one of the highways built by The Sovell Empire.¡± ¡°How big is the Sovell Empire?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in what would be Europe back on Earth, love.¡± Jinx Said. ¡°The Sovell Empire, it runs most Western Europe to Greece or so. We''re somewhere in Central Hungary, near Budapest. It''s proper sizable, got about twenty kingdoms and nations.¡± ¡°So, what level are you?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Jinx said. ¡°I''m level twenty, right? My Mage class? That''s level ten. Got a Fire Wizard Job sittin¡¯ at level six, and a Lightning Wizard job at level nine. Plus, I got an Alchemy Job.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a rogue, level one.¡± Jinx chuckled. ¡°You won''t be able to join the Mercenary Guild as a rogue, love. But that''s alright. When we get to Ironstone, I''ll steer you over to my mate. ''E''ll help you train up proper.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they allow rogues?¡± ¡°Most of the work the Guild does is straight forward,¡± He rolled up the map and put it away. ¡°They¡¯re also a bit old fashioned, and don¡¯t go for the tactics that rogues use to get the job done.¡± ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t pick wrong.¡± ¡°You didn''t. We bring loads of rogues on quests; they just can''t get one from the Guild is all. The Union¡¯ll be givin'' you jobs, and that''s who we turn to add a one to our crew.¡± ¡°The Union?¡± ¡°Tha¡¯s wat they call ¡®emselves.¡± As we rode on, Jinx talked about London in the nineties, and growing up in a rough neighborhood. He had an absentee father and alcoholic mother and was a school dropout before being pulled away at the age of nineteen. Now, he was a something called a Moon Elf. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said mournfully, running his hand over his bald head. ¡°Used to play in a grunge band, back in the day. Had the most amazin¡¯ mane o¡¯ ¡¯air, I did. But still, since I came here,¡± his mood picked up instantly. ¡°I''ve made a bleedin'' good life for meself, love. I put together crews and go out explorin'' the countryside, earnin'' a pile o¡¯ gold in the process. Got a place in Ironstone, but I''ll eventually move south, by the shore, and find a quiet village to settle down.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really coming from someplace, bad, or interesting.¡± I said. ¡°Twenty-six years in, and zero sum.¡± ¡°Watcha mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gone from Earth, and about all I left behind was a pile of laundry.¡± ¡°Copy tha¡¯.¡± Jinx said bitterly. ¡°I came this way thinkin'' I was bleedin'' dead, like I was struck by lightning or somethin''. But I didn''t start livin'' till I came to Nya.¡± ¡°It does feel like something like an afterlife.¡± ¡°Somthin¡¯ like that.¡± Jinx¡¯s face turned a little dark. ¡°Nya¡¯s ain¡¯t no paradise though.¡± ¡°I suppose not, neither was Earth.¡± ¡°Yeah, but all the bleedin'' crazy make-believe shite that you made up on Earth, ''ere it''s real. There''re monsters, demons, devils, and all kinds of nasties.¡± He looked at me, with intensity in his eyes. ¡°There''s all the war and genocide and all the rotten stuff Earth ''as too.¡± ¡°So why is this place so great?¡± ¡°Because unlike Earth, ''ere, people like you and me can rise. Little Regan Moon, the ''alf elf Rogue from Denver, and Jinx the Moon Elf Wizard from Hackney. No one¡¯s gonna tell us what we can ¡®r can¡¯t do.¡± He gestured around us. ¡°Every person ''ere ''as the potential for greatness. Most people born ''ere don''t understand, but those of us who got pulled into this world get it.¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to settle down, someplace quiet by the sea.¡± ¡°Someday, love.¡± Jinx said, looking at the road in front of us. ¡°I ''ave a lot more places to see first.¡± The Imperial Highway shifted from rocky hills to the dense forest I¡¯d thought about escaping into just the day before. By mid-afternoon, the banners of Wood Cut finally came into view. The wagon rattled its way over the White River via a rickety covered bridge that sounded one splinter away from disaster, before rolling to a stop in front of the gates. Wood Cut was surrounded by a solid wooden wall, twelve to fifteen feet high and all business. The guardhouse outside was packed with dwarven men¡ªstout, hairy, and built like walls themselves. They wore heavy plate armor, carried spears, and stern looks. Beneath their helmets and thick beards, their faces were broad and surprisingly expressive, as if someone had hit the ¡°amplify emotions¡± button. I realized they were about my height. give or take, but twice as wide, all muscle and raw physicality. And that¡¯s when I felt¡­ something. Their rugged strength, the thick arms, the unshakeable presence it was, well, appealing. Which was confusing. I wasn¡¯t used to finding hairy, boulder-shaped dudes attractive. Yet, there was something about the way they carried themselves, all solid and grounded, that gently tugged down there. Like it was wanting to say something. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to voice it in my head. Was it admiration? Attraction? Intrigue? My thoughts kept swirling in awkward circles, unable to land on an answer. All I knew was that the sight of these dwarves stirred something in me I couldn¡¯t quite pin down. That¡¯s new. I thought. ¡°Oy there,¡± one of them said. ¡°State yer business at Wood Cut, or be on yer way!¡± It was an accent that was maybe sort of Scottish. Not really sure, since I wasn¡¯t much of an expert, but it was fun to listen to. ¡°Guild Mercenaries looking for trade, quests, and accommodations,¡± said Kev. ¡°There''s no Guildhall here, mercenary. There is a board though in the inn if ye are lookin'' for work, so I reckon you''ll find some of wha¡¯ ya need at the Iron Hammer. If you want tradin¡¯, mind Kettlebottom¡¯s he¡¯ll rob ya blind. I¡¯d go down ta Graybrow¡¯s. Hetmat Graybrow, e¡¯ll treat ya fair.¡± ¡°Iron Hammer it is then,¡± said Kev. He ushered the horses on with the click and snap of the reins. The guards stepped aside and waved him through. Heather the priestess followed the wagon with a sour look on her face. At least it seemed like a sour look. I wasn¡¯t sure at this point or not if she didn¡¯t look that way all the time. Just inside the wooden walls of the town, the local stable was set up, with hands ready to take the reins from any visitor. A younger male dwarf, a teenager probably. Helped Gem down from the front bench as the party got out of the wagon. Another ran up and started unhitching the horses. ¡°Steady on,¡± Jinx said. Tossing what looked like a silver coin to the second teenager. ¡°Feed ¡®m and make sure our gear is looked after.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± the teenager said, catching the coin. ¡°Will you be needing them the rest of the day?¡± ¡°¡¯haps not.¡± Jinx said. ¡°Point us to the Iron ¡®ammer.¡± ¡°Up the stree¡¯¡± the teen said. ¡°ta the left.¡± The party fell in line, Jinx and Kev leading the way, then Gem and myself, followed by Heather. The town was neat and tidy. Tall houses made of wood and steep shingle roofs with shutters lined the gravel street as we made our way up. Once we were past the gate and guards, I saw that the town was made up of more than dwarves. Elves were here, along with humans and other smaller races. I was dealing with a huge knowledge gap as to who was who. It reminded me of an old German town with pretty trim and fancy bits around the windows and eaves. In the distance, beyond the streets was a large mill, smoke rising from a chimney about three stories high. ¡°Let me guess,¡± I said to Gem with a nod ahead. ¡°Sawmill?¡± ¡°The town is called Wood Cut.¡± Gem replied softly. ¡°And they¡¯re dwarves, so yeah.¡± ¡°Not to creative with the names, are they?¡± Gem giggled quietly. ¡°Dwarves are some of the most industrious people in the Empire. But they don¡¯t waste much energy naming things.¡± The dimensions of the town were disorienting. The buildings were proportional to what I was used to, but as I got closer, I realized the doors and windows were lower, not by too much. The Dwarves were just a hair shorter than I was on average, but since they were the architects of the town, it was built to fit the comfort of its primary inhabitants, which suited me just fine. But if he wasn¡¯t careful, Kev would be getting headaches. ¡°Here,¡± Gem said, pressing a small pouch into my hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need any money.¡± I tried handing it back. I was already feeling somewhat indebted at this point, and didn¡¯t like the idea of money getting involved. ¡°It¡¯s about two GP worth of silver and copper. Use it to buy cheap stuff.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I hooked it on my belt. ¡°All I have is gold. I¡¯ll pay you back later.¡± We reached the Iron Hammer. The sign was, of course, literally a large iron hammer hanging over the door. Heather found a bench out front and sat down with her book. The rest of the party filed in, but I held back. It was a busy street, but many of the passersby took notice of the priestess. ¡°Hey,¡± I said to Heather. ¡°What do you want?¡± She said, not looking up. ¡°Nothing, really. I just wanted to see if you¡¯re all right.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°Because you just walked half a day behind stinky horses and breathing in road dust. Come inside and have a drink.¡± ¡°If I wanted a drink, I would get one.¡± ¡°Bless your heart,¡± I said with a bitter smile and entered the Inn. The Iron Hammer was everything I imagined a fantasy world inn would be. The dining room was dominated by four long communal tables in the center, flanked by smaller, party-sized tables scattered around the edges. Along the far wall stretched a long bar, with a doorway disappearing off to the left. Three tenders manned the bar while several dwarven waitresses, or were they called wenches here? bustled between tables, expertly navigating the midday crowd. The room looked to be around eighty percent capacity. At least, that was my best guess. What hit me hardest, though, was the smell. It was a chaotic blend of stale beer, vinegar, cooking meat, and smoky firewood, all blended into an almost overwhelming aroma. A haze of smoke was up in the rafters, fed by the patrons'' pipes. Spherical lanterns dangled from the cross beams on thin chains, casting the room in a soft golden light. ¡°Grab us a table.¡± Jinx said. He marched through the room towards the bar. The rest of us shuffled along the outskirts of the room before finding an empty table along the right-hand wall. I sat beside Gem while Kev claimed a seat facing the door. The crowd was a mix of the same three races I saw outside, grouped in clusters or sitting alone. On the wall adjacent to the bar hung an enormous bulletin board, easily ten feet long, covered in paper notices. As I sat, my phone instinctively slipped from storage into my right hand, hidden under the table. It took me a second to realize how pointless it was. Back home, my phone had been an extension of me, always within reach, always in use. I slept with it next to my bed, took it into the bathroom, and pulled it out automatically every time I sat down. But here? There was no one to text or call. TikTok was not around, nor was Instagram or anything else I used to keep my mind occupied. It was nothing more than a dead weight. An artifact. I sighed, thinking back to the wagon ride earlier. I¡¯d spent hours chatting with an elf from London, staring at the lazy sway of trees as the horses pulled us along. I¡¯d felt the sun and shade shift across my skin, heard the wheels crunching against the dirt road, the rhythmic clopping of hooves. And not once had I thought to pull out my phone. Back on Earth, everything was a blur of digital distractions. Phones connected us, sure, but they also built walls, isolating us in the middle of crowded rooms. They were like blinders, blocking the real world out while we stared at tiny screens. I sighed again, slipping the phone back into my inventory. I didn¡¯t need it anymore. My face burned as I glanced around. Nobody saw me with the strange device in my hand. I didn¡¯t think it would be a good thing to try to explain to a room of otherworldly people.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m not used to the pace here.¡± I said to no one in particular. Gem raised her eyebrows at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Back home, we just rush everywhere. I was going on a six-hundred-mile trip, and it would have only taken me ninety minutes or so.¡± ¡°Wow. It must be nice.¡± ¡°Depends,¡± I sighed. ¡°If you actually want to go to the place you''re headed.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°How safe is it to travel around here? I mean, the orcs were pretty terrifying, but we haven¡¯t seen anything since then.¡± ¡°The highway is a safe place to journey,¡± Kev said. ¡°The legion regularly patrols it, and the Mercenary Guild helps keep the monsters back.¡± ¡°You get off the Imperial Highway however,¡± Gem started. ¡°It can get pretty dangerous. There¡¯s bandits and raiders, and the wildlife can be a problem.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sticking to the highway.¡± Kev said. ¡°We don¡¯t have a strong enough party to rough it.¡± ¡°Good day, dearies,¡± the waitress said as she approached our table, her voice warm and lilting. ¡°Will ye be havin'' drinks and lunch today?¡± I froze for a second, caught completely off guard. I¡¯d never seen a dwarven woman before, and she was¡­ something else. Like the men, she was stout, sure, but where they were all broad muscle and bristling beards, she was¡­ buxom. Very buxom. She wore a low-cut cotton dress with a red corset that cinched her waist and, uh, emphasized her cleavage in a way that was both impossible to miss and frankly a delight to admire. Her curly brown hair was pulled back under a red kerchief, framing her large, soft features that somehow managed to be both maternal and ridiculously sexy. I had a serious problem looking away. My brain felt like it had been thrown into a blender. This wasn¡¯t my type, right? Definitely not my type. And yet¡­ something about her confidence, her curves, the earthy strength she radiated¡­Oh yeah, it was doing things to me. Confusing things. I mean, was I... kind of getting turned on by dwarves? Apparently, I was. This is a thing. I thought, as I tore my gaze away from her body. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Said Kev, his voice rising over the noise of the crowded room. It pushed me out of my twisty train of thought. The world, it seems, just keeps racing on, even as my stupid little brain keeps pumping the brakes. He dropped a small handful of copper coins on the table. ¡°What¡¯s for lunch?¡± ¡°Goat stew with potatoes and leeks.¡± She said swiping up the coins. ¡°Wine, mead or ale?¡± ¡°Ale for me,¡± Kev said. ¡°And also, for our friend.¡± He pointed up a Jinx. ¡°Mead for us,¡± Gem said, pointing at me. I was about to protest, craving a big glass of wine. ¡°¡¯K dearies,¡± the waitress said with a smile and moved on to the next table. ¡°Don¡¯t ever order wine at one of these small village places,¡± Gem whispered. ¡°Piss tastes better.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± I whispered to her, watching the hypnotic back end of the waitress as she walked away. ¡°Do they call them waitresses or wenches here?¡± ¡°People that serve the tables are called wenches if they¡¯re girls,¡± she whispered back, her eyes now on the spot I was watching. ¡°or swains for boys.¡± ¡°Wenches and swains. Got it.¡± ¡°Oy there,¡± Jinx said. He arrived at the table right after the bowls of stew, a platter of bread, and drinks. He was gripping a couple of pieces of parchment. ¡°Not much on the boards ''ere, mates, but I got a couple of promisin'' lookin'' quests that we can take.¡± ¡°What do you have?¡± Kev asked, sipping his ale. The drinks were in pint-sized wooden mugs, and the stew was in matching wooden bowls. ¡°We ''ave a cluster of chagkraaws that are bitin'' into the local farmer¡¯s crop to the west. Not much in the way of gold, but it''ll ''elp with some monster experience, ya know.¡± He dropped the parchment piece down. ¡°It¡¯s Guild sponsored, so we''ll get an instant payout too, mates.¡± He held up the other one. ¡°This next one is a bit trickier. We need to ''ead over to Longhorn Castle. The notice says quest is comin'' from Duke Yarnaen Longhorn ''imself. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a bounty, so the pay should be good.¡± ¡°We were going to stay in the county,¡± Gem said. ¡°What¡¯s the difficulty?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say,¡± Jinx said. ¡°But we¡¯re four strong now. So, I reckon we can see what ''e ''as to offer and decide if we can risk it.¡± ¡°I like it,¡± Gem said. ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± said Kev. The group turned to me. I had a bite of goat meat in my mouth, and I was chewing on it. ¡°What?¡± It was not ladylike, to say the least. ¡°You in or out, love?¡± Jinx said. ¡°You¡¯re in the party now, you got a say.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said. I chewed aggressively and swallowed it a little too fast, leading to even more undignified hacking as I swallowed a mouthful of ale to rinse it down. ¡°I have no idea what a chagkraaw is, or who Duke Yarnaen Longhorn is, so I¡¯m gonna have to defer to the rest of you on these.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Jinx said. He pulled a ring from his storage and pressed it to each parchment paper on the table. And they glowed in turn. The Whisperer read the summary to me: PARTY QUEST CHAGKRAAW HUNT Chagkraaws are venturing into the fields of Grey Anvil and eating the crops. Eliminate the creatures and their brood mother to rid the farmers of the pestilence. REWARD:
  1. 500GP
  2. VARIOUS XP
PARTY QUEST YARNAEN LONGHORN MISSION Journey to Castle Longhorn and speak to its master to earn a quest. REWARD:
  1. NEW QUEST
¡°So. The Longhorn quest is not a Guild quest?¡± ¡°No, Love,¡± Jinx said, sitting down. ¡°He probably wants to keep the details of the quest private.¡± Said Gem. ¡°So, the Guild¡¯s a public entity then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s private. But quests are publicly posted and must be sanctioned by the local government, so it¡¯s all public knowledge.¡± ¡°Is taking a private quest like this a great idea?¡± ¡°Like I said, love,¡± Jinx sipped his ale. ¡°The pay¡¯s good, and secrets always come at a premium price.¡± ¡°As long as the secret isn¡¯t worth more than four mercenaries,¡± I said gloomily. The whole thing seemed a bit suspicious to me. But being new to Murder World, I had to trust the group. None of them seemed concerned. ¡°Whoa,¡± Kev said. ¡°You sure you just arrived from another world? You sound like you¡¯ve been at this game for a long time.¡± He chuckled and started in on his soup. ¡°Strike out tomorrow morning, then?¡± Jinx asked, holding up his mug. ¡°Aye,¡± Kev and Gem said, clacking their mugs to his. ¡°Aye,¡± I echoed, joining them. We all took a sip and resumed lunch. Chatting quietly for the next hour or so. After lunch, we each handed Jinx two SP to pay for rooms. I left the inn with Gem and Kev. Heather was still sitting on her bench when we emerged. She had somehow gotten her hands on a cup of ale and an apple. The remains of which were on the bench next to her. ¡°We¡¯re going to the shops for some supplies,¡± I said. ¡°You want to join us?¡± ¡°I have everything I need,¡± she said. ¡°The church supplies it.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°I thought you might like some company.¡± ¡°I definitely don¡¯t need any of that.¡± ¡°Why even bother with her?¡± Gem asked as we headed up the street. ¡°Part of its entertainment value,¡± I smiled back at the priestess. ¡°It¡¯s also not the kind of energy I want to be matching, so yeah.¡± Kettlebottom¡¯s was only two doors down from the inn. I paused by the door. The others took two more steps before they realized I had stopped. ¡°You¡¯re going in there?¡± asked Kev. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The guard.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Gem said. ¡°He said Kettlebottom¡¯s would rob us blind.¡± ¡°And you believe some random asshole? Graybrow¡¯s probably pays him a commission. He¡¯ll first ask how you found out about his shop.¡± I stepped up to them, smiling, my hand out to shake. ¡°I¡¯ll put a silver on it.¡± The door to Kettlebottom¡¯s closed behind me with a soft chime from the bell overhead. The shop was larger than I expected, about fifteen feet across and twelve deep, and packed with all the essentials of a fantasy world, or so I assumed. Sealed crates and barrels were stacked neatly along the walls, along with saddles, sacks of grain, bolts of fabric, and other odds and ends I couldn¡¯t begin to identify. The sales counter stretched across three-quarters of the back wall, with a closed door behind it. Shelves above and beside the counter were crammed with smaller items: pots, pans, ropes, lanterns, torches, and weapons in all shapes and sizes. Rows of tiny, bottled potions, each about the size of a tube of lipstick, lined the shelves like a miniature apothecary. The outside noise was muffled here, leaving the room comfortably quiet. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± came a crisp voice from behind the counter. The speaker was a tiny man standing in front of an open book. He was bald, with a silver beard but no mustache, and he wore a green tunic with a broad yellow collar that draped over his shoulders. The tunic was embroidered with bright, curly patterns that danced across his chest. I¡¯d seen others like him outside; he was about the size of a ten-year-old but taller than the rest of his kind. Not that I had any room to judge; at my height, I wasn¡¯t exactly towering over anyone. His voice was high-pitched and clipped, probably thanks to his skinny, sharp nose, which gave him a perpetually inquisitive look. Perched at the end of that nose was a pair of half-moon spectacles, completing the picture of a fantasy world shopkeeper who probably knew exactly what you needed before you even walked through the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to answer any questions you have?¡± ¡°Mr. Kettlebottom, I presume?¡± I asked as I walked up to the counter. ¡°Not to a debt or tax collector.¡± He said with a kind smile. He slipped a leather bookmark in the pages and flipped the book shut. Upon reaching the counter, I realized a raised platform was behind it that elevated him above my eye level. ¡°But to a beautiful girl such as yourself, guilty as charged.¡± ¡°The village guard didn¡¯t recommend your shop very highly.¡± ¡°If I flipped him more coppers than my friend Hetmat does, he would be singing my praises just as much,¡± Kettlebottom said dryly. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t take long for wise people to see my shop has the best selection and deals in Wood Cut.¡± ¡°I was wondering,¡± I asked, ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Monjist,¡± Kettlebottom replied. ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You sure you¡¯re not a tax collector?¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°No,¡± I raised my shoulder and smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m pretty new here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious. Monjist is across the Tirus Sea. I immigrated to the Empire fifty years ago and settled here twenty-three years ago.¡± ¡°Is it nice here?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kettlebottom replied with a smile. ¡°Dwarves aren¡¯t like many of the other enlightened races. Begging your pardon, but Elves, Humans, and even my own kind often look down their noses at others. Dwarves don¡¯t. Oh, they can be greedy, grumpy, and just as dishonest as anyone else when it suits them, but they judge folk by what they do, not by what they are. So, I¡¯ve found a nice home here.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re a?¡± ¡°Gnome. Monjist is a Gnomish kingdom, but it¡¯s very troubled. I prefer a quiet life where I can read my books and sell my wares.¡± ¡°Sounds nice.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t pry too much,¡± said Kettlebottom. ¡°But I wager a copper you¡¯re a rifter.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be a copper richer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky you landed where you did. Like I said, dwarves are very accepting, and so is the Empire for the most part, but your kind aren¡¯t welcome everywhere.¡± ¡°I already got an earful from someone.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure it out, but try to keep that information to yourself when traveling, even around here. The local Imperial Magistrate will need to get you registered, but the information is kept confidential. As time goes by, you¡¯ll be a little less green and will blend in better.¡± ¡°Um, I have to register? With the Empire?¡± ¡°Of course you do,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to travel and work, you must have residency established. The Empire is civil enough to allow that.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about that. Thanks for the advice.¡± ¡°Advice is free; my wares are not.¡± He straightened up. ¡°Are you here to buy or sell?¡± ¡°Bit of both.¡± I pulled out the dagger I received in the starter kit and set it on the counter. ¡°I have a bunch of iron-tipped arrows; I wanted to get some other kinds that might be a bit better.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Kettlebottm picked up the dagger and inspected it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing remarkable, but it¡¯s good quality and looks brand new. You don¡¯t see many newly forged small arms around here, even in a dwarven village.¡± He paused for a moment to think. ¡°I have a dozen steel arrows and a dozen obsidian arrows. Obsidian is more effective against magical creatures and items if that is what you are after.¡± He placed the dagger down on the counter. ¡°I would pay four SP for the dagger, steel arrows are three SP a dozen, and the obsidians are six SP per dozen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trade you the dagger plus four SP for them,¡± I said firmly, puffing up my chest. ¡°Sounds acceptable.¡± Kettlebottom produced two bundles of arrows and set them on the counter. ¡°Is there anything else you would like?¡± I tucked all my new items into storage, taking a moment to organize my inventory. The arrows went in first, followed by three potions of minor healing and one major healing potion, one hundred, twenty GP well spent. Given that I couldn¡¯t count on Heather to patch me up if I got hurt, extra healing supplies felt like a necessity. I also splurged on an enchanted ring that added plus one to Strength. When I mentioned having a personal null space, the gnome strongly suggested an enchanted decoy ring to thwart would-be thieves. ¡°If you find yourself at the mercy of criminals, it would be best to make them believe you have your items in a storage device. Best to lose the ring then have them extract your belongings through more¡­brutal means.¡± I shuddered at his advice but took it. ¡°Storage items have protections,¡± he explained, ¡°Most ruffians on the road won¡¯t have a ritualist on hand to crack them and likely won¡¯t know what kind of ring it is.¡± The last extravagant purchase was a mage lamp. Unlike my lantern, I could use a control rod, basically a metallic magic wand, to channel EP into the thing, and the stone would glow like a lightbulb. He suggested it because even with elven vision, I would be blind in total darkness. I managed to negotiate him down by 20 GP on the deal, promising to send new customers his way. Not bad for a shopping trip. The Whisperer was right on it. NEW QUEST CUSTOMER REFERRAL You have been given a quest from Kettlebottom to bring in new customers. Rewards:
  1. 15 XP
  2. Good Customer Discount at Kettlebottom¡¯s. The more customers, the higher the discount.
ACCEPT QUEST? The bell rang just as I accepted the quest and turned from the counter. Kev and Gem walked in. Both looked annoyed. I paused, turned, and faced Kettlebottom, giving him a slight bow and a wink. QUEST COMPLETE CUSTOMER REFERRAL You have brought new customers into Kettlebottom¡¯s Rewards:
  1. 15 XP
  2. Good Customer Discount at Kettlebottom¡¯s.
¡°As good as my word.¡± He returned the smile and nodded before straightening up behind the counter, ready for his two new customers. I skipped over to Gem and Kev, holding out my hand. ¡°Silver,¡± I sang sweetly to them. I returned to the Iron Hammer, finding Jinx at the bar, chatting with another traveler. He was arguing with the guy about politics or crime. I wasn¡¯t up on stuff happening on Earth, much less around here. It finally ended when I tapped him lightly on the shoulder. His face was red from a bit too much ale. I filled him in on what Kettlebottom had told me, and the barkeeper confirmed it before spitting on the floor. Not a fan of the local magistrate, I guessed. Jinx grumpily agreed to go to the village hall with me to meet with him. He then bombarded me with advice, criticisms of the empire, and authority in general. I think he might have thrown in something about the commercialization of Rock and Roll music. ¡°Alcohol definitely greases the vocal cords,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Wa was that?¡± he barked, verbally stumbling out of his rant. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Imperial fucking Magistrate.¡± He mumbled as we walked toward the center of Wood Cut. ¡°I ''ad no idea they were gonna make ya register. I landed in the south, so I crossed over the border after already gettin'' established.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± I said, skipping to keep up with his pace. My little legs were not used to working so hard to walk as fast as the average dude. ¡°Maybe it ain¡¯t. Maybe it is.¡± He skidded to a stop when we reached the central square in front of the building. ¡°Do what I told ya earlier. Play it close to the vest. Don¡¯t tell ''em anythin'' ya don¡¯t ''ave to, and don¡¯t tell ''em you ''ave anythin'' from Earth on ya.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Cuz that shite¡¯s bloody valuable, is why.¡± He whispered to me. The village hall was an imposing two-story structure, easily the grandest building in town. The first story was tall and wide, with intricately carved wooden columns supporting a porch that stretched the entire length of the front. An extended entryway jutted out, large enough to shelter a wagon beneath it. The second story was octagonal, about half the width of the first, with large windows lining each of its eight walls. Above it, a sharply pitched roof gleamed with copper sheets, weathered to a rich green patina. The whole thing gave off an air of importance, standing in stark contrast to the more modest buildings around it. A dwarven guard stood watch by the main door, hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword. He was clad in the same heavy armor as the gate guards, his stern expression suggesting he wasn¡¯t there to give directions. ¡°State yer business.¡± He said flatly, not even bothering to make eye contact. Jinx sighed. ¡°Imperial business wiv the Magistrate.¡± ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°Imperial business,¡± Jinx repeated. ¡°Not yer business.¡± The guard lazily swung his gaze up at Jinx. ¡°Far be it from me to interfere in Imperial affairs.¡± He grumbled and gestured for us to enter. Surprisingly, Jinx and I were the only ones in the lobby. The building was stunning, crafted from native wood with intricate floral patterns inlaid along the walls and floors. Every surface gleamed, polished to such a high shine that I was relieved I wasn¡¯t wearing a dress. I hadn¡¯t even realized wood could look like that. A brass directory stood nearby, pointing to the left toward the office of the Imperial Magistrate. We followed the vast hall until it ended at a large, imposing door. Two human guards flanked it, looking just as relaxed, borderline lazy, as the one stationed outside, just a lot less grumpy. Their armor was different, however. Instead of heavy plates, they wore scaled armor with overlapping pieces that extended into a plated skirt reaching their knees. Their swords, while similar in design, were made of a different polished metal that gleamed faintly in the light. Both men had short, cropped hair, one a fiery red, the other a deep chestnut brown. Their expressions? Somewhere between ¡°bored¡± and ¡°dare me to stop you.¡± ¡°Magistrate,¡± Jinx said, nodding at the door. Not a question. The closer man looked us both over and nodded. The building''s opulence ended inside the Magistrate''s office. Gone were the polished wood and intricate carvings. Instead, dark-paneled walls loomed, lit by scattered lamps that gave the space a dim, almost brooding atmosphere. Four humans, one man, and three women, sat at desks around an elevated central one, working quietly. The man at the center desk looked up as we entered, his bored expression flickering with faint interest. He wore silken robes and wore a golden eagle pin over his heart. An untouched steaming cup of tea sat on his desk. Middle-aged, with collar-length brown hair streaked liberally with gray, he had sharp gray eyes that suggested he wasn¡¯t as indifferent as his posture let on. Judging by the paperwork strewn across his desk, he seemed more than ready for a distraction. ¡°Good day,¡± he said pleasantly, his voice warm and cultured, like a British schoolteacher straight out of a movie. ¡°This is Regan Moon,¡± Jinx said, gesturing toward me. ¡°Newly arrived rifter.¡± The Man¡¯s eyes lit up with genuine curiosity. ¡°A rifter, really?¡± he said, sitting up straighter. ¡°That¡¯s the most interesting thing that¡¯s happened here in quite a while.¡± ¡°Yup,¡± I said with a smile, trying to match his enthusiasm. ¡°Just popped in yesterday.¡± ¡°Remarkable.¡± He stood halfway, leaning over the desk to offer his hand. ¡°Magistrate Gnaeus Vibennis.¡± I shook his hand gingerly. ¡°Um, Hi, I¡¯m Regan¡± ¡°Let me be the first to welcome you to the Sovell Empire,¡± he said, releasing my hand and settling back into his chair. He seemed genuinely polite, though I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being sincere or just putting on a show out of sheer boredom. I figured it was probably the latter. It is a small village with not much to do. ¡°Empress Claudia Fidelis welcomes all who enter her realm from other worlds,¡± he continued, sounding like he was reading off a script. ¡°She understands you didn¡¯t come here by choice and that you only wish to make a life for yourself.¡± His tone was smooth but practiced, and it was definitely a rehearsed spiel. ¡°With a citizen sponsor, you¡¯ll be granted full legal protections as a resident of the Empire, along with an opportunity to gain citizenship, should you desire it.¡± It all sounded a little too polished, but hey, at least he was making an effort. ¡°She ¡®as a sponsor,¡± Jinx said. He pulled a large gold coin from his storage and placed it on the table. It was larger and thicker than a standard gold coin, about the size of a half dollar, but twice as thick. ¡°Excellent,¡± Vibennis said. He lifted the coin and examined it. ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± he squinted at the coin. ¡°This is the token for Alfie Thomason.¡± Jinx spun around, facing me. He poked his finger up, trembling slightly. A slight crackle of energy danced around his fingernail. ¡°Not a bleedin¡¯ word,¡± he growled, glaring at me. I already had my mouth open, but his tone made me hesitate¡ªjust barely. ¡°It¡¯s Jinx,¡± he said, voice low and firm like he dared me to test him. ¡°¡¯As been since I got ¡¯ere, understand?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, smiling sweetly. Then, before he could react, I blurted out as fast as I could, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m gonna say it one time: Alfie Thomason.¡± The look he gave me could have melted steel. Worth it. ¡°You done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Vibeninis cleared his throat. ¡°Are you both done?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Sorry.¡± I was fighting back the giggles; I felt like a school kid sent to the principal¡¯s office for doing something stupid. The Magistrate then pulled a small form out of his desk and began filling it out with a feather quill. ¡°The rules for residency are simple enough.¡± He said, scribbling quickly on the parchment. ¡°You will be given all protections of a full citizen so long as you pay your taxes and follow Imperial law. You will be allowed to travel throughout all the Empire''s nations, cities, and colonies. You will not, however, have the right to vote, hold property larger than a single dwelling, or serve directly in the Imperial government or military.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°The only exception is at time of war, when you may be conscripted into service.¡± ¡°Again, okay.¡± ¡°Imperial citizenship is allowed after three years of residency. During that time, you are not allowed to leave the borders of the Empire for longer than one calendar year.¡± He shuffled the paper aside and grabbed another. He dipped his feather and began furiously writing again. ¡°Exceeding one year outside our borders will negate the contract, and you must reapply.¡± ¡°And, Okay, again.¡± ¡°You recognize Empress Claudia Fidelis as the divine ruler of this Empire and all of its nations?¡± ¡°Um, Sure?¡± ¡°Lastly,¡± he said. ¡°You must submit to an Imperial scribe''s appraisal.¡± ¡°What¡¯s an appraisal?¡± ¡°An examination of your Character Sheet,¡± Vibeninis said. ¡°Verification of your identity.¡± He pulled a third paper out and started filling in the blanks. I glanced over at Jinx. He shrugged and nodded. ¡°Okay, Let¡¯s do it.¡± It was early evening by the time we reentered the Iron Hammer. I now had copies of the three forms from the Magistrate and a silver token in my inventory. Kev and Gem were at one of the tables close to the bar. They were both nursing mugs. A partially picked-over plate of cheese, meats, and dried fruit sat between them. They were dressed in casual clothes, a tunic and pants for Kev, and Gem wore the same dress she had the previous night. ¡°Everything squared away?¡± She asked when we sat. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, popping a piece of cheese. It was white, with little black spots on it. It tasted sharp and earthy, like goat cheese. Seriously yummy. Jinx helped himself to the platter. ¡°Bloody waste.¡± He said bitterly. ¡°She had to pony up two GP to process the paperwork.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than being here illegally,¡± Kev said. ¡°You know they can press illegals, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Gem. ¡°At least everyone¡¯s protected. ¡°You mean pressed,¡± I asked through a mouth full of cheese, ¡°As in slavery?¡± That ain¡¯t good, Regan. I thought. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But she weren''t ''ere illegally.,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Just not registered. Now they ''ave all ''er stats and info so that they can keep tabs on ''er.¡± ¡°The Empire has that on everybody,¡± Kev said. ¡°You just have issues with authority.¡± ¡°Not all authority,¡± Jinx muttered. ¡°Just that, that ain¡¯t mine.¡± ¡°Oy,¡± the barkeep barked out to the room. ¡°Number twenty-four, yer up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s you,¡± Gem said. ¡°Me? What?¡± I asked her. ¡°The bathhouse is clear for the next hour,¡± Gem said, standing up and handing me a small, numbered slip. ¡°You should partake. Just take it up to the bar.¡± I did as I was instructed, handing the bartender a copper coin and the slip. He gave me a grin, sliding a key across the bar. ¡°Don¡¯t be makin¡¯ a mess in there, lass,¡± he grumbled, jerking his thumb toward the door behind him. The bathhouse was tucked in the inn''s basement, right across from the storage room. The space inside was bathed in soft green and blue light, making it feel like it was in another world. In the center of the room sat a recessed copper tub, steaming like it had been waiting just for me. The sharp, clean scent of eucalyptus hung in the air, thick enough to taste. I locked the door behind me and shifted my armor into my inventory, a trick I still wasn¡¯t used to. Before sinking into the tub, a mirror by the door caught my eye. I froze, staring at the half-elf in the reflection. Crazy pink hair. Petite but muscular body with an hourglass figure. High cheekbones, pouty lips, and big elf eyes. It wasn¡¯t me, not really. The woman in the mirror looked like a fantasy-inspired pinup model shrunk to fit in a fun-sized wrapper. When I walked around town or sat on a wagon, my brain pictured my old body doing those things. Not this... elf. The image was alien. It looked wrong. My hands drifted over it¡ªover me¡ªfeeling the curves, the smoothness of the skin, the unfamiliar planes. My shoulders. My face. My breasts. Between my legs. I shivered at my new body¡¯s...um...sensitivity. A wave of dread hit like a bucket of ice water. My legs buckled, and I nearly went down. My palms slapped the wet stone floor as my heart jackhammered in my chest. It¡¯s not me. I¡¯m not this. My thoughts spun out of control, ping-ponging between two worlds. Colorado. Nya. Megan. My parents. The group interview in the beige conference room last week. Gem and Kev. Jinx. Kettlebottom. My old, flawed, human body. This weird, perfect elf one. I bit my lip hard enough to break the skin, but it grounded me, keeping me from crying. My breath came in short gasps until the feeling ebbed as quickly as it came. My heart slowed, my hands steadied, and I crawled into the steaming water. It swallowed me like an embrace, the perfumed heat chasing away the worst of the panic. I sunk under the surface. My hair resisted, but little me could sink far enough to pull the disobedient strands down with me. Even as my body relaxed, my mind wouldn¡¯t. It felt... displaced, like it hadn¡¯t settled into this new world or body. Whenever I was alone, my brain rebelled, scrambling to shove together pieces that didn¡¯t fit. Alone used to be my comfort zone. I didn¡¯t need people. Hell, I actively avoided them. But now? I couldn¡¯t stand solitude. My mind needed the noise, the distraction. It had only been a day and a half since I¡¯d arrived, and I prayed this adjustment period wouldn¡¯t last forever. Freaking out every time a door closed behind me wasn¡¯t a sustainable lifestyle. Determined to pull myself together, I scrubbed¡ªevery inch. Hair, nails, skin¡ªnothing was safe from the cloth. My stupid, vibrant hair resisted, but I fought it into submission. The washing turned into something else, though. It became an exploration. Everything felt different. My skin was taut, stretched like a drumhead. My arms and legs were hard, muscled in a way they never had been before. My fingers traced the contours of my new body, the circles of my fuller breasts, my overly sensitive nipples, and the curve of my waist. This wasn¡¯t the body I knew. But for better or worse, it was mine now. I reached down, hesitantly exploring between my legs, and sucked in a sharp breath. That was... different. Softer. More delicate. It wasn¡¯t unsettling this time. Thankfully, today¡¯s quota for existential panic had already been met. As I rubbed, my thoughts wandered, and with them came faces. Gem¡¯s face. Her figure. The memory of her lying next to me the night before, her body pressed against mine. My pulse quickened at the thought of it. Then there was Kev, shirtless, his green skin gleaming. The image of him moved through my mind, his strength, his hands, the weight of him pressing me into a mattress, maybe? Actually, it was the bed of straw in the back of the wagon; I imagined the way he would feel inside me. And, because apparently, my brain couldn¡¯t help itself, the damn dwarven guard came marching in, their armor pieces bouncing and clanging on the floor as they pulled them off. It wasn¡¯t long before a full-blown orgy was raging in my head, pulling me in every direction. Gem, Kev, the guard, it was almost too much. I wanted all of them, any of them, every single one who bounced into my thoughts. My body shuddered, the sensation building until it broke in a messy, uncontrollable ripple that rolled through me. A groan escaped my lips as the release spread from between my legs to the rest of me, leaving me trembling, breathless, and thoroughly overwhelmed. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I moaned out to the universe. ¡°Holy Shit.¡± God, I hope there weren¡¯t any peepholes in this room. Fifty minutes later, I walked out, somehow feeling dirtier than when I had gone in. I looked around the area by the bar. I was pretty sure if one of these asshats had been watching me, there would be no way they could hide it. ¡°Feel better?¡± Gem asked as I joined her back at the table. Kev and Jinx were gone, and there was no sign of Heather. I just rubbed one out in the bath. I almost wanted to say. My face was still blushing, and I felt a little weak in the knees. I just nodded with a dumb smile on my face. ¡°Where¡¯re the boys,¡± I asked, sitting across from her. ¡°Off to the brothel, I expect.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I wrinkled my nose at the thought. ¡°Gross.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a prude.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a prude.¡± I glared at her. ¡°They don¡¯t really have brothels where I come from.¡± I gestured to the wench for a drink. ¡°Just something else I need to get used to.¡± ¡°The men there must be insufferable.¡± ¡°Not really. I didn¡¯t do much in that department, and I don¡¯t really go out that much, so I don¡¯t have much experience, good or bad.¡± The wench dropped a mug down. ¡°Why?¡± Gem asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I sipped my drink. The mead was sweet. I liked it. ¡°I don¡¯t feel much of a drive to do anything. At least¡­¡± ¡°At least what?¡± Gem looked at me coyly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little different here.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°I am... definitely, a little more...¡± No words were coming out. ¡°Arousable?¡± ¡°It usually takes a lot for me to get excited, like I need to be watching or reading something, but now...I don¡¯t get it.¡± I could feel my face blushing even more at the conversation. Gem just smiled at me kindly and sipped her drink. She also didn¡¯t break eye contact. I''m not sure; she may not have even been blinking. ¡°You know what my solution is?¡¯ ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine.¡± Gem stood up and offered her hand to me. I looked back and forth between Gem¡¯s hand and face. ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked. Instantly, my body and mind were at odds again. Adrenaline surged, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± With her other hand, Gem tossed two copper coins on the tabletop. Chapter Six: Gift of Tongues. Not the same thing. Chapter Six: Gift of Tongues. Not the same thing. The beds at the inn weren¡¯t exactly luxurious. I woke to Gem grumbling about rocks and straw in her sleep right before dawn. She drifted back in seconds, leaving me wide awake. Thank you very much. So naturally, my mind started its daily exercise routine of sprinting towards mental bedlam. The bed was tiny. Gem was on her back against the wall, and I was curled up on my side, my head resting on her arm. My hair was like some pink, frizzy shoulder cat. We were still all naked from the night before, but at least we were warm under the covers. We fit perfectly together, like Africa and South America if you pushed them together. They didn¡¯t call the continents Africa and South America, did they? Of course, they didn¡¯t. Not that I had a clue. A new pot of thought stew started stirring in my head. I didn¡¯t know the seasons, weather, or calendars. What month was it? The year? Did anyone know, or was this just one of those ¡°vibes¡± timelines? I hadn¡¯t asked. The last two days had been a blur of rift-related nonsense, orcs, new bodies, new lives, and, oh yeah, one fewer virginities. Maybe today should be the day I start tackling the basics. NEW QUEST: LEARN YOUR NUMBERS You need to catch up on preschool-level education. Figure out the Imperial Calendar before you embarrass yourself. Reward:
  1. You won''t embarrass yourself more.
The Whisperer chuckled softly as she read me the bullshit quest¡ªtotal nonsense, of course, but helpful nonsense. Besides, having her leave a sticky note in my brain wasn¡¯t the worst. I realized I hadn¡¯t taken much time to poke around my magical interface since I got here. It had been non-stop running, stabbing, and what-the-fucking, up to this point. But now, with a rare moment of calm in the charming hellscape of Murder World, I decided to explore. First up: the map. It hovered in the lower right corner of my vision, the most prominent element in my interface. Right now, I was just a dot tucked into the northeast corner of the Iron Hammer. I focused on the map, and it expanded to fill my vision. Zooming out was easy. Just thinking about it worked. The inn snapped into place among the surrounding buildings. Even the room I was in had details labeled. Kettlebottom¡¯s was nearby, clearly marked. I zoomed out further, and the route I¡¯d walked with Jinx yesterday lit up on the map. Shops I¡¯d passed had signs, and street carts were labeled with what they sold: meats, fruits, baskets. It was like my brain was playing back footage from earlier, annotating everything I¡¯d noticed. Another zoom revealed a larger county map, the one Jinx had shown me. It even tracked my path all the way from the barn in the village, named Barley Field, apparently. It would¡¯ve been a nice place if orcs hadn¡¯t murdered everyone. The whole thing felt like every open-world game I¡¯d ever played, which made it oddly comforting and ridiculously intuitive. My interface had other elements lurking in the corners of my vision. In the lower-left were my status bars: EP, AP, and VP, all green and full. When I focused on the VP bar, it slid into the center of my vision, accompanied by the word Trend. I activated it. A little bar graph popped up, charting my VP levels since I¡¯d arrived. Most of it was steady, but there were dips early on, moments I was sure I was about to die. Reassuring. At the top left of my vision, a cryptic message hovered: Second Beldrin of Funa. Intriguing? Yes. Something I was willing to wake Gem to ask about? Absolutely not. Directly below it, was Inventory. I¡¯d messed with it earlier, but I was being careful. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally summon a weapon while¡ª Oh Fuck! Sick Stick appeared in my right hand under the covers. Thank every available god that the business end was pointed away from Gem. I silently gasped, dismissed it, and cursed myself for reckless brain-clicking. Party Information was in the upper right corner above the map. Gem, Kev, and Jinx were all there, their little avatars glowing cheerfully. I didn¡¯t pick them, but they were populated with small cartoonish faces of my friends. I could activate the chat to beam my voice into their heads, but honestly, I couldn¡¯t think of a crueler punishment. The party name¡ªThe Animaniacs¡ªcaught my eye. I stifled a laugh. Jinx. Of course, it was Jinx. Between the party info and the map, two more items hovered. The first was Messages, a running log of everything The Whisperer had sent me. It was a grab bag of open and completed quests and random brain-drops about looted orcs and maps. It was good to hold on to this stuff, I guessed. But after some time, it would be a mess if I needed to go back and revisit something random that she said was important. Below Messages was Character Sheet: everything about me, reduced to neat stats and numbers. I¡¯d skimmed it the first night I arrived, but not much had changed since then. Honestly, I didn¡¯t love the idea of looking under the hood too often. I already spent enough time in my head. My ability to obsess over the stupidest shit was a sheer invitation to an ADHD nightmare, and the last thing I needed was to know just how much of a train wreck I really was. I stayed tucked against Gem, inhaling her mix of scents. Her skin was warm and musky, still carrying hints of eucalyptus from the bath. Her hair smelled fruity, like mango. There was also¡­a lingering reminder of last night from lower down. All of it blended with the smoky smell of the inn into a fragrance I desperately wanted to bottle and sell. ¡°Gem Essence?¡± I stayed until sunlight began sneaking through the blinds. With the first rays of dawn, I carefully slipped out of bed, equipping my default tunic-and-pants combo like some bargain-bin adventurer. Activating Stealth with a minor dip in AP, I soundlessly snuck out of the room. The inn was still fast asleep, save for the kitchen. With nothing better to do and the faint hope of caffeine, or whatever the Nya equivalent was, I wandered toward the back. Still in stealth mode, I was surprised to find Heather at the counter. She sat with a bowl of porridge in front of her and, more importantly, a steaming cup of something that smelled suspiciously like salvation. She wore the same robes from the day before, looking as pristine as if she¡¯d pressed and ironed them overnight. Her hair was neatly braided, her face fresh and awake. Clearly, she was a morning person. I never really was. The kitchen was alive with activity. The stove roared, pots bubbled and hissed, and the air was thick with the smell of food. Bent over the oven, the dwarven cook pulled out a tray of bread, her movements efficient and unbothered, like she¡¯d been baking since the dawn of time. Meanwhile, I was just trying to remember how to exist. ¡°¡­That''s when ah telt him ah wisnae gonnae be his wife anymore.¡± The cook continued her conversation with Heather. ¡°He does sound ungrateful,¡± Heather said, smiling. ¡°Is that when you finally left?¡± ¡°That verra mornin'', ah packed up everythin'' ah could put on the back o'' a pony, and ah havenae been back. It''s been thirty years since.¡± She smiled at the priestess and put the tray on the cooling rack. ¡°Ah own half this place, and ah dinnae answer tae anyone.¡± She turned around, and I got my first look at her. She was middle-aged with long, silver and blond curls and large green eyes. She wore a green cotton dress covered with a huge white apron. I had to dig deep to understand the dwarven cook¡¯s accent. ¡°Good morning,¡± I deactivated Stealth and walked into the room. ¡°Guid mornin'', dear,¡± the cook said. ¡°Micht ah put somethin'' thegither fur ye?¡± ¡°What Priestess Heather has looks pretty good,¡± I smiled over at Heather, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be coffee in that cup would it?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Heather said. ¡°It¡¯s good too.¡± She scooted over a couple of inches to allow me to fit on the bench beside her. ¡°Ah''ll hae it fur ye in twa shakes.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. I slipped onto the bench next to Heather and giggled quietly when I realized the counter was still up a little high. ¡°I¡¯m not used to this body yet.¡± ¡°You will. I heard you went with the Rogue class.¡± Heather said, taking a bite of her porridge. ¡°It seems like a good place to start,¡± I held up my tiny Elf hands, showing them to her. ¡°I¡¯m too little and weak to be a fighter, not smart enough to be a wizard, and I don¡¯t know of any gods to follow.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have gods in your world?¡± ¡°In my world, they¡¯re just made up, and no one can agree on what they would say if they were real.¡± Heather turned to me with a look of exasperation. ¡°You mean there aren¡¯t any gods on your world at all?¡± ¡°No gods, no magic.¡± ¡°Who guides your people?¡± ¡°No one, we just kind of make shit up. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the Wild West or anything; people mostly have a moral compass, but there¡¯s nothing real that enforces it.¡± ¡°The Wild West?¡± ¡°I mean, we have laws and governments and all of that, and most people try to do the right thing.¡± ¡°Here ye go, sweety.¡± The cook set the bowl and mug down on the counter. ¡°This looks amazing,¡± I said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Ye¡¯re most welcome.¡± ¡°So, people just¡­ make up gods?¡± Heather blinked, momentarily abandoning her breakfast. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied, taking a sip of coffee. It was hot, bitter, and absolutely divine. Well, it was as divine as gas station coffee could get, which is exactly what it tasted like. It tasted like home¡ªthe most Earth-like thing I¡¯d encountered since landing in Murder World. For a fleeting moment, I was back on endless commutes down I-225, gripping the wheel, yelling at Texans who thought snow was a myth. It hit me like a rubber mallet: I was getting nostalgic for that? Morning traffic. Blizzards. My old life. The worst parts of it. Monkey brain shut the fuck up. Heather was staring at me now, a mix of curiosity and expectation on her face. Or maybe she was picking up on the suspicious glint in my eyes. I took another sip, letting the mug shield me, hoping it would all pass unnoticed. I set the cup down gently, giving a little dismissive laugh. ¡°This stuff¡¯s hotter than I expected,¡± I said casually like that explained everything. ¡°Sure,¡± she said, skepticism dripping off the word. Her bullshit detector was probably in the red, but mercifully, she let it slide. I didn¡¯t know her, but she could obviously read people. And me? I was an open book, the kind even a blind man could read from across the street. She saw right through me, no doubt. But, surprisingly, she didn¡¯t push. Yesterday, she¡¯d given off major mean-girl energy, but right now? She wasn¡¯t using it against me. For a moment, her expression softened¡ªjust slightly. As sharp and bitchy as she¡¯d been, she couldn¡¯t seem to shut off her empathy. She¡¯d been wearing her mask of indifference since the moment I met her, though I couldn¡¯t say why. I inhaled deeply through my nose, exhaled through my mouth, and tried to shove my existential crisis back into its box. Time to rejoin the conversation. ¡°But¡­¡± I searched for the thread we¡¯d been tugging on. Crisis officially over. ¡°¡­I think most people who talk about gods in my world, even though they don¡¯t exist, actually believe in them.¡± ¡°So,¡± Heather nodded. ¡°To them, the gods are real.¡± She slid back into whatever mode she was in, shutting off the facial scanner and back to learning about my messed-up world. ¡°I suppose, but it¡¯s more like just believing what you¡¯re told and not really questioning whether it¡¯s real or not.¡± I took another sip. ¡°I mean,¡± after I swallowed. ¡°You¡¯re god empowers you in a tangible, quantifiable way.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Amania shares her gifts with everyone,¡± Heather said reverently. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to believe in her for her to be real.¡± ¡°Does she have a physical existence?¡± ¡°She visits Nya in the form of an avatar, a living body.¡± ¡°Not someone claiming to be her?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ve had lots of guys that do that back home.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s very much her. I saw her once. She visits the temples and schools from time to time to share blessings.¡± ¡°Amania sounds nice. I¡¯d probably like her if I met her.¡± ¡°Sorry about yesterday,¡± Heather said. ¡°I had time to think as I walked and meditated on it last night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I took a bite of porridge; a big slab of butter was melting on it, and it was flavored with sugar and dried fruit; it was terrific. ¡°We¡¯re going to be traveling together. Road rules apply. We all make it back. No matter whether we like each other or not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dislike you,¡± Heather said. ¡°You left me with a different impression yesterday.¡± ¡°All of those born to this world will know the grace of Amania. Do you understand what that means?¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± I said. ¡°I guess?¡± ¡°Our goddess seeks to elevate people to a state of grace,¡± Heather said, turning to me with a calm intensity. ¡°Physically and spiritually, so they can pass cleanly from this world to the next. Death is a traumatic thing for the soul to experience, and there¡¯s the danger for those who carry lingering regrets or unresolved issues. Those things can keep them tethered to this plane of existence and become vulnerable to evil forces.¡± She set her spoon down and folded her hands, her posture calm but purposeful, like she was about to deliver a sermon. ¡°That¡¯s what we do,¡± she said softly. ¡°We help people learn to let go of the darkness within themselves. To see that it doesn¡¯t have to define who they are.¡± ¡°We¡¯re born with an innate sense of right and wrong, but the world¡­¡± She paused, her gaze steady. ¡°The world twists that. It wears us down and makes us forget. But living a life where we try to do the right thing¡ªfor ourselves and others¡ªthat¡¯s enough. Even when we make mistakes, lose our way, and end up in places we never thought we¡¯d go, there¡¯s always a way back. She can guide anyone out of the shadows and into the light.¡± Heather extended her right hand toward me, palm up. A small shimmering ball of light began to form, floating gently above her skin. ¡°Healing magic,¡± she said, her voice soft but steady, ¡°is her way of showing love for all of us. It¡¯s a tool¡ªnot just to mend the body, but to help the spirit understand her grace.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± ¡°I joined this church to heal the spirits of those who are astray and to heal the bodies of the sick.¡± She put her hand down. ¡°That is how I seek to find my own grace.¡± ¡°So, you want to share your gifts with the world then?¡± ¡°On behalf of Amania. That is my mission, my duty.¡± Heather took a sip of coffee. ¡°But my temple decided they would take money from a band of mercenaries and hire me out as a healer.¡± ¡°Oh. Shit. No wonder you¡¯re pissed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get a say on where the leaders of my faith send me. Instead of fulfilling my role by setting an example and spreading the word of my Goddess¡¯ grace, I¡¯m here. Pimped out by my church, supporting mercenaries as they cut and slaughter their way around the countryside.¡± She smiled bitterly at me. ¡°I might as well be a whore.¡± ¡°I guess the mercenary types don¡¯t appreciate your position, do they?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t people of faith,¡± Heather said, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°Not mine, anyway. They see anything that has to do with gold as a simple transaction. They assume everyone on the road is like them.¡± ¡°So now I understand why you were being a total bitch yesterday.¡± ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± ¡°As far as those three are,¡± I said, tilting my head to the door. ¡°They could have just bonked me on the head yesterday and took the axe for themselves.¡± Heather sighed and sipped her coffee. ¡°But they didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Stinky souls and all.¡± ¡°I find their violence unsettling. They are so casual with it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°They are honorable. It¡¯s a virtue. A form of grace, I suppose.¡± She smiled at me and shook her head. ¡°I have a lot to learn; I¡¯m new to this, too.¡± ¡°So, there might be hope for me. Maybe them too.¡± I took two quick bites of porridge, fearing it might start to get cold. Heather took a bite of her own, followed it up with a sip of coffee, and shrugged. ¡°Strictly speaking, rifters are not born of this world. You were not born in a state of grace. Not her grace anyway. But that¡¯s not your fault. You didn¡¯t ask to come here. I won¡¯t leave you or anybody bleeding on the side of the road.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°That¡¯s a promise in the name of Amania.¡± ¡°I have a feeling when things get hairy, I¡¯ll be keeping both of you busy.¡± Heather finished her breakfast before me. She pulled out a copper and dropped it on the counter. She thanked the cook, who smiled and said she was welcome. ¡°See you out there.¡± She said to me. She slipped off the counter and left the kitchen. I hungrily watched Heather¡¯s shapely rear end and hips sway as she walked out. Her robes really clung in the right places to accentuate her lovely curves. For the briefest of moments, I imagined¡­Shit! All these thoughts and urges were constantly bopping around my head when I wasn¡¯t busy doing something. I just had the first real sexual encounter in my life just a few short hours ago, and I was already fantasizing about wrapping my thighs around another person. I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts and urges from my brain, and finished my breakfast while the cook continued to complain about her ex-husband in an accent I could barely understand. I left the inn after breakfast. Wood Cut was beginning to wake up, and I sat on the bench in front of the Iron Hammer, watching the citizens as they made their way to various places. The mill workers moved en masse, primarily dwarves, wearing leather aprons and carrying sacks over their broad shoulders. They wore lederhosen-like overalls with colorful embroidery and heavy work boots. The almost-human people astounded me. All the features were there but were larger in some places and smaller in others. All the men were bearded with the same range of hair color as humans, and the women were built almost the same as the men, with long braided hair that ran nearly to the ground behind them. Mixed in with the dwarves were gnomes like Kettlebottom. They were small, child-sized adults with sharp features. There was a smattering of humans and elves, too. It was not a very large village, but it seemed very cosmopolitan. After about a half hour, Jinx emerged, grumbling to himself. He was clad in his blue robe again, the hood down. His bald head glistened in the morning sun. He had a roll in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. ¡°Good morning, Jinx,¡± I said to him. He seemed to be startled a little at the site of me. ¡°Oh,¡± He said. ¡°Good mornin'', love. You sleep well?¡± ¡°Well enough.¡± ¡°Good dreams, I hope.¡± ¡°No dreams, actually.¡± ¡°Good enough then,¡± he stood awkwardly before me for a moment. ¡°I''m goin'' to take a turn about the town and get my legs a workin''. We''re goin'' to be sittin'' on that bloody cart for a good part of the day until we get to the chagkraaw nest.¡± He spun on his heel and briskly walked up the street towards the middle of town, ¡°Cheers!¡± he proclaimed back at me, his cup in the air. Gem emerged a moment later with her own breakfast to go: an apple and mug of coffee. She slid onto the bench next to me and kissed my cheek. ¡°Where¡¯d Jinx go?¡± ¡°Said he was gonna take a turn about the town since we¡¯re gonna be sitting on a cart all day.¡± ¡°You snuck out early enough.¡± ¡°Stealth skill,¡± I could feel my face get hot from the kiss. ¡°I can¡¯t turn it off.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a bed-and-dash type, I hope.¡± She took a bite of her apple, watching me closely. ¡°Not a bed-and-anything type.¡± ¡°About that...¡± Gem¡¯s tone shifted, her playful demeanor giving way to something heavier. She looked uncomfortable. My radar for trouble pinged. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re new here, and I feel like... I might have taken advantage.¡± ¡°I may be new, but I¡¯m an adult.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± She sighed and hesitated before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly human.¡± I blinked at that. ¡°The antlers, tail, fuzzy legs and that tongue are a dead giveaway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± She gave me a pained smile. ¡°My mother is human. My father is a Satyr.¡± ¡°No idea what that means.¡± ¡°Satyrs are beings of lust.¡± She looked at me, expecting something. I had no idea what. ¡°You come from a world of all humans, so you expect people to act like humans.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a people are people kind of girl, so it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± ¡°My father bedded my mother,¡± she sighed, ¡°and he left.¡± ¡°Still sounding human.¡± ¡°He comes back from time to time, but he never stays, no matter how much he loves her. It¡¯s our nature.¡± she shrugged, but she had a look of sadness on her face. ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me all this...¡± I circled my finger between us, ¡°...is not a thing that will last?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± She looked ashamed, not even keeping eye contact with me. ¡°I can never belong to a single person. Something I inherited from my father.¡± I raised my eyebrows at her. ¡°Hit it and split it, huh?¡± I tried to hide the skepticism in my voice. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± She sounded a little defensive. Seriously? ¡°I just want you to understand that I have a home in the woods; that is where I belong. I came out to earn gold for my mother and sisters. I won¡¯t be following you wherever you are going.¡± ¡°If I got it into my head to follow you, then what?¡± She laughed. ¡°You hate camping. I pretty much live in a tree.¡± ¡°I thought you were asleep when I said that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t hear you. Remember, not human.¡± ¡°This is, uh...¡± I started looking for the words. ¡°Kind of a temporary thing?¡± ¡°We love,¡± she said. ¡°Satyrs, I mean. In fact, we love a little too easily. I will always come back if I can.¡± ¡°You mean you love me?¡± ¡°No,¡± she held up her hands. I¡¯m pretty sure that her face was blushing, but it was hard to tell. ¡°I¡¯m very fond of you, but we just met.¡± ¡°So, no matter how we feel about each other, you will always be headed out.¡± ¡°I feel absolutely terrible,¡± she said. For the first time, I could see this was a genuine burden. Her eyes were starting to glisten as she spoke. ¡°You trusted me, not understanding the nature of my kind.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± I put my arm on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this world, but what happened last night was one of the most amazing things to ever happen to me. That isn¡¯t going to go away.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°In this world, I have no idea what will happen today, much less tomorrow or a year from now, assuming I¡¯m still around.¡± She smiled at me, tears running down her beautiful, weird face. ¡°I hope you¡¯re around.¡± ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure: I¡¯m not planning on bailing.¡± I bumped up against her playfully. ¡°And I have a lot to learn.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know from last night.¡± She said coyly. ¡°They do say that Urban Elves have the gift of tongue.¡± My face flushed an even brighter red. I giggled. ¡°Gift of Tongues. Not the same thing.¡± The sex talk was enough to set my body off yet again. I squirmed a little on the bench as we chatted. Gem gave me a smoldering look over her mug. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a turn about town myself.¡± I would be sitting all day with Gem and the rest of the party, so I wanted to get a little more time in my head before going out. I needed to practice solitude without panicking. ¡°See ya soon,¡± Gem said, taking a swig from her mug. I followed the path Jinx had taken just a moment earlier, strolling up the bustling street. Shops and stalls along the main drag were springing to life, their shutters creaking open as the smell of baking bread mingled with the early-morning air. In the distance, the mill belched its first smoke of the day, and the saws let out a long, metallic wail. It was like Wood Cuts¡¯ alarm clock¡ªunpleasant but effective. A fruit stall caught my eye, and I stocked up: half a dozen apples and a handful of plums. Into storage, they went. I moseyed along, grabbing sausages wrapped in crisp leaves, biscuits that promised crumbly goodness, strips of bacon, and a wedge of cheese like the one I tasted at the Iron Hammer last night. By the time I was done, my pockets were jingling with none of the loose change Gem had given me. Every coin had found its way into the hands of vendors who now seemed far too happy. Eventually, I found myself outside Graybrow¡¯s. The shop window was filled with mannequins dressed in adventure chic: chaps, armor, leather bits, and pieces that screamed, I¡¯m here to slay monsters, but I also care about looking stylish. A stray comment from The Whisperer about my storage sparked an idea, so I ducked inside. NEGOTIATION SKILL INCREASED NEGOTIATION SKILL NOW LEVEL 2 +14XP Charisma +1 Thirty minutes later, I walked out poorer in gold but richer in life. I¡¯d decided it was time to invest in my adventuring future. I was now kitted in leather armor with a standard dagger hanging from a new belt. Across my chest, a magically reinforced bandolier proudly carried cheap potions for healing, energy, and stamina. It even had a built-in scabbard for my short sword. A new pack strapped to my back held basic supplies, including a bedroll. The pack came with a nifty quick-release buckle, perfect for when I needed to make a dramatic exit. When I rejoined the party outside the inn, Gem raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°You do have storage, you know.¡± ¡°And now I have more storage,¡± I shot back with a grin and slipped my Colorado beanie on. It was blue with the Colorado ¡°C.¡± It clashed spectacularly with the leather armor but pinned my curls in place. Those curls were getting out of hand. A haircut was in my near future, hopefully not a distant one. Less than fifteen minutes later, we set off. At my insistence, Heather hopped in the back with us girls. I reintroduced her to Gem and made them hug. After that, we cranked up the girlie talk and got more than one nasty look from Jinx as we giggled. I had a feeling he thought I would spill the beans on Alfie, or maybe he was just a grumpy bastard. It wasn¡¯t long before we were out the gate and back on the Imperial Highway. My new gear was jingling lightly with every bump. I was feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Officially, I have had as many good days as bad days in this place, but the road promised danger, no matter what. So, I hung on to the good moments when they came by. Chapter Seven: I will always hate camping. Chapter Seven: I will always hate camping. ¡°Maybe try to lean into it more!¡± Kev shouted from the safety and comfort of the bank at the side of the marsh. I slammed my short sword repeatedly onto the chagkraaw brood mother with continued failure. The quest was simple: kill the twelve chagkraaws and the brood mother to eliminate the infestation¡ªcurrent quest status: twelve out of thirteen. We had all taken turns chasing down the slow-moving, massive amphibians around the marsh area. Now that the offspring were dead, the party decided to let me eliminate the queen to boost my XP. The problem is that a chagkraaw brood mother is a massive salamander the size of an elephant seal with the hide of a slimy rhinoceros. With all my strength, I could do little to penetrate the outer hide. It also didn¡¯t help that my left arm was swallowed up almost entirely by the creature. It didn¡¯t hurt, thankfully, as chagkraaws were herbivores, but I couldn¡¯t free my arm or do more than slap at it with my pitiful short sword. To add insult to injury, as I struggled with my fight, I saw the rest of the group pulling out silver coins as they quietly placed bets on the outcome. ¡°Fuck You!¡± I shouted at the beast. I then looked over at my so-called friends. ¡°And fuck you! Fuck You! Fuck You!¡± I pointed to each of them in turn with my useless sword. ¡°But not you, Heather.¡± ¡°Actually it was my idea.¡± Heather beamed. ¡°Fuck you too, then!¡± The brood mother kept pulling on my arm. No matter what I did, I simply did not have the strength to cause any damage at all. As a fighter, I sucked. I had no strength or cunning ability to take on a monster at a higher level than me. But, after a moment of squatting in the marsh with a mindless creature latching onto my arm, the realization came to me. I have a null space. I called Sick Stick from my inventory into my left hand and gripped it tightly. The skin on the back of the beast¡¯s neck bulged up where the dagger pushed against it from the inside. BACKSTAB ATTACK ON CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER FOR X2 DAMAGE. 32 VP DAMAGE TO CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER. CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER SUFFERS TILT A HURL DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 5 SECONDS Technically, it was a backstab as the blade went in behind its head. The brood mother¡¯s eyes rolled back as the muscles in its throat constricted around my arm. I gripped the dagger with all my strength. An instant later, my arm was shoved out, the dagger dragging along the inside of the creature¡¯s throat and then into its mouth. A string of damage notifications doubled by the Back Stab bonus along the way. There was an audible crunch as the blade penetrated its skull. YOU HAVE DEFEATED CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER. +157 XP. My arm popped out of the creature¡¯s mouth, along with the entire contents of its stomach. There were hoots and clapping from the bank as the party celebrated my victory. Drenched in the vomit of the brood mother, I sank into the water of the marsh since it was, unfortunately, the cleaner liquid. The stinking water rinsed away the even more stinking vomit. PARTY QUEST COMPLETED: CHAGKRAAW HUNT Chagkraaws are venturing into the fields of Grey Anvil and eating the crops. Eliminate the creatures and their brood mother to rid the farmers of the pestilence. Your party has eliminated all twelve chagkraaws and the brood mother. REWARD:
  1. 125GP each
  2. +421XP
An instant later, a new notification appeared: CORPSE: CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. CHAGKRAAW BROOD MOTHER HIDE (CRAFTING MATERIAL)
  2. IRON BOOT, LEFT
  3. 7SP
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? Yes. I responded in my head, and there was a Shlop sound. The brood mother shifted in the marsh, and all her skin vanished in a puff of greasy steam. The items were added to storage and nicely highlighted in the inventory screen. I emerged from the marsh a moment later, having scrubbed as much of the mother¡¯s vomit off me as possible. Heather smiled smugly as she helped me out. ¡°What¡¯s with the stupid grin?¡± I growled at her. ¡°You made me three silvers.¡± Heather chimed. ¡°I bet you¡¯d find a way to backstab it. You¡¯re a rogue, after all.¡± I peeled off all the stinking, slimy crap and unceremoniously dumped it into Gem¡¯s laundry bag. I had pretty much run out of fucks for the day and didn¡¯t even bother turning around, though the party averted their eyes out of respect except for Gem. Grabbing the magic soap, I¡¯d splurged on at Greybrow¡¯s, I got to work scrubbing away the layers of marsh muck and monster vomit. The soap was a game-changer, transforming the camping nightmare into something slightly less hellish. With a swipe, it left a trail of frothy white suds that rinsed off easily using just a splash from my canteen. Sure, it was a single-use item that dissolved dramatically in my hand like it was part of the show, but honestly? Best five gold I¡¯d ever spent. It was late afternoon, and we unanimously agreed settle in for the night before tackling Castle Longhorn. The marsh¡¯s edge wasn¡¯t overly buggy, and it seemed like a safe enough spot. I joined Heather and Gem in gathering wood and kindling for the fire while Kev took charge of the food prep, lining up meat and vegetables like he was auditioning for a fantasy cooking show. Jinx worked around the perimeter, chanting an incantation he claimed would keep the mosquitos and other bugs away. ¡°They¡¯ll be some right nasty creepy crawlies tryin¡¯ to get in ¡®ere, but this¡¯ll keep ¡¯em out,¡± he said with a cheeky grin and a wink when he was done. ¡°Don¡¯t go stompin¡¯ on ¡¯em, though, or they¡¯ll give you a proper bite.¡± ¡°Will it hold everything out?¡± ¡°Everything less than ten pounds in weight, so if you feel compelled to go take a stroll, the protection will hold up. I wouldn¡¯t recommend it until you get more levels.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s gonna be a fun night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the night of the new moon,¡± Jinx said as we settled in at sunset around the fire. ¡°You ain''t seen it yet.¡± It was a warm evening, and the moon appeared as the sun set in the west. It rose out of the east. About twice the size of Earth¡¯s moon. It was a thin crescent, but even from my vantage point on my log seat by the fire, I could see the blue glow of the atmosphere that surrounded it. The surface was deep ocean blue and forest green with clouds in the sky over it. As it rose, it gave off a warm glow all over the world. Not the cold blue light of the dead moon I knew. ¡°Oh my god.¡± ¡°Ours¡¯s dead,¡± Jinx said to the group. ¡°Grey and plain as chalk.¡± ¡°Something definitely lives there,¡± Heather said. ¡°But it¡¯s not like anyone can go there to see.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been to our moon,¡± I said. ¡°A long time ago.¡± I gazed up at it in wonder. ¡°But they couldn¡¯t stay for very long, no air.¡± ¡°How did they survive without air?¡± Kev asked. ¡°Suits,¡± Jinx said. ¡°They ''ad suits with air in ''em. They poked around for a while and then came back.¡± ¡°They did all that without magic?¡± Gem asked. ¡°We made do pretty well without it,¡± I said. ¡°Electricity, chemicals, computers. I guess people made stuff that did what magic does.¡± I shared stories about my family with everyone. Like my sister and me, my parents couldn¡¯t have been more opposite. Mom was a staunch conservative, chasing some utopian libertarian dream, while Dad taught high school art and probably smoked too much weed when she was at the office. Mom was a lawyer, and I didn¡¯t even have to explain that¡ªapparently, lawyers are a universal constant. Megan was Mom¡¯s golden child, while I was Dad¡¯s little oddball. If I weren¡¯t stuck in a different universe, I¡¯d probably be signing up for therapy right now¡­ just as soon as I got health insurance. I talked about college, which doesn¡¯t seem to exist in this world. Here, education is all about practical skills, so the concept of studying Art History for the sheer joy of learning made Kev¡¯s jaw drop. When I explained student loans, the group looked scandalized, like I¡¯d just described a form of medieval torture. I rambled on about life in Denver. You know, living near the mountains, but never really going to the mountains. I shared the irony of spending summer weekends at the Renaissance Faire in Larkspur and how I had way better outfits in my closet back home than anything I¡¯d managed to find here, not that they¡¯d fit this body or anything. I complained about the city¡¯s outrageous rent and shitty traffic. I bragged about its craft beer scene and casually mentioned that weed was legal. That got Jinx¡¯s attention, and he lit up like a kid hearing about Christmas for the first time. I wasn¡¯t a smoker myself, but he was thrilled. Finally, I told them everything I could about living on Earth in general: there was streaming TV, cell phones, WIFI, a world wide web of information that just made us all more stupid, and social media that did nothing but put a wedge between people. Jinx, having been out of the loop for thirty years or so, hung on every word I said, but I think he was most excited about weed. ¡°You¡¯re technology sounds like magic to me,¡± Kev said. ¡°I guess so. We just kind of make it ourselves, is all.¡± After dinner and a bit of conversation, we settled down with our bedrolls around the fire. I volunteered for the first watch, and Kev told me just to tap him on the shoulder if anything suspicious popped up. One by one, the group drifted off to sleep. As the moon climbed higher in the night sky, I found myself unexpectedly at peace. For a brief moment, everything felt¡­ okay. The moon was incredible. It was a massive crescent of green and brown continents. The contrast was hard to ignore: Nya¡¯s moon teemed with life, while ours was barren, a dead light in the sky. This world was just so much more alive than home. Every inch of it seemed to hum with something vibrant and untamed. At home? Not so much. It was comforting, in a way. But the city girl in me felt a little queasy, too. No pollution here. No smog. No litter-strewn roads or stinking rivers. I doubted there was a garbage island anywhere in this world. If there was, I figured something would¡¯ve eaten it by now. I was yanked out of my reverie by a faint, creepy sound behind me¡ªa rhythmic scrape-scrape, scrape-scrape. My body tensed as I spun around, summoning Sick Stick into my hand. It sounded like scribbling with chalk on a sidewalk. Thanks to my elf eyes and the moonlight that turned the night almost as bright as day, I scanned the campsite¡ªno immediate source of the sound. I activated Stealth, sneaking away from the group toward the noise. ¡°Oh,¡± I muttered, spotting it at last. ¡°Fuck me,¡± I whispered, just in case the universe was listening. It was a bug. Or at least I think it was a bug. The thing looked like a particularly deranged xenomorph fan had dreamed it up. About eighteen inches tall, it stood on long, celery-green, spiky legs. I think it had six, but who could keep track since they were constantly moving in different directions? The body was indistinct, but the head? Oh, the head. It was baseball-sized, with large, swiveling, toad-like eyes perched ominously on top. The scraping sound came from its mandibles¡ªnasty, six-inch-long things that clicked open and shut over and over. They were green and red, with venom sacs bulging at their bases. As they scraped against Jinx¡¯s shield, thick fluid dribbled from the tips, pooling into a milky, gross mess on the mossy ground. I froze, just watching it for a few minutes, trying to keep my composure. I didn¡¯t want to be all princessy about it. But come on. Where I come from, we don¡¯t even deal with roaches. And this thing? This was some unholy Australian outback land crab thing, turbocharged with meth and growth hormones. The bastard noticed me. The scraping intensified. Jinx had warned me not to stomp on anything out here unless I wanted to get bitten, and suddenly, that advice felt particularly relevant. I didn¡¯t know why, but it felt like this creature had been put in the universe specifically to ruin my night. Sure, I could take down orcs, but this little demon spawn? Way more terrifying. So, I did the most big-girl thing I could think of: I walked away. Yep, I turned my back on what was clearly meant to be the boss battle of the century. Somewhere up above, I imagined the gods shaking their heads in disappointment as their prime-time entertainment fizzled out. I finished the rest of my watch without incident, though the scraping was soon joined by a chorus of similar noises from its buddies. For some reason, the little snappers seemed particularly drawn to me. Maybe I just had the right kind of energy. I tuned them out, focusing instead on the moon as it crossed the sky. In its darkness, I caught faint flashes of lightning dancing across the unilluminated portion. It was breathtaking. When the moon was about halfway across, I gently tapped Kev on the shoulder to wake him. He startled awake, instinctively reaching for his hammer before realizing it was just me. ¡°Your turn,¡± I said, crawling into my bedroll. Somehow, I doubted he¡¯d appreciate the chorus of tiny nightmares lurking around the camp. ¡°It¡¯s cool, big guy,¡± I whispered. ¡°Your watch now.¡± He grumbled about something unintelligible and got up, not even looking at me. With the watch over, I slid my tired self into my bedroll and silently reminded the universe how much I hated camping. There were no dreams again. It was weird because I always used to have them. Almost every morning I would wake up, something lingering in my head from my slumbers. But not since landing in this world. As had become routine since arriving here, I was awake with the first light. Kev was back down, and Gem was now on watch. She was sitting quietly on a log, watching the sunrise. She looked mythical in the dawn light. Her raw, natural beauty was painted in golden hues by the rising sun. I couldn¡¯t help but admire her, caught by the way the light seemed to highlight every delicate and rugged feature. For a fleeting moment, I thought about grabbing my phone to capture it, but the idea felt¡­ wrong. Earth and Nya didn¡¯t mix well, not in the ways that mattered. Dragging something like that into this moment felt like it would shatter this world into a million pieces.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Instead, I lay as still as possible, like the thief that I was to become. I was going to steal the scene without disturbing it. I studied every line and curve, every shade of gold and amber. I wanted to imprint it all, to preserve the moment perfectly in my mind. But the harder I tried to hold onto it, the more of it I lost. So, I let it go. I stopped trying to capture it and just let myself be part of it. For what it was: a fleeting, perfect alignment of beautiful things. After a few moments, I rose. Instinctively, I¡¯d activated Stealth but quickly switched it off. The soft crunch of moss beneath my foot gave me away, and she turned to me. Her face lit up with a smile as she stood and crossed over to me. ¡°Morning,¡± I whispered, stretching up to kiss her. It started as a gentle peck, but soon we shared something deeper, more passionate. Kissing her was always a thrill¡ªfeeling the warmth of her lips, the strange, wonderful texture of her tongue, and the way her mouth moved against mine. Her arms slipped around my waist, her hands finding their way to my bottom. She gave me a playful pinch. It sent an electrifying shiver down my spine. I let out a little Yipe! ¡°Still hate camping?¡± she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I returned her gaze, smiling. ¡°Yes,¡± I whispered softly. ¡°I will always hate camping.¡± ¡°By the gods,¡± Kev moaned as he sat up. ¡°If you two are going to carry on, at least take it on the other side of the camp.¡± The other two groaned in agreement with the orc, but by that time, everyone was pretty much awake. ¡°Sorry.¡± My face burned with embarrassment. Gem just giggled quietly. Everyone was up, thanks to us. Each headed to their respective spots of relative privacy to take care of the AM business. I stoked the charcoals back to life, and before too long, Kev had us a nice little breakfast of bacon, biscuits, and coffee. It was as pleasant as last night. Sitting on the log, enjoying the greasy food and campground coffee. Spirits were high among everybody. Even Jinx seemed happy as he sipped his cup, enjoying the warm morning sun on his pale face. Heather said a blessing after we finished, and I could feel a warm glow. Her healing magic filled my body, smoothing out the little aches and pains of sleeping on the hard ground. I could see the faces of the rest of the group as they enjoyed the effects of top-shelf holy blessings. We gathered our gear and were back in the wagon in less than half an hour after eating. Jinx joined Kev on the bench like yesterday, and the girls sat in the back. The highway stretched out in front of us. It snaked lazily through the marshland and then straight on between fields of corn and wheat. Even with land that was tamed with cultivation, the world here just felt wild. In remote places back home, there were always signs of civilization. Here, there weren¡¯t powerlines cutting through the landscape, no markers on the road. The sky was wide with fluffy white clouds, no contrails above, just magnificent, huge falcons that circled around, riding the thermals up thousands of feet. The only signs that the fields were being worked were the tiny villages like the one I arrived in, usually every couple of miles or so. They consisted of a half dozen small huts surrounding a communal barn or other building set about a hundred yards or so off the highway. I never saw anyone in town as we passed since the inhabitants moved inside before we got too close. It was best to be wary of strangers, I guess. We had an early start, and before noon, we had moved passed the fields and into the forested hills beyond. The highway now climbed up in long switchbacks, with trees and tall grey, mossy stones that jutted up like pillars from the land around them. The evergreen trees were so thick that the sky was almost obscured by the canopy above. ¡°Can we stop?¡± I asked Kev. ¡°We don¡¯t stop.¡± He said. ¡°I had too much coffee at breakfast.¡± ¡°You should have thought of that before we set off.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to go then.¡± I pleaded. ¡°I have a tiny body now, okay? Tiny bladder.¡± I looked up at him with a pouty expression, cranking my new uber cuteness up to eleven. ¡°Just hop off and go by the side of the road.¡± He pointed ahead, past the horses. We were approaching the top of the first hill, it was a steep climb, so it was slow going. At the peak of the hill two rock faces rose up, one on each side of The Imperial Highway. Each was about fifteen feet tall. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t catch up.¡± I growled and hopped down. I folded my arms and glared at him, stamping my foot on the ground. He smiled with a little laugh. I stood aside while the cart passed. It was heading up towards the crest of the hill we had been climbing for the past half hour or so. I skipped a couple of steps to get around the large pillar rock by the road. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± I spun around, startled, to see Heather standing there. ¡°Who¡¯s the sneaky one now?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, her face lined with concern. ¡°I saw you hop off and just wanted to make sure you¡¯re all right.¡± ¡°I just have to pee.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go before we left?¡± ¡°I have a tiny elf bladder, okay?¡± I said, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m still not used to it.¡± I stepped off the road and unequipped my lower armor, muttering, ¡°Jesus, people¡­¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Heather said, her tone a little wounded. ¡°Sorry.¡± She turned and jogged back toward the wagon. I squatted behind a rock, relief washing over me as I emptied the last of the morning¡¯s coffee. BAM! The explosion was like a thunderclap, leaving a ringing in my ears as I staggered, still squatting. Two more blasts followed in quick succession¡ªBAM! BAM! Smoke filled the air. Heart racing, I hurriedly re-equipped my lower armor and peeked around the rock. The wagon lay overturned at the top of the hill, flames licking at the straw in its bed. Smoke billowed, and the horses screamed in panic, their reins tangling as they tried to bolt. Gem and the boys had spilled out onto the road. Jinx was clutching his arm, cursing through gritted teeth. Kev stood with his hammer at the ready, eyes scanning for threats. Gem leaped into the air and bounced from rock to rock, her weapon flashing as sparks and fire began to rain down from above. Before I could react, half a dozen men jumped down from the rocky outcrops flanking the road. Some brandished swords and crude weapons, while others raised their hands, magic shimmering in the air as they chanted incantations. Others stood up on top of the spires, brandishing bows. More explosions tore through the scene, filling the highway with dense, choking smoke. I lost sight of my friends, and it looked like nobody knew I was back here. The sounds of chaos intensified¡ªshouted warnings and threats mingled with the clash of steel and the crackle of magic. Flashes of blue and green light pierced the thick smoke, casting eerie shadows on the carnage. I looked toward Heather. She stood frozen in the middle of the road, her wide eyes locked on the chaos unfolding above. I activated Stealth, slipping into the shadow of the trees as I started making my way up the hill. My priority was to reach Heather and snap her out of it. I needed to get her into cover and safety. After that, I could try to figure out what the hell was happening. I could hear Kev bellowing something about the gods. As I crept closer, hugging the stone for cover, a piercing scream ripped through the air. It was Heather. ¡°Got one!¡± a man with a rough voice yelled out. ¡°It¡¯s a Priestess!¡± I stayed hidden, pressed tightly into my spot, but the sounds of a struggle reached me from the road. Heather was fighting someone. The ripping of fabric cut through the air, followed by a muffled cry. Peeking around the edge of the stone, I spotted her. She was face down on the road, her robe torn and hanging loosely, exposing a bare shoulder. A man loomed over her, pinning her with his weight. His mismatched leather armor and helmet obscured the upper half of his face, leaving only a grizzled jaw and a sneer of yellow, crooked teeth visible. He was saying something to her, low and guttural, as he wrestled to clasp manacles onto her wrists. Heather squirmed beneath him, her struggle desperate but overpowered by his size and strength. I didn¡¯t hesitate. Pulling my short sword into my right hand and readying a dagger in my left, I moved silently into position. A backstab would double the damage I could deal, and with a well-aimed strike to his neck, I could triple that. Enough to kill him outright¡ªor at least incapacitate him long enough to grab Heather and run. Step by step, I crept closer, keeping an ear tuned to the fight by the wagon, and my eyes locked on Heather¡¯s attacker. To her credit, the priestess wasn¡¯t giving in. Her arms flailed wildly, keeping him from locking the chains into place. Two more steps, and I was directly behind him. I raised my sword high, my grip steady, and brought it down hard on the back of his neck. The blade met bone with a sickening crack. BACKSTAB ATTACK ON PRESS GANG MEMBER 12 POINTS DAMAGE WITH SHORT SWORD X2 BACKSTAB DAMAGE X3 CRITICAL WEAKNESS DAMAGE 72VP DAMAGE TO SPINAL CORD OF PRESS GANG MEMBER YOU HAVE DEALT CRITICAL DAMAGE TO PRESS GANG MEMBER PRESS GANG MEMBER PARALYZED He collapsed on top of Heather as he cried out. I brought the dagger down hard below the shoulder blade with all my strength, aiming for the gap in the armor. It sunk to the hilt. BACKSTAB ATTACK ON PRESS GANG MEMBER 6 POINTS DAMAGE WITH DAGGER X2 BACKSTAB DAMAGE X3 CRITICAL WEAKNESS DAMAGE 36VP DAMAGE TO RIGHT LUNG OF PRESS GANG MEMBER YOU HAVE DEALT CRITICAL DAMAGE TO PRESS GANG MEMBER Hmm, I thought, Not dead. I grabbed him by the left shoulder and yanked him over, rolling him off Heather. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I whispered in her ear. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees, struggling to rise. I grabbed her arm to help her to her feet. Before I could steady her, something, or someone, twice my weight barreled into me from behind and to the left. Heather let out a sharp yelp, and I might have shouted something too, but the impact knocked all sense from me. I was thrown clear of her, tumbling across the rough dirt road. My head smacked the ground more times than I could count, and I finally came to a jarring stop against the stone pillar I had hidden behind earlier. Pain lanced down my spine as I hit, though I managed to keep my skull from slamming into the rock. Yay for small victories. ¡°¡¯Nother one!¡± a harsh, strained voice barked out. There was no reply. ¡°Looks like an Elf. Tiny one.¡± Gritting my teeth, I fumbled for a healing potion from my bandolier. The cork popped free with a satisfying thunk, and I downed the contents in a single gulp. The tang of mango juice hit my tongue, and I felt the warm, soothing tingle as my VP bar began creeping back up. Clarity followed, sharpening my senses. Fear lingered at the edge of my mind, but something stronger was taking hold¡ªa surge of adrenaline, a fire in my veins. This body of mine was ready to make some moves. Heather was recovering too. She crouched low, her wide eyes fixed on me. Scared but resolute, she was playing weak, staying unnoticed for now. Smart. Backstab Guy wasn¡¯t doing as well. He lay sprawled on the ground, sobbing for his mother. The stench of shit and urine was already wafting from him. Not my proudest moment, but when in Murder World... The other one though¡ªhe was the real problem. A hulking brute, towering and broad-shouldered, his glare locked onto me, and his lips curled up as he growled. Without a word, he reached for his belt and drew two wicked-looking hatchets, the blades gleaming. ¡°Not here to kill you, elf,¡± he rasped, his voice low and coarse like boots scraping over dry gravel. ¡°Not here to kill anybody.¡± He was tall and broad, maybe two-fifty, but his look screamed laborer, not soldier. No armor, just a stained leather apron over a tunic and pants. His greasy brown hair was slicked back, collar-length, and matched a short, tangled beard that framed his scowl. He looked like a damn carpenter. ¡°But I¡¯ll break you into a dozen pieces if I have to,¡± he added with a sneer. I sized him up, my thoughts drifting to the orcs I¡¯d fought before. He wasn¡¯t as big as an orc, and judging by his stance, he was not much smarter either. If I could keep him moving and wear him down, I¡¯d have the advantage. Yeah, that sounded like a good roguish tactic. I took two deep breaths¡ªone to smother the rising panic, the other to shove away the fear¡ªand summoned my second short sword and another dagger. I sprang to my feet, bouncing lightly, ready to dance. He charged, one hatchet cocked back to strike, the other raised defensively. Clumsy. Predictable. I darted to his left, slashing with my blade as I moved. The edge bit into his thigh, a satisfying spray of blood following the arc. ¡°Gods!¡± he snarled, staggering slightly. I didn¡¯t give him time to recover. I leaped to his right, slashing my dagger across his back as I moved past, feeling the resistance as it slid through his flesh. The notifications blinked in my peripheral vision but, thankfully, didn¡¯t get in the way. He grunted, spun faster than I expected, and swung the hatchet down in a vicious arc. I twisted at the last second, and the blade glanced off my chest armor, the impact sending me sprawling. I tumbled across the ground, and my breath was knocked out of me. Before I could get to my feet, he was towering over me, hatchet raised again. This time, he flipped it to bring the blunt end crashing down toward my face. I rolled, dirt grinding into my side, and he stumbled as his weight shifted onto his wounded leg. ¡°I¡¯m gonna like hurting you,¡± he growled, his voice dripping with malice. He stomped toward me as I rolled again, his movements uneven, each step a struggle to keep his balance. ¡°Got a whole night to enjoy it too.¡± I managed a quick tumble, landing back on my feet with surprising grace. Facing him again, I stole a glance at Heather. She was still on the ground, recovering from the blow that had sent me flying. Her wide eyes locked onto me paralyzed with fear. Move, Goddamn it! I wanted to yell, but I had no time. Fighting someone with weapons wasn¡¯t my usual game come to think of it, fighting wasn¡¯t really my game. But still, his movements seemed basic enough. I think he relied on big and strong. He swung his hatchets wildly left, then right, then left again. He was strong and fast, but I was quicker, reacting on instinct. Metal clanged against metal as I parried each strike, but his relentless attacks drove me backward. I retreated carefully, keeping my footing, each step measured. My dexterity was the only thing keeping me alive. I could almost sense where his next move would land before he even swung, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I wasn¡¯t gaining ground. I could feel it¡ªI wasn¡¯t winning. Then his sluggish movements began to quicken, and dread coiled in my stomach as the truth hit me: he was healing himself. Every wound I¡¯d inflicted was vanishing right before my eyes. All that effort, gone. Back to square one. He let out a snort and lunged at me, his hatchet arcing down in the same predictable way. I parried the strike with ease and seized the opening, ramming my left shoulder into his armpit. With a sharp thrust, I drove my dagger deep into his side, feeling the blade bite through flesh. His scream of pain was guttural and raw, and I knew I¡¯d hit something vital. It was time to end this. I left the dagger buried in his side and gripped my short sword with both hands, raising it for a decisive blow aimed at his head. But somehow, he spun around at the last second. I tried to get back behind him, but his hatchet came swinging toward my neck. Desperately, I moved to block with my sword, but he changed his swing mid-strike, slamming the blunt end into my hand instead. Agony exploded through my fingers as they shattered under the force of the blow. It felt like being struck by a hammer. I cried out, my vision flashing red as the pain shot up my arm, threatening to consume me. YOU HAVE SUFFERED BLUNT FORCE TRAMA TO THE RIGHT HAND AND FINGERS. 11 POINTS DAMAGE TO HAND AND FINGERS. YOU HAVE SUFFERED CRITICAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS. It was excruciating, worse than anything I ever felt before. I lost the sword, broken fingers not great at holding things. I took to step back to regather, but he moved too fast, pressing his advantage. I kept my eyes on him, again, he swung the thing at me, blunt edge only. He really didn¡¯t want to kill me. I thought. I didn¡¯t really want to test the theory, though. The dagger in his side had fallen out, but I didn¡¯t see where it was. I was running out of options. The panic I had breathed away was coming back with each throbbing of my broken fingers. He kept swinging and swinging. I needed to heal, to get a potion in me, so I could pick up my weapon. Out of nowhere, in the middle of one of his famously unoriginal attacks, he pivoted on his right foot and gave me a wicked kick in the chest. Hard. It wasn¡¯t enough to really cause any damage, but I found myself knocked back against the pillar of stone at the side of the road. He came down again with a hatchet. My head was rattled, and I stupidly tried to parry with my broken hand. This time, however, he twisted to the left and altered the swing, bringing the hatchet down on my open palm. The thing cleaved my hand in two, between my middle fingers and down to the wrist. Blood gushed. I screamed as he yanked the weapon out of my hand. ¡°You little shit.¡± He sneered, swinging his other hatchet broadside onto my temple. There was a crunch when he did that. It was not a crunch I ever wanted to hear again, and I could feel my right eye shift in its socket. ¡°Fucking Elves. I should fucking kill you.¡± He grabbed me by the front of the collar and yanked me, throwing me onto the road. I bounced onto my chest; my left arm had rolled under me, and my mangled, destroyed hand in front. It was over. I could feel it. There was nothing but pain, and what happened to my head wasn¡¯t good. I could feel pressure behind my misshaped eye socket. It was swelling. Something was pushing the eye out¡­ I could only look at my bisected and demolished hand. Blood gushed onto the gravel as the world started to fade from my vision. But then, it all stopped. Not the world, but the gushing. A feeling of warmth entered my body. A golden glow started pushing away the darkness. The edges of my decimated hand knitted themselves back together. My eye shifted, and the swelling reversed. Within a second, my hand closed back up like a zipper. The fog of my mind started to clear. I looked up and saw Heather, still lying on her stomach, holding out her hand, which glowed with healing magic. I was about to get up when a heavy boot slammed into the small of my back, knocking the wind out of me. My chin banged onto the hard-packed surface, rattling my teeth. Carpenter guy quickly stepped over to Heather and kicked her hard in the face. There was the sound of a cracking bone, and she flopped over, unmoving. I tried to get up, but my body was still in shock, not responding; the magic that was healing me had stopped. But my hand was as good as new, and my VP was close to the top. My head was still spinning, but I was back in it. The dagger was just a couple of feet away, and I rolled to grab it. ¡°Oh, no, you fucking don¡¯t.¡± He was on me in a flash, kicking me in the head with the same ferocity as he did Heather. The image of his boot colliding with my face and the dagger just out of reach, lingered in my vision for what seemed an eternity, but slowly, blackness was all I could see. Chapter Eight: Mom would be proud; I finally got a job. Chapter Eight: Mom would be proud; I finally got a job. The world was static, with flashing lights and bleeding colors. The Whisperer was shouting in my head, but she was distant and coming in snippets, broken up like an out-of-tune AM radio. N W# U T: &S#C E&F M T*E S AV CA#P %%%%%%%%%%@@@@@ *********FI&&&&24&&&&## The words appeared in white Helvetica on a black background, or was it Arial? But they weren¡¯t words, really; letters dropped out digital glitch style with other characters dropping in for the party. My brain wasn¡¯t right, and the garbled crap in my vision reflected it. A picture of a large, ugly boot was in my face now, the last thing I saw. But it wasn¡¯t. I focused, thinking about my time on the road. Memories came back. It was all just still images, mostly of the Carpenter beating me savagely and yelling. I could remember my face getting punched over and over, even though I couldn¡¯t move. I¡¯m sure there was a kick or five to the ribs with the beatdown. So yeah, that happened. I was lucky I was pretty much a vegetable at the time, thank God. But now, it was coming back. VP recovers over time; my brain must have been rewiring itself enough for me to start thinking again. I now had synapses ¡®o plenty to enjoy the pain and PTSD. I wasn¡¯t sure what the worst part was: the pounding in my skull, the fiery ache in my side with every shallow breath, or the screaming protest of my wrists and hands. My body felt like roadkill looked, and it made sure I knew it. I stirred, wincing as I cracked open my eyes. ¡°Thank the Goddess,¡± Heather whispered, her voice shaky and slurred. ¡°Regan, close your eyes and don¡¯t move.¡± Regan Obliged. Perfect. Moving wasn¡¯t high on the list anyway breathing was good enough. The pain in my wrists was inching its way down my arms, though, and was promising to become a bigger problem soon. I closed my eyes again, searching for the hidden joy of a throbbing Pink Floyd Laser Light Show projected on the inside of my eyelids. ¡°Why?¡± I croaked. Talking hurt, but curiosity won out over self-preservation. ¡°The guard,¡± she murmured. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ waiting for you to wake up.¡± She hesitated, then corrected herself, her voice hitching. ¡°They¡­They¡¯re waiting.¡± That wasn¡¯t good. Pain took a step aside for a little bit for terror to twist its virtual dagger in my gut. I pried my eyelids open again, this time slower, letting the scene come into focus. Cage or crate? That was the burning question my pain-addled brain decided to fixate on. The hard wooden walls reeked of sweat and dust, closing us in on all sides except for a metal door with bars that said cage louder than crate. The space was maybe three and a half feet tall and six feet wide¡ªjust enough for two bodies to fit without touching. Cozy: if your idea of cozy includes suffocation. Above me, my hands were chained, locked in manacles the width of my wrist bones, suspended from an ¡°O¡± ring bolted to the ceiling. Fantastic. My arms were going numb, but on the bright side, that was one less area of active pain. Outside, it was dark. My lights had gone out at high noon, but night had fully set in now. I could see well enough with elf vision through the bars. Across a small empty field, a canvas tent glowed faintly from the firelight sputtering in a small pit. A lone figure sat by the flames, his back to us¡ªclassic bad-guy camping pose. I tried accessing my storage inventory, desperate for even a scrap of help, but I just got a face full of old-school TV static. Honestly? The cage or crate debate was starting to feel important. Call it distraction therapy. ¡°Why can¡¯t I examine my inventory?¡± ¡°The shackles,¡± She whispered. ¡°They inhibit magic.¡± Then she moaned. ¡°You need to stay quiet. They want to rape you when you wake up.¡± I finally looked over at her, and my heart sank. Heather had been beaten badly. Granted, it was not as bad as me, but it was bad enough to make my stomach churn. Her right eye was swollen shut, the bone around it misshapen from a kick hard enough to crack her eye socket. I knew how that felt, I wish I didn¡¯t, though. A jagged gash split her scalp, and the right side of her face and hair were caked with blood. Her robe was torn open to the waist, her undergarments disheveled but mercifully intact. She hung limply, all the poise and grace of a priestess stripped away. She couldn¡¯t even hold her head up. Blood and tears streaked her cheeks, cutting paths through the grime like cruel reminders of her suffering. The sight of her broke something in me. My own pain vanished in the shadow of hers. She was so beautiful and seeing her like this was¡­I wanted to cry for her¡ªno, I wanted to scream for her. ¡°Oh...oh Jesus,¡± The state of her robes just hit me. ¡°Did they...?¡± ¡°No,¡± Heather said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m a priestess of Amania; other than kicking me around, they won¡¯t touch me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound so happy about that.¡± I groaned, fighting off the urge to throw up. ¡°They¡¯re slavers,¡± Heather said. ¡°We¡¯re just the merchandise. You¡¯re more valuable in a brothel, but no one cares what happens to you before you arrive.¡± She coughed dryly. ¡°They told me someone from the Church of Granvul up north would pay a good price for a Priestess of Amania, however, especially one that¡¯s a virgin.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose they just want you to sweep up around the place?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe, for a day or two.¡± She grinned, not a pretty site with her swollen lip. ¡°But mostly, I¡¯ll be defiled on a sacrificial altar and then stabbed through the heart so their god can have his way with my soul for all eternity.¡± ¡°All kinds of bad in there. What about Gem and the others.?¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± Heather whispered. The guard was returning. I closed my eyes. I could hear footsteps crunching on pine needles outside the cage. ¡°Our little snack¡¯s not awake yet?¡± said the man. He had a nasal voice like he had a pinched nose. Maybe it was broken and not set right. He also had a slight whistle when he breathed. ¡°Give ¡®er a kick.¡± Heather weakly kicked me on the hip, and I made my best ragdoll impression. ¡°The boys are gettin¡¯ anxious.¡± He leaned close to the cage door. ¡°Maybe if she doesn¡¯t come around soon, we might each take a turn with you.¡± Heather didn¡¯t reply. He turned around with a Hmf! and walked away. ¡°He¡¯s a keeper.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Heather cried quietly. ¡°I should have run, and then you wouldn¡¯t have to come to help me.¡± ¡°Not now,¡± I said, leaning up. ¡°We only have a couple of minutes.¡± I took stock of what I had. They had ripped the bandolier and magic ring off. Predictable. Leaving me in my armor, boots, and, most importantly, my belt. Things were looking up. ¡°I need you to help me get my belt off.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Trust me,¡± I said, painfully moving onto my knees and pushing my hips towards her. ¡°It¡¯s a rogue thing, come on.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I shout-whispered. ¡°Teeth, toes, whatever, just hurry!¡± Heather tried vainly to bend over, but that didn¡¯t work. So, she started working the belt off with her feet. Even though she never wore shoes, her feet were always immaculate. Why that observation was kicking around in my head at the moment was a mystery to me. ¡°Shit,¡± I said, admiring her as she worked the leather between her toes, tugging the hole away from the prong. ¡°Is it wrong that I find this a bit of a turn-on?¡± ¡°Not really. Perverts like you like this gross stuff.¡± She pinched her toes and pulled while I wiggled my hips to loosen it from the loops. ¡°If none of this works, you need to take my virginity.¡± ¡°So, you can be a whore instead of being sacrificed?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be a whore for a lifetime than a whore for eternity to the God of Domination.¡± ¡°Yikes,¡± I whispered. ¡°Pass it up here.¡± I waved my right hand. I had been holding it up, taking my weight off it. I worked out the pins and needles while she undid the belt. ¡°Of course, it would be hard to do that if we¡¯re all chained up.¡± She pulled the end up to my right hand with her foot. I grasped it and worked it up until I reached the middle. Thankfully, my hand was healed from having been bisected on the road by the Carpenter; otherwise, this would have been impossible. ¡°Thank you, by the way,¡± I whispered. ¡°For healing me on the road.¡± ¡°I¡¯m as good as my word. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Rogue shit.¡± I smiled. ¡°Funny thing about storage devices...¡± I reached into a small leather flap on my belt and pulled out one of my lock picks. I instinctually knew how to use them from my starter kit skills but had not actually had the opportunity to practice. I wriggled the pick around in the left shackle, looking for the lever. ¡°People just assume that you keep everything in storage for security...¡± I wriggled the first hub, then the second hub. I alternated between each one. ¡°...Ideally...¡± I muttered as I felt myself stray off-topic. ¡°...I¡¯d have two of these, but the other one is in my boot.¡± The lock clicked, and the manacle released. ¡°Stash a hot item or two in a place nobody will think to search.¡± ¡°I will never talk ill of Rogues again.¡± She whispered. ¡°So, do you still want me to take your virginity?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take maybe.¡± I pulled my foot up. ¡°It¡¯s progress.¡± I kicked off my boot and grabbed the other pick. I placed it in my right hand and started working the manacle. Then, I used the pick in my left hand on the hole and released it in half the time. The Whisperer was anything but quiet in my head as she shouted: NEW QUEST: ESCAPE FROM CAPTIVITY You¡¯ve just had your ass handed to you. And now you are in a cage surrounded by twelve nasty men who want to do horrible things to you before selling you to more men who will want to do even more horrible things to you. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE DECLINED. To complete the quest, you must:
  1. Escape from this cage.
  2. Escape from this camp.
Rewards:
  1. Freedom is its own reward.
A wall of notifications ran down my vision. I ignored them, pulling a health potion out of my storage. I uncapped it and held it up to Heather¡¯s lips. ¡°Turnabout is fair play. And you¡¯re way too pretty to have a nasty swollen eye.¡± Heather sipped it down; she winced as the bone around her eye shifted and the swelling went down. Gem: By the gods! Are you okay? Regan: They have us in magic-suppressing restraints. I just got mine off. Where are you? Gem: I got away after the initial attack and followed the gang to the camp. I¡¯m in a tree, ready to strike. Regan: Where are the others? Gem: You are all parked in wagons beside a small fire pit. I can see the whole camp from here. Regan: I¡¯ll get back to you in a minute. ¡°Gem¡¯s okay,¡± I told Heather. ¡°She got away during the ambush. She says there¡¯s another cage next to ours. The boys are probably in it. I can¡¯t open this door, though. The lock¡¯s on the other side.¡± I unequipped my bloody and beaten-up armor and equipped the dark stealth armor I got with the starter kit. ¡°We need him to open it.¡± ¡°So, act like you woke up.¡± She suggested. ¡°He might bring his friends, and you saw how I am in a fair fight. I suck. We need him to just open it up enough to peek in.¡± Regan: Let me know when the guard comes back. Gem: Okay, sure. Nothing yet. ¡°I do have a question,¡± I whispered to her. I slipped back over to her side and started unlocking her manacles. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you need to be a virgin for The Church of Purity, or is that a personal choice?¡± ¡°As a priestess,¡± She whispered. ¡°I have sworn to live a virtuous life.¡± ¡°Not the same thing as being a virgin.¡± ¡°No,¡± She was getting irritated. ¡°But climbing into bed anytime you get the urge is not helpful.¡± ¡°So, you can be virtuous without being a virgin then?¡± ¡°Yes. Why the fuck are we talking about this?¡± ¡°Did you just say ¡®Fuck¡¯?¡± I opened her left manacle and then the right. ¡°Yes, I did. What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°Hold your hands up and just keep these closed around your wrists so it looks like they¡¯re still locked.¡± ¡°Okay, fine. Again, why this right now?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m scared shitless.¡± I was trying to hold back what was looking to be a collapse. ¡°I want to talk about something to take my mind off how close I am to being raped and murdered or worse.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she whispered. ¡°Also,¡± I continued. ¡°I get turned on pretty much all the time. Every second of every day since I got here, I just want to jump someone.¡± ¡°Oh boy.¡± ¡°And you are so beautiful. And even now, I just want to slide over there and finish pulling that robe off you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Heather raised her hands slightly, a defensive gesture. ¡°We can talk about this later, I promise.¡± She scooted closer and gently pulled me into a hug, careful not to aggravate my injuries. ¡°May the Goddess bless you,¡± she whispered in my ear. ¡°May her grace flow through you, cleansing your body and soul.¡± A warm glow enveloped me. Panic flared as I worried the guard might notice, but the soothing magic of her healing power worked through me, mending what was broken in both mind and body. My VP bar climbed steadily, moving from one-third to full. For a brief moment, I felt safe and whole. Gem: He just got up. ¡°Shit,¡± I pushed Heather back, moved into the opposite corner, and activated Stealth. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡± I summoned Sick Stick. ¡°Let him talk himself into opening the door.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± She said. Regan: Be ready to drop his ass, but only when I tell you. Gem: Understood. ¡°How¡¯s the snack?¡± Heather sat silently, her face turned away, hiding her newly healed eye from the guard. I was impressed with her performance. The guard pressed his face up to the bars. He was human, clad in scale armor and a helmet that masked most of his face. ¡°Fuck,¡± he said. ¡°Where that little whore go?¡± Heather was motionless, not responding, keeping her arms up and face turned away. ¡°Answer, you bitch, or I¡¯ll break your other eye!¡± He gripped the bars of the door and shook it. It looked like the cage was about chest-high on him. I wondered if an arrow would kill him with his armor. The alternative was for Gem to kill him and sneak into the camp. She¡¯s good, but it would be better for me to be the one sneaking around, and it would be a tragedy if she were captured. To my relief, there was a rattling of keys as he pulled out his ring and fumbled for the right one. He inserted it with a grunt. And turned the key, unlocking the door. ¡°Gonna find out what the fuck is going on.¡± He pulled it open. Regan: NOW! Thwip! One of Gem¡¯s arrows landed squarely in his back. Just as he was about to cry out, I leaped through the door and jammed Sick Stick deep into his shoulder. He toppled backward, the arrow snapping as he collided with the ground. 13 vp damage to CAMP GUARD. CAMP GUARD SUFFERS STUN DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 3 SECONDS CAMP GUARD SUFFERS TILT A HURL DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 5 SECONDS I landed on top of him, straddling his chest. I pinned him to the ground by the arms with my knees. His head was rolling around from the debuffs. ¡°Saw something like this on Breaking Bad,¡± I whispered to him. Vomit spewed into his mouth, but I shoved my hands under his helmet. I pinched his nose with one hand and clamped my other over his mouth. They were wedged between his face and the metal, trapping everything in. I pressed down with all my weight. I was thankful for being a Half-Elf and having tiny little hands. ¡°Sad, really, she was a mess, but Jane was definitely my type.¡± He spasmed and jerked but didn¡¯t struggle. The drowning seemed to disconnect his mind from his body, and he flopped helplessly underneath me. After a few seconds, all movement stopped when he passed out. I kept my grip on him. Then, there was shuddering as the dying flesh tried to expel the fluid from the lungs. After a half dozen scrolling damage notifications, the final notice came. I could see his eyes staring upward through the narrow slits in the helmet, seeing nothing. YOU HELPED DEFEAT CAMP GUARD. +237xp CORPSE: CAMP GUARD. LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. mEDIUM QUALITY SCALE ARMOR AND HELMET
  2. SMALL HAND WHIP
  3. CAMP GUARD KEYS
  4. STORAGE RING (LOCKED TO OWNER)
  5. A NOTE FROM SVEN
  6. 7GP
  7. 13SP
  8. 27CP
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? ¡°Fuck!¡± I whispered, crawling backward until I bumped into the wagon wheel. ¡°Oh, Jesus¡¯s mother fucking...fuck...shit.¡± Tears ran down my cheeks as I pulled my knees up and hugged them. What the fuck just happened? I killed him. I fucking killed him, and I acted like a goddamn TV psychopath when I did it. Swinging an axe at an orc was one thing, but holding a lung full of vomit in a man¡¯s mouth so he choked to death was some Dexter-level shit. ¡°Regan.¡± It was Heather. She was leaning out of the cage door. ¡°Regan.¡± She repeated more sternly when I didn¡¯t reply. ¡°We have to get moving.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I said quietly. But I didn¡¯t move from the spot. I needed a minute. I needed process all this shit. I looked over at Mr. Camp Guard. The loot notification was still hanging in the air. I gritted my teeth. ¡°Everything¡¯s peachy. I¡¯m just feeling my feelings.¡± Heather climbed down out of the cart and onto the ground at my side. ¡°This is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will.¡± DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? ¡°So, you need to shelve what you¡¯re feeling right now until we are out of this.¡± ¡°I thought he was the one.¡± I pointed at the guard. ¡°But he just turned out to be another rapist asshole.¡± ¡°And we are right in the middle of a camp of them.¡± Heather stood up and looked around. She was right. I mean, of course, she was. I was the new kid. She and the others lived with this kind of stuff. But damn. ¡°Get down.¡± I snarled, sliding over to the guard. ¡°You don¡¯t want anyone seeing you.¡± I selected Yes, and his armor and everything else moved into storage. ¡°Help me throw him in the wagon.¡± QUEST UPDATE: ESCAPE FROM CAPTIVITY
  1. You have escaped from the cage.
We lifted the guard, a one-hundred-and-sixty-pound sack of human shit, into the cart. I slipped Sick Stick under the fabric and cut off his underwear, leaving him completely nude, and then closed the door. He was middle-aged and had a pasty, dirty body that looked like he had lived a hard life. And now he¡¯s a pile of meat in a cage. ¡°And what is the point of that?¡± Heather asked. ¡°They treat us like animals, strip us, and lock us in cages. Like I said, turnabout is fair play.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± I suddenly remembered the note in the camp guard¡¯s pocket and pulled it out: Jenner and Co, Handoff: Third Caedasin of Funa at Twin Boulder Pass. 500gp/head Bonuses for Clergy, Skilled Workers, and Exotics. The boss will not accept dwarves; they are not profitable. See you then, happy hunting. Sven ¡°Hey, Heather,¡± I whispered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the third Caedasin of Funa?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tomorrow is the third Caedasin of Funa.¡± She audibly sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the day of the month.¡± I really needed to know this stuff. I had a quest and everything. ¡°Oh...¡± ...Piece it together, Regan... ¡°...shit.¡± ¡°What.¡± ¡°The main group is coming here tomorrow.¡± ¡°Not the best news.¡± Regan: Can you see the whole camp from up there? Gem: Yes. There are four tents. The one by the fire pit doesn¡¯t have anyone in it. The other three have one guard on watch and three sleeping in each. They have the carts, plus a carriage parked off to the side with four horses. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anybody over there. Regan: Do the guards have a line of sight on each other? Gem: It looks like two can see each other. The third one is sitting on the far side of the furthest tent to the right, so he¡¯s out of site. Regan: Can you remove either of the two that can see each other? Gem: Of course I can. Regan: Are those tents facing this one? Gem: No, they are facing the road. Regan: Standby for now. I¡¯m gonna get Jinx and Kev. Heather is stashed away safely. I followed Heather¡¯s advice and shoved it down, locking the panic away. I counted down from ten in my mind. That was all the time I could afford to give myself. I willed the revulsion to settle and forced the adrenaline to simmer down. Focus. Take stock. I¡¯d killed one man. I could do it again. My friends and I might not survive the night if I didn''t. The camp was still quiet. No alarm was raised. The others were still locked up. Eleven more people stood between us and safety. Eleven. I replayed Gem¡¯s briefing in my head, arranging the pieces like a grim chessboard: three sentries, nine sleeping men, three tents. It was straightforward, in theory. In practice, it was a mess waiting to happen. I couldn¡¯t stop the comparison: this felt like Hitman. That game had driven me up the wall with its puzzles. Carefully timed actions and precise movements, with no room for error. Except now, instead of pixelated guards, there were real men with, like, actual weapons. And instead of reloading a save after screwing up¡­well... Don¡¯t screw up. No pressure. ¡°Hey, boys,¡± I whispered into the cage next to ours. Jinx was there, covered in cuts and bruises, and so was Kev, equally battered. He took up more than half the cart with his enormous size. ¡°Holy shite, love,¡± Jinx whispered back. ¡°We ''eard somethin'' ''appenin'' over there, thank the gods it¡¯s just you. Get us outta these fucking things.¡± ¡°On it,¡± I unlocked the door with the guard¡¯s key. ¡°We need to take out this team before we can escape.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°They outnumber us by three to one,¡± Kev whispered. ¡°If we just run,¡± Jinx said. ¡°They¡¯ll chase us down.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just beat them based on numbers alone.¡± ¡°We kinda have to do it.¡± I was trying to keep my voice down. ¡°The rest of the crew is coming tomorrow. We need to get as much space between us and them as we can tonight. We can¡¯t do that if these assholes are chasing us.¡± I pulled off Jinx¡¯s manacles and then Kev¡¯s before handing him my prybar. ¡°Pull those things out of there. I want them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re illegal.¡± He protested. ¡°Uh, yeah, Kev. And I want them.¡± He grunted, pulled out the two sets of manacles, and handed them to me along with the pry bar. He then awkwardly squeezed himself through the tiny cage door and thudded on the ground next to Jinx, whose arm hung limp and was covered in blood. ¡°Here,¡± Heather whispered, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Healing magic rushed into their bodies and out through the bruises and cuts in the form of golden light. They both gasped as all the damage done to them vanished in less than a second. ¡°Send my thanks to your Goddess, love,¡± Jinx said, moving his arm in a circle and getting the stiffness out. ¡°And thank you.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± She replied. ¡°Get under the cart and stay there until one of us gets you,¡± I told her. She started to protest. ¡°You want to start doing the shit I just did?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a healer.¡± She hissed. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Right,¡± Kev said. ¡°Being in the last place they will look is your best option.¡± ¡°Gem is stationed up in a tree and has eyes on the whole camp.¡± I led them away from the carts and towards the empty tent. ¡°Most of the gang is bedded down.¡± Except for the ones that want to rape me. I almost said out loud. ¡°So, we attack them in their sleep then,¡± Jinx suggested. ¡°That¡¯s the easy part of the plan. The big hiccup is that they¡¯re in three separate tents. With a guard on each.¡± ¡°Running still off the table?¡± Kev asked. I rearranged all the pieces in my head again. Two guards together. We couldn¡¯t just kill one of them; the other could alert the rest. Kill them simultaneously, sure, but the third guy might hear something. All he has to do is look around the corner, and we¡¯re boned. ¡°Gem and I will take out the guards.¡± I hesitated momentarily; I needed a beat before making the most insane statement of my entire life. ¡°And then I¡¯ll take out the sleeping ones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Kev said. ¡°No,¡± Jinx said. ¡°No bleedin'' way are you goin'' into them tents on yer own!¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think Mr. Giant Hammer and Mr. Lightning can exactly sneak in there and get the job done. These bastards are hardcore. They took us out in less than what? Two minutes. Even if we can beat them, I don¡¯t want any of us to get killed in the process.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going in there and slitting nine throats.¡± Kev protested. ¡°I was thinking more of a blade to the heart, nice and quick.¡± I stood up on my tip toes at Kev. ¡°This is dumb. We need to move. They¡¯re waiting for¡­me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I grabbed Kev by the arm, my grip tighter than I realized. ¡°Kev, they¡¯re waiting for me to wake up,¡± I said, forcing him to meet my eyes. For the love of God, get there, Kev! He was not processing. ¡°Do you understand? They want me to wake up so they can R-dash-dash-dash me.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Kev stepped back. ¡°Yeah.¡± The light finally flickered on in his head. ¡°Gods.¡± He broke eye contact and looked away. There was a lot of not making eye contact for a moment. Deep breaths. ¡°I guess...I can just do two of the tents.¡± I felt like I was negotiating with a ten-year-old over how many pieces of candy we could each have. ¡°Okay? You two can handle the last one. Go crazy if you want.¡± The three of us sneaked over to the empty tent. The thing had a large chest on one side, an old-school round top, like a proper loot chest. If I didn¡¯t just get the ever-loving shit beat out of me earlier today, I would have been jazzed as hell to see it. A cot was in one corner, and a table with glassware, a small burner, and several ingredient jars were in the opposite one. ¡°Alchemy,¡± Jinx looked at me with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this bloke was into.¡± He headed over and started poking at the containers. I squatted down next to the chest and examined it. It was about two feet by three feet and beautifully crafted with decorative features, polished wood, and shining brass fixtures. I tried the keys on the lock and found a match. The dude we killed may have been ¡°Camp Guard,¡± but he had the keys to everything. As soon as it opened, an inventory screen appeared in the space over it. I didn¡¯t waste time looking at it. I just pulled the thing into my storage space. NULL SPACE STORAGE OVERLOAD YOU ARE STORING SIX NULL SPACE STORAGE DEVICES INSIDE A NULL SPACE STORAGE DEVICE INSIDE YOUR NULL SPACE STORAGE. YOU ARE SUFFERING VERTIGO DEBUFF UNTIL THE OVERLOAD IS CORRECTED TIME REMAINING: INDEFINITE. ¡°Shit.¡± I collapsed to my knees. The other two rushed to my side, but I put a hand up. My head was doing somersaults as I suffered the debuff. I just had to push through all the wavey lines. ¡°Too many storage devices,¡± I grunted. ¡°Give me a second.¡± I fought the dry heaves while trying to access my inventory. Hundreds of items filled my vision, exacerbating my already suffering senses. I quickly and painfully sorted the list until I reached the personal storage items and promptly dumped them out of my inventory: four rings, a necklace, and a bracelet clattered to the tent''s floor. The debuff stopped immediately. ¡°That was stupid,¡± I rolled onto my back, trying to keep whatever was in my stomach down. ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°That one¡¯s mine.¡± Kev picked up one of the rings. Jinx reached down and grabbed the bracelet, a clip-on gold chain that looked like someone had taken a hammer to it. He helped me to my feet, and I took a couple of deep breaths. ¡°What about the rest?¡± Jinx asked. ¡°Heather has one. The rest are probably from their victims.¡± Kev said, poking at the small pile of rings. ¡°They¡¯re just waiting to get them cracked by a ritualist.¡± ¡°Ours now,¡± I snatched them up and slipped them back into my space. Since they were no longer in the chest, the vertigo did not return. That meant I could increase my storage by adding devices to my space. Cool, I thought. I was letting this crap distract me, though. I needed to do some nasty shit in a very short time. I plopped Camp Guard¡¯s armor down. ¡°Okay, Jinx, you need to put this on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wear armor, love.¡± ¡°Just until we clear out the sentries. Sit on the log by the fire. That¡¯s where this guy was. It should only take a couple of minutes. Kev, stay in here.¡± I pointed to the floor of the tent. ¡°Both of you keep an eye on Heather.¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly in charge?¡± Kev glared at me. ¡°Shhh,¡± Jinx said, holding his finger to his lips. ¡°Right now, jus¡¯ Listen to ¡®er.¡± ¡°Kev, this is a stealth operation. You two guys are great, but we will lose in a straight-up fight.¡± I pulled my cloak out of my storage space and slipped it on. ¡°After Gem and I do our thing, I want you to watch my back while I finish off the others.¡± I pulled up the hood. ¡°Tent number three is yours, so you¡¯ll get some payback.¡± I slipped out of the tent a second later, not waiting for his reply. Jinx was right behind, wearing the guard¡¯s armor. Jinx: You up for this Love? Regan: I already looked a man in the eye while I killed him. It was the most horrific thing I ever did or saw. Jinx: Sweet Jesus! Regan: So, yes and no. Up for it, yes. Looking forward to it, no. I am going to be dealing with some shit for a while. Jinx: Love, I¡¯m so sorry it came to this. Regan: I got my ass handed to me when I tried to fight fair. So, no more fighting fair. These men aren¡¯t even men, they¡¯re animals. I activated Stealth and slipped around the camp¡¯s perimeter, hugging the shadows until I reached the right-hand tent. The guard there was alone¡ªperfect. He wore the same scaled armor as his buddy but no helmet. Shaggy brown curls spilled across his forehead, making him look younger, maybe in his early twenties. For a second, I thought of Jinx and his grunge band back in the nineties. This guy could¡¯ve been one of his bandmates, rocking out under cheap stage lights and breaking hearts all over London. Too bad he was here being all gross and rapey. Shaggy sat on a little bench a few feet from the tent¡¯s side, arms folded and chin dipped to his chest. Was he asleep? It was hard to tell, and I wasn¡¯t about to test it. I took the safe route, moving in behind him. Stealth kept me silent, at least on the outside. Inside? I could hear every sound my body made. My heart was pounding like a kick drum, every breath sounded like a wind tunnel, and I was pretty sure I could hear the sweat rolling down my temple. It was a great skill to have, but not the best for anxiety. I drew in a steadying breath as I circled closer. I started my little mental timer. Counting down ten seconds in my head, I focused on him¡ªthis grungy little asshole ruining my night. At three, I pulled out Sick Stick. The instant it was in my hand, I felt the familiar surge of strength and dexterity. Fear was still there, coiled tight in my chest. My body was vibrating like a busted guitar amp ready to blow. But my hand? Steady. No tremble, no hesitation. At the count of one, I carefully reached for the man¡¯s moppy hair with my right hand. On the count of zero, I gripped hard and yanked his head back to expose his neck. In as quick a motion as I could, I reached across with the dagger and then pulled it back across his throat. Sick Stick did its thing and sliced silently through his Adam¡¯s apple and both carotids. BACKSTAB ATTACK ON CAMP GUARD 12VP DAMAGE WITH SICK STICK DAGGER X2 BACKSTAB DAMAGE X3 CRITICAL WEAKNESS DAMAGE X3 SLEEPING ATTACK DAMAGE 216VP DAMAGE SEVERE BLEED EFFECT DAMAGE 20VP/SECOND SEVERE DAMAGE TO THROAT AND LARYNX 60VP/SECOND CAMP GUARD SUFFERS STUN DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 3 SECONDS CAMP GUARD SUFFERS TILT A HURL DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 5 SECONDS I dropped the blade and gripped him by the mouth with both hands, hugging his head against me with all my strength. He scrambled and fumbled quietly, unable to scream out and too stunned to function as his body went into shock. Everything leaked out of his neck. Blood gushed from the severed arteries. Vomit and mucus spurted from his exposed trachea as he choked. The world was silent, but I could hear each time he struggled for air, his severed throat pulling blood and vomit into his lungs and every beat of his heart as it slowed. I could hear the rush of blood as it pushed its way out of his severed arteries. The damage notices ticked down. He lost more than a quarter of his life in the initial attack. And was losing one hundred Vitality Points per second after. The only sounds anyone would be able to hear were the scraping of his feet on the ground and the soft trickle of fluids as they ran down his front. Even his labored breaths were inaudible to anyone on this planet but me. He grew cold as the final notice came on: YOU HAVE DEFEATED CAMP GUARD. +500xp CORPSE: CAMP GUARD. LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. LOW-QUALITY SCALE ARMOR
  2. ONE-HANDED SWORD, MEDIUM QUALITY
  3. DAGGER, MEDIUM QUALITY
  4. CAMP GUARD KEYS
  5. 3GP
  6. 7SP
  7. 19CP
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? Camp Guard. It was strange that The Whisperer didn¡¯t tell me their names. She certainly would have known who they were if she had known enough to know what they were. Then again, this shit would be harder the more I knew about this guy. I selected Yes. All of what he had, transferred to my storage space. I lowered his naked body to the ground silently because that was how I rolled. I picked up Sick Stick. My hands: rock fucking steady the whole time. Gingerly and with abundant caution, I listened to the tent, trying to sense any disturbance inside. There was nothing, just the sound of snoozing. I inched around the back side until I was in position for the next one. The guard was supposed to be stationed on a bench next to the front flap of the center tent. I had been in stealth mode for quite a while now and decided to use a minor AP potion to top off my points. I selected it in the inventory and thought about drinking it. And surprisingly, it splashed right into my mouth, leaving an empty bottle in storage. It tasted like flat orange soda. It would have been nice if someone told me I could just consume something straight from storage! I screamed in my head, hoping The Whisperer heard that and felt a little bad at least. I peeked around the corner, and there he was. His eyes were fixed on the moon above. It is easy to get lost in that view, I should know. He had no armor at all. Just wearing a doublet and tights. His hair was blonde and cropped short, and he was surprisingly clean-shaven for being part of a bunch of degenerates. With my enhanced night vision, it was plain as day, and I had to remind myself that the dim, aqua moonlight wasn''t much for most people to see with. The other guard was sitting on a similar bench, wearing only a basic tunic and pants. His armor was just a leather breastplate and some arm protection. Regan: Gem, will one arrow take out the guy in leather armor? Gem: Yeah Regan: On my mark. Gem: Ready I started counting down again, from Ten to Zero. I slipped around the corner in full stealth on four. Sick Stick came into my hand on three. On one, I sent word to Gem. Regan: Drop him. Gem: With pleasure. Thwip! I slid behind my guard as the arrow struck the forehead of Gem¡¯s. It was the same tried and true procedure. I grasped him from behind and slid my dagger across the neck. I held him close and tight, listening and feeling him die. Good times. DAGGER SKILL INCREASED Dagger: Level 2 Strength +1 Dexterity +1 You have used this weapon enough to increase your proficiency. All daggers now have an increased chance of causing damage. All daggers now inflict 1.5x damage to critical areas on successful attacks. Regan to Party: Okay, Boys, come on over, Gem, you too. Jinx: Understood. Kev: Understood Gem: Got it. A couple of moments later, the entire party stood before the three tents, except for Heather, who was still hiding under the cart. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to do this,¡± Kev whispered. ¡°Then you run in there and take out nine ''ardened criminals,¡± Jinx replied. ¡°This ''as nuffin to do wiv noble intentions.¡± ¡°You think I like this shit?¡± I held up a finger to Kev. ¡°In fourth grade, Kelly-Jo Melinski picked a fight with me because she thought I was moving in on her boyfriend. She gave me a black eye. That was my last fight before coming here. I just fucking offed two assholes, Jason Voorhees style.¡± ¡°I think we can win this fight.¡± Kev was right up against me and Jinx. ¡°You didn¡¯t win the last time,¡± Gem whispered. ¡°If we split up and take on a tent each, we might each get one, but the other two will be on us,¡± I said. ¡°And don¡¯t forget, I suck in a fair fight.¡± ¡°This is wrong,¡± Kev said, holding his hands out. ¡°No shit,¡± I whispered. ¡°We have to Rogue this. Cover me, just in case. Please.¡± I ducked into the first tent without waiting for a response, completely silent. I paused just inside to take it all in. I could see everything in the darkness like it was day. Three men lay on small cots evenly spaced in the twelve-foot-wide tent, with a small chest on the far side. All were fast asleep on their backs, completely unaware of my presence; two of them needed to be treated for sleep apnea. I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t need the extra kick from my vomit-inducing dagger to do this, so I pulled a regular one out. There would be less mess, anyway. I just moved to the cot on the left. The dude was there. He was a big guy. He looked like a bearded baby lying there. In my world, he would have looked like your typical middle-aged dad dropping you off at band practice. But in this place, it was easy to see how he could look brutish if standing over me. My brain was screaming as I moved the dagger into position just to the left of his sternum. My right hand held it steady by the handle. My left was on top of the hilt so I could drive it down with full force. Again, steady hands, even though the rest of me felt like a plate of Jello in Jurassic Park. I shoved it into his chest, halfway to the hilt. Eight inches of steel plowed through the bone and into the muscle of his heart. The notifications came and went. I let go of the blade and, with all the strength I could spare, I pressed down on his mouth, keeping him from crying out. He opened his eyes and tried to move, but his arms didn¡¯t know what to do. He tried to free himself from my grasp but had no chance. The heart was dead. He wouldn¡¯t pull it together in the short time he had left. His eyes, pale blue in my strange elf vision, glazed over. And his body went limp on the cot. One Down, five to go. I sighed and wrenched the dagger out of his chest. There was just a little bit of blood¡ªalmost none. Stab the heart with the nice sharp blade, and you have less of a mess to deal with. Good murder tip. I froze momentarily, listening to the other two men as they slumbered away. Nothing. I was happy and mortified at the same time. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ADVANCED TWO LEVEL 2. +1 STRENGTH +1 DEXTERITY +1 INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY NOW ASSIGN 3 POINTS TO YOUR ATTRIBUTES AT ANY TIME. YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 2 ROGUE. NEW JOB ADDED: ASSASSIN: LEVEL 1 You have killed five enlightened beings while utilizing stealth. Most people won¡¯t add that to their resume, but that unlocks the Assassin Job for you. Throughout Nya''s history, the world was shaped not by who was born but by who was killed. The cold hand of death has started or ended many wars. Be it for money, infamy, or psychotic impulse, the assassin has shaped the destinies of nations. You are now part of the dark fraternity of those who wield the tools of death with absolute precision. The Assassin Job includes the Soft Spot Benefit at Level One. New Benefits unlock every ten levels of this job. +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA SOFT SPOT BENEFIT UNLOCKED SOFT SPOT: Level 1 This benefit guides the assassin''s hand. The first strike outside of combat has a greater chance of hitting a critical target area. Benefit increases with Assassin level. BACKSTAB UPGRADED TO SNEAK ATTACK: LEVEL 1 3X DAMAGE ON ALL SNEAK ATTACKS. Backstab is no longer a thing. A good sucker punch will offer the same advantages. The damage is tripled as long as the attack is made by surprise to the target. ONE AND DONE: LEVEL 1 10% INSTANT KILL ON THE FIRST LANDED ATTACK ON A CRITICAL AREA. From now on, if you initiate combat, the first strike, if on a critical area, will have a ten percent chance to kill the target instantly. You have passed level 10 Dexterity. Disarming Traps Level 1 Unlocked. DISARM TRAPS: LEVEL 1 You may disarm Any mechanical trap you can find if you possess the proper tools. This also allows you to analyze the workings of any trap you examine. Does not work with magical traps. I could barely process the news. The Whisperer had taken things to the next level as she described all the new stuff I just got. The world decided it was time to add something to my resume: Assassin. I looked down at the asshole I just killed¡ªthe third tent guy. The dagger poking out of him made him look like a windup toy. ¡°Oh, joy,¡± I whispered/sighed. I wrenched the dagger out, and it came free with a schloop. I wiped the blade off on the blanket and admired my handy work. Three perfect kills. Stab, stab, stab and done. The world acknowledged my good work and rewarded me with the job of killing people. The Whisperer was right about one thing: stuff moves fast for rifters. I stepped out of the tent into the thick soup of awkwardness that was The Animaniacs party. Gem leaned on her bow, watching me with concern. Jinx had his usual resting bitch face, and Kev looked almost hostile. The orc was pissed, to be sure, but at the same time, I could see that there was a trace of something else on his face. He looked relieved. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I whispered to everyone, trying to find the right words to break the tension. ¡°¡­going good?¡± Then I added in my let¡¯s say stupid shit because I¡¯m a stupid shit voice. ¡°How are you guys?¡± Jinx nodded at me with an awkward smile. Kev didn¡¯t say or do anything. Gem let out the breath she¡¯d been holding for a hundred years or so. ¡°I¡¯m gonna...just gonna¡­¡± I downed another AP potion and moved to the next tent. Rinse and Repeat. I emerged from the second tent in less than ten minutes. It went faster with my new Sneak Attack skill and the fact that my Dagger skill jumped to level three right in the middle of all that. One and Done even activated once. Awesome stuff. ¡°Go get ¡®em,¡± I said wearily to Jinx and Kev. They bolted into the last tent, Hell-bent on making as big a commotion as possible. It was very loud but short between Kev¡¯s massive hammer and Jinx¡¯s lightning magic. QUEST COMPLETED: ESCAPE FROM CAPTIVITY REWARD:
  1. FREEDOM
The boys emerged after a couple of moments, looking a little better for it. ¡°Love,¡± Jinx said, walking up to me. ¡°It don¡¯t get any rougher than that.¡± ¡°It would have been,¡± I said flatly. ¡°If they had their way with us.¡± I switched out of the black armor into my tunic and pants. ¡°Loot the bodies. Then pile their naked asses in those fucking carts.¡± I started walking toward the back of the camp. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check on Heather.¡± Kev started to say something, but Jinx put his hand up. ¡°¡¯k love,¡± he said. Heather was still hiding on the ground under the cart, right where I left her. I came over and plopped down next to her underneath. ¡°Heard a commotion,¡± she said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me. My kills are much neater.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Eight.¡± I leaned back against the cart¡¯s wheel. ¡°I stabbed six through the heart and slit the throats of the other two.¡± I held out my hands. ¡°Not a drop of blood on me. Which makes no sense. Oh yeah, just unlocked Assassin, Level One. Mom would be proud; I finally got a job.¡± ¡°Just because you unlocked the job doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s who you are.¡± She reached out and took my right hand. As soon as she touched it, I realized I had been trembling. ¡°As soon as you were locked in that cage, you weren¡¯t coming out the same.¡± ¡°The creepy thing is it was so fucking¡­easy.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°The killing part. It¡¯s not like I ever came close to anything like that before. And then boom! Eight perfect kills.¡± I pulled my hand back. ¡°Oh yeah, and one assist. Almost forgot about that.¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°I knew exactly what to do, as though it were instinct. It was as if I had been doing it my entire life.¡± I pointed over at the tents. ¡°I made peanut butter sandwiches with less skill than what I did over there.¡± Heather placed a calming hand on my shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it. I¡¯m a person of faith, and I believe the gods sometimes guide us to do extraordinary things we can¡¯t normally do ourselves.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose the Goddess of Purity guided my hand tonight.¡± ¡°She might have.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Or some other god. Or maybe no god at all. I mean, who knows?¡± She placed her arm around me. ¡°Maybe you are just extraordinary.¡± ¡°There¡¯s never been anything extraordinary about me,¡± I mumbled, my head down. ¡°I seriously doubt that. The Regan Summer, that fought to save her friends, escaped magical shackles, and dispatched a gang of rapists and slavers in less than an hour, is extraordinary by any measure. I refuse to believe that you are anything less than that. Maybe this crazy world just awakened it.¡± She hugged me, squeezing me tight. ¡°I will always be grateful for what you did. But¡­¡± She had her face close to my ear and whispered. ¡°We are never, ever going to have sex.¡± We both burst out laughing. I felt the tears stream down as we held each other. Both of us felt grateful to be alive. We held on for a moment, feeling the tension slip away. ¡°Just not into girls,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Okay,¡± I wiped my face, and I pulled back. ¡°Any of these yours?¡± I removed the last four storage rings from my storage space. She picked a ring from my hand and slipped it on her finger. There was a flash of steam or smoke. She was clad in a new, pristine robe and had another staff lying across her lap. Kev arrived a moment later., dragging two bodies behind him. Jinx and Gem were right behind with one. ¡°Little help, loves?¡± Jinx asked, grunting at the effort. ¡°Why are we doing this anyway?¡± Kev asked. ¡°Because,¡± Jinx said, grunting as he heaved the body into the cart, ¡°we need to send a message.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said, crawling out from underneath. ¡°It¡¯s not about sending a message. We want it to look like an overwhelming force took these guys out, so they don¡¯t come looking for us.¡± Kev shot me an appraising look. ¡°Who even thinks of that? Heather smiled up at him. ¡°Rogues.¡± She stood up, joining me and Gem. We headed to the front of the camp to start hauling the bodies. ¡°Rough night?¡± Gem asked as we walked. ¡°Not my best,¡± I said. ¡°But we had to do something.¡± ¡°You get your spiritual guidance?¡± Gem nodded over to Heather. ¡°Yeah. Are things really this fucked up in this world?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± she said. ¡°Not in the Empire, at least. We deal with outlaws regularly and hunt down monsters that cause trouble. I mean, you hear about this kind of stuff, but nowhere around here.¡± ¡°So, this is a new thing?¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± Gem shrugged before reaching the first tent. ¡°There are gangs that press people into slavery, but it¡¯s legal if someone is trespassing in Imperial territory, but they mostly work in the border regions.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s legal to capture someone and force them into slavery?¡± ¡°Illegal entry will cost a year of servitude,¡± Heather said. ¡°Followed by deportation. There¡¯s pretty much an open bounty. If a gang captures someone, they just register them and put them on the market. If there are any mistakes, the magistrate catches it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good incentive to not cross illegally,¡± Gem said. ¡°Yeah, but what these men did is straight-up criminal,¡± Heather replied. ¡°You said they were going to ship us out of the country,¡± I told Heather. ¡°So, this is just kidnapping and human trafficking.¡± ¡°They told me that was the plan,¡± she said. ¡°Once we leave the Empire, we don¡¯t have any rights.¡± ¡°It makes sense. I suppose.¡± Gem said. ¡°But this kind of criminal enterprise in the middle of the Empire is crazy. I¡¯m surprised it even exists.¡± ¡°Maybe the Empire isn¡¯t as in control as people think.¡± I mused. ¡°Or just doesn¡¯t give a shit.¡± ¡°The roads are always a dangerous place,¡± Gem said. ¡°We¡¯re in the countryside, so you can expect trouble occasionally, but nothing organized at this level.¡± ¡°But just killing people and stealing their shit seems like an easier way to make money.¡± We reached the second tent. I stood back while the other two entered. I took a breath and looked up at the moon above. I wanted to give myself a moment before facing what I had done. The killing was easy. It was almost instant and painless for the men in the tents. That made me feel better, at least. Inside, I found it lit by a glowing lamp. I had gotten used to seeing in the dark, and the colors were vibrant and golden inside the beige canvas walls. The three lay on their cots, all on their backs, each with a tiny hole in their chests. There was almost no blood. They looked like they were asleep. ¡°That¡¯s the one that kicked me,¡± Heather said, pointing at the one on the far right. ¡°The Goddess says to forgive.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Fuck that guy, though.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I muttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t mind plugging him.¡± We¡¯d looted everything¡ªthe bodies, the chests, anything that wasn¡¯t nailed down. I mean, they were tents, so nothing was nailed down. The bodies were stripped, unceremoniously dumped into the carts, and stacked like meaty puzzle pieces. Kev and Jinx dismantled the tents and shoved them underneath while Gem and Heather wrangled the horses and prepared the carriage. Efficiency at its most macabre. I stood back, watching in silence as the plan came together. We couldn¡¯t leave the camp intact for their comrades to stumble upon. No, we had to erase it¡ªscorched earth. The fire would handle most of the evidence, especially the inconvenient fact that one person had done the bulk of the killing. For good measure, I notched a few arrows and peppered the bodies with extra wounds. After the cleanup, I pulled out the last four of my magic soap bars. ¡°Time to de-gore,¡± I muttered, passing them around. Wordlessly, we turned away from each other, scrubbing down like guilt-ridden murderers. I lathered and scrubbed until my skin felt raw. The magical bubbles worked tirelessly, sweeping away blood, filth, and, with any luck, a little of my self-loathing. Muck dripped from my hair, splattering the ground at my feet in wet, crimson clumps. I washed away everything I could from the outside. When I was finally clean, I stood still. My naked body shivered in the cool night air, droplets of water tracing paths down my skin. I closed my eyes. Could there really be a hand guiding any of this? I thought about gods¡ªthe ones from this world and the ones from my old one. Believing in them still felt impossible. The idea that my actions could be guided by a force with any claim to goodness? I couldn¡¯t allow it. Heather¡¯s faith was something I envied. Hell, I envied the comfort faith gave anyone. Skepticism might look good on paper, but it doesn¡¯t help you sleep at night. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the crisp night air. It was beautiful out¡ªquiet, still. I let the breeze dry my skin, the chill brushing over me like an old friend. The goosebumps on my arms reminded me of how exposed I was. Naked, not just in body, but in spirit, even among my friends. With a thought, I summoned my old T-shirt from storage and slipped it over my head. ¡°Ready for the final act?¡± Jinx asked. He placed a shaking hand on my shoulder. Gem and Heather clambered wearily into the carriage. Kev climbed up to the coach¡¯s box, reins in hand, looking ready to bolt. I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s finish it.¡± Jinx sighed, the kind of bone-deep exhaustion that comes from a long day of abuse, murder, and manual labor. ¡°Been a day, hasn¡¯t it, Love?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± He raised his hands, palms facing each other, murmuring something. A ball of fire flickered to life, growing and swirling between his fingers. With a sharp motion, he split it into two fiery spheres. Each palm unleashed a spray of flames, igniting the tents beneath the carts in a brilliant blaze. The fire roared to life, devouring wood and canvas with hungry intensity. Two more fireballs blasted directly into the carts, sending the bodies inside up in flames. A wave of hot air blasted against my face, blowing my hair around in angry little circles. ¡°Tha'' ''ll get the job done, if anyfing will.¡± Jinx lowered his hands with a dramatic puff of smoke. ¡°Best not stick around too long.¡± He sniffed the air and grimaced. ¡°The smell.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. The stench of burning meat and hair was enough to churn even the toughest stomach. I watched the fire spread, counting down silently from ten to one. Killing wasn¡¯t hard. That was the disturbing part. It was stupid easy. A few days ago, I thought I could sneak through this world and avoid this kind of thing. But even if I did, I would just be punting the ball. Someone else would have to do it. Or worse, men like this would keep roaming, terrorizing others. The universe had a sick sense of humor, choosing me to be the one to stop them. ¡°Fuck you,¡± I muttered at the sizzling, greasy bonfire. I looked up at the star-filled sky. The brilliance of the stars in this world was undeniable; every night, the heavens looked down in majestic glory. ¡°Fuck you, too,¡± I said to any god that might be listening. Kev glanced down from the coach box, his face unreadable. I waved; he gave me a half-hearted one back. He either thought I was terrifying or just plain awful. I¡¯d have to figure that out later. Climbing into the carriage, I took in the surprisingly roomy interior¡ªdesigned for nine men with space to spare, plus storage on top. A single mage lamp cast a soft, yellow light in the compartment. There were three rows of nicely padded seats. Jinx sat on the frontmost rear-facing bench; his gaze was down, avoiding eye contact. Heather and Gem were slumped on the back bench, leaving plenty of room for me. I slipped in between them, leaning my head on Gem¡¯s shoulder. Heather leaned against me in turn, her weight reassuring and grounding. No one said a word as the carriage started rolling, gravel crunching beneath the wheels. The lamp swayed with the motion, painting dancing shadows on the walls. I slipped into my character sheet. I assigned a point into Strength, Charisma, and Dexterity. Character Sheet: Regan Summer Half Human, Half Urban Elf Level 2 Height: 4 feet, 8 inches Weight: 87 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 2 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 1 Base Attributes: Strength: 8 Dexterity: 12 Spirit: 6 Charisma: 14 Intelligence: 14 Endurance: 7 Luck: 10 Adrenaline Points: 180/180 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 150/150 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 811/811 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills and Spells: Appraisal Level 1 Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 3 Disarm Traps Level 1 Lock Picking Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 2 Nudge Level 1 One and Done Level 1 Pick Pocketing Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 Sleight of Hand Level 1 Sneak Attack Level 1 Stealth Level 1 Racial Skills: Night Vision Hide in Shadows Internal Navigation Gift of Tongues With new points assigned, I closed my eyes, counting down from ten again. Sleep, as always, came easy. Chapter Nine: The good half, anyway. Chapter Nine: The good half, anyway. Objectively, The Tragedy at Twin Boulder Pass, as it would be known in my mind, had some definite plusses. Well, plusses being primarily financial. Sure, we were scarred, battered, and emotionally frayed, but our coffers were notably fuller for the trouble. There was nothing earth-shattering regarding gear, but everything stacked up nicely in the sell pile. The carriage we now traveled in was a definite upgrade from the rustic P.O.S. Jinx had provided. This one had four horses instead of two, which meant we were practically flying down the Imperial Highway. And then there was the real prize: A genuine Vintage Dorsaer Storage Chest, whatever that was. I pulled the thing out and cast Appraisal: APPRAISAL REPORT: CHEST OF NULL SPACE STORAGE, SUPERIOR VALUE: 1,200GP CAPACITY: 11 CUBIC FEET My Arcana skill added the following information at the end: Manufactured in the dwarven city of Wood Binder, this Dorsaer Storage Chest has had three owners in its seventy-two-year history. The last owner, Caecilius Vonner, has recently passed. Current ownership of the chest and all contents cannot be established. When I placed the chest into my storage space, its inventory immediately appeared in a separate tab on my interface. It already held over a hundred and fifty items. Thanks to my Arcana skill, I had access to a bonus feature that let me sort items by their source¡ªa convenient trick that, for some reason, wasn¡¯t mentioned anywhere in the skill description. With it, I could organize the loot in seconds. This meant I could transfer everything we¡¯d collected the night before into the chest with a single, magical swoop instead of painstakingly dragging and dropping each item like some medieval file clerk. The system even tracked the date each item was added to storage, and yes, it was all sortable. I made sure to keep the storage rings out of the chest. My stomach twisted in phantom pain when I just thought about it. Once the chest was ready, I pulled it out and set it on the bench. When I opened the lid, an inventory projection appeared above it for everyone to see. Kev was still up top driving, but the rest of the party and Heather gathered around to check out the goods. The contents itself? It was not exactly thrilling once I saw what we had. There were dozens of clothing items, most with low-level enchantments: auto fitting and minor ability boosts. They were nice, but not great. The weapons selection wasn¡¯t much better: unenchanted, ranging from ¡°scrap metal¡± to ¡°exceptional.¡± A few bottles of potions rounded out the collection. Some were labeled, others were complete mysteries. Jinx found a few of these interesting, which made me nervous. I sorted everything into piles by value, evenly dividing the loot into subfolders I created for each party member. The grand finale? A respectable pot of four thousand, three hundred, sixty-five GP in coin to split. The gold itself was all kinds of awesome. It was not bad for a night¡¯s work, even if it hadn¡¯t been a joyride. I did get a cute top, but it had blood all over it. The four of us agreed to have me carry the chest and use it as a communal coffer for the rest of the trip. I already had the rings with me. The storage devices had more limitations than my personal storage, and with an Appraisal spell and Arcana, my inventory management was lightyears ahead of the rest of the party. Go Rogues! ¡°The real loot is in those rings,¡± Jinx said as he received his share. ¡°That¡¯s why none of this stuff is all that great.¡± We looted nine rings altogether: three from victims and six from the gang. ¡°We need to get those cracked as soon as possible, Love.¡± ¡°Any chance we can get it done out here in the sticks?¡± ¡°No, you need a ritualist wot specializes in ''igh level enchantments. It¡¯s delicate work, you gotta remove the personalized lock wivout destroyin'' the magic that accesses the null space.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you know a guy.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know several.¡± Jinx smiled at me. ¡°When we get to Ironstone, the bloke I''m introducin'' you, to keeps one on retainer. We¡¯ll get it done and can do a proper split from there.¡± ¡°And then we go our separate ways.¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Jinx said. ¡°But we got a thing together. So, we ain¡¯t gonna wander far, are we?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Jinx slid out the window and climbed to the top of the carriage to spell Kev. The Orc hopped down to the running board and slid open the door to get in since he was way too big to squeeze through the window himself. ¡°Morning,¡± he said. ¡°Hi,¡± I scooted over on the bench. It was mid-morning, or so I guessed. I got a good six to eight hours of sleep, and the girls were napping after the loot split. ¡°I¡¯m troubled about last night.¡± ¡°You and me both.¡± I replied. He did look troubled; his eyes lacked their usual luster; maybe it was sleep deprivation or the stress of yesterday; who could tell? Probably a bit of both. ¡°You and I actually have a lot in common.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked. ¡°We weren¡¯t born into this life. We came from somewhere else, and our expectations are very different from the reality we have to deal with.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± He yawned and stretched his wide arms out, almost reaching across the compartment. ¡°That was some dark shit, though.¡± He leveled his tired eyes at me. I guess dark shit was kind of my thing now. ¡°Yeah. Strangely enough, I didn¡¯t lose sleep, but I feel like I should have. Those are lives that are gone. There¡¯s no redemption, no chance to make up for the harm they did or pay back what they have taken from the people they victimized.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad because you killed them. I¡¯m mad because they got off easy.¡± ¡°You wanted it messy?¡± ¡°No, I wanted them to die, knowing it was us that killed them. That they were responsible for their deaths at our hands.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what bothers you?¡± ¡°Mostly,¡± he paused, looking out the window momentarily like he was organizing his thoughts. ¡°Also, you taking control like that. It was a bit off-putting.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to being the one in charge of things.¡± He pointed up at the ceiling. ¡°Jinx is the one running this tour, but he often deferred to me when it came to making tactical decisions.¡± ¡°He¡¯s more experienced than you and would have stepped in if you made a bad choice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he did last night.¡± He grunted and leaned back. ¡°I made a bad call, and he shut me down. We wouldn''t be sitting here if we went all out on the attack. I feel like a failure.¡± ¡°You came out here to learn. You didn¡¯t fail anything. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the guru of mortal combat. I just had a better idea of how to approach the problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, you did.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°And you have the balls to stand up and take charge. I like that. I just didn¡¯t like the ego slap I got last night.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good people, Kev.¡± I patted him on the arm. His well-muscled, sexy, strong arm. ¡°I appreciate the sentiment.¡± I half stood, kissing him on the cheek. I briefly held my hand on his arm and then quickly pulled it back. A rush of butterflies fluttered through my stomach. The big lug didn¡¯t seem to notice, thank God. He smiled at me and closed his eyes. ¡°Thanks.¡± He scooted as close to the corner of the compartment as he could and leaned against it, his head tilting back. Snooze time for the big guy. I didn¡¯t feel like being alone with a bunch of sleeping people. Things got a little hairy the last time I did that. So, I climbed out the window and on top of the carriage. Jinx was in his own little world and didn¡¯t notice as I crawled onto the top and sat, enjoying the view from a nine-foot-high vantage point. The ride was, thankfully, uneventful. There were a few instances where we passed some other travelers, each being wary of the other. They mainly looked like locals on business. I crawled forward to join Jinx as the day moved from morning to late afternoon. ¡°There it is,¡± he said, pointing. ¡°Longhorn Castle. Up on the hill up there, see it?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± It wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d imagined a castle would look like. Forget the rough stone walls and round turrets from pictures and movies. This place was low, sprawling, and nothing like a fairy tale. The walls were dark and smooth, polished with a sheen that made them look almost like metal. Sharp, unforgiving angles made the whole structure look more like a bunker than a castle. The windows weren¡¯t grand arches or intricate stained glass. They were horizontal slits, narrow and squinting like suspicious eyes. Above it all, the octagonal keep loomed. It was cold and menacing and could¡¯ve passed as a piece of brutalist architecture dropped into the middle of a fantasy landscape. Longhorn¡¯s massive banners fluttered in blue and gold from the keep and the walls, their bright colors a sharp contrast against the foreboding structure and the valley it seemed to glare down upon. ¡°Not what ya was expecting, love?¡± ¡°No, pretty menacing shit.¡± ¡°Longhorns are Imperials.¡± He pointed at the hill the castle stood on. ¡°But they ''ad dwarves build that thing for ''em.¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m new here, but that sounds like a dwarven name.¡± ¡°¡¯tis,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It started out that way, but ¡®umans married in years and years ago. Pretty much all ¡®uman now.¡± The road grew busier as we neared Longhorn. People bustled to and from the small town huddled at the foot of the castle, hauling goods and racing to beat the sunset. The landscape had changed too. The rocky hills and scattered trees were long gone, replaced by rolling fields of crops swaying in the breeze. Their vibrant green stretched almost as far as the eye could see, fed by creeks and streams trickling down from the distant highlands. Far beyond the castle, the faint outline of blue mountains rose on the horizon, their white-capped peaks barely visible against the sky. Something warm and fuzzy wriggled inside me at the sight of those snow-dusted peaks. It felt like a little taste of home. And after everything I¡¯d been through on the road, I wouldn¡¯t argue with a small dose of nostalgia. We passed through the town gates, which were surprisingly unguarded, and quickly found the livery where we could leave the carriage. Jinx paid the hands, and we climbed out. We stretched and stepped gingerly onto the muddy ground, everyone moving with the stiffness of a long day on the road. It was a hard push through the night and day. And I had to give a virtual high five to the horses that pulled us up and down hills for most of that. None of us were eager for anything more than a quiet place to rest that wasn¡¯t constantly jostling beneath us. Business with Longhorn could wait. We formed up instinctively as we headed into what I guessed was the Village of Longhorn. The girls lined up between the boys, with Gem leading the way and me bringing up the rear. It was a defensive formation, automatic and unspoken as if we were preparing for a fight even though we all wanted a break. The village was a stark contrast to the imposing castle looming above it. It felt more like a shanty town than a proper settlement. There were no paved roads. Instead, the place was lined with muddy paths, slick with muck and nasty-smelling runoff. The main street was lined with stalls where vendors shouted out, waving their wares in the air in a last-ditch effort to catch the attention of passing customers. The locals, a mix of humans and dwarves, bustled around, though most seemed more interested in wrapping up their business for the day than making a sale. Behind the stalls, clusters of huts and tents sprawled haphazardly, forming layers of makeshift housing.Stolen novel; please report. At the far end of the street stood the largest building in the village: an inn positioned just to the right of the castle gates. Those gates were guarded by tough-looking men and dwarves who seemed to glare at everything and everyone. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows from the castle, spreading a cold, damp gloom over the village that matched its muddy, grimy vibe. Inside the inn, the atmosphere shifted entirely. The chill and filth of the outside world were left at the door. The place was about the same size as the inn we''d stayed at in Wood Cut but had a completely different vibe. Gone was the cozy, Disney-like charm of the Iron Hammer. Instead, this place leaned hard into a rough, western saloon aesthetic with a hint of raunchiness. A long bar stretched across the back wall, much like the other inn, but here, the d¨¦cor came with a twist. Scantily clad humans and dwarves of both sexes lounged about the room, clearly available to offer companionship to go along with the rented rooms. In one corner, a duo of musicians played a surprisingly jazzy tune on a flute and a string instrument, not exactly what I was expecting. If I had to categorize it, it would be medieval strip club music. The air was thick with the comforting scents of food cooking, wood smoke, and sweet pipe tobacco. I was starting to get an appreciation for the smell of these places. It made me feel safe, away from the dangers of the outside world. Of course, a rampaging band of orcs could come busting the door down at any time in this crazy world, but it was nice to pretend occasionally. The patrons, mostly locals, were scattered around long communal tables, chatting, eating, or playing cards and dice. With the vendors outside packing up for the day, I felt the place was about to get crowded. Spotting a large enough table for all of us, we wasted no time settling in and staking our claim before the rest of the town poured in. ¡°Hello, travelers.¡± One of the human wenches came up to the table. ¡°Will you need food and drink tonight?¡± She wore a lowcut blouse and corset, very much like the one from The Iron Hammer, but she had a short skirt with a high slit and lace-up boots. Her brown hair was tied back, and her face was tanned and freckled with a youthful glow. ¡°Ale an¡¯ whatever you¡¯ve got cookin¡¯ for dinner tonight,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Rooms as well, if you¡¯ve got ¡¯em.¡± ¡°Happy to get you everything you need,¡± she smiled at him flirtatiously. ¡°Roasted pork and ale all around then.¡± She gave us all a warm smile before returning to Jinx. She gave him a wink and spun on her heel. She strolled to the bar, swaying her hips sensually. We were all enjoying the free show. ¡°Nice place,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Gotta say, I¡¯ve got a soft spot for these backwater inns when they¡¯re done proper.¡± ¡°Well, talk about one-stop shopping,¡± I muttered, glancing around the room at the wenches and swains scattered like decorative furniture. They were strategically positioned, but all their attention was fixed on us, the fresh arrivals. Both the boys and the girls made deliberate eye contact with me, their gazes catching mine like they¡¯d been practicing it in a mirror. I found their flirtatious glances more than a little intimidating. Not because I thought they were dangerous or anything, but because, honestly, I didn¡¯t entirely trust myself. ¡°You¡¯re not worried about catching anything?¡± ¡°Healing potions, love,¡± Jinx smiled, his eyes feasting on the eye candy in the room. ¡°Healing potions.¡± We took turns heading to the privy out back as food and drinks arrived at our table. Soon enough, a massive platter was set down in the center, loaded with enough food to make us all pause and appreciate the feast. One thing I was still getting used to in this world? Meals were always served family-style. But then, everyone at the table ate off the same shared platter. No individual portions, no personal plates. We just grabbed our knives and forks and dug in, reaching for the best bites. It was a little strange at first, but I had to admit, it made for a uniquely communal experience. And the food? Tonight, it was incredible. The roasted pork practically fell off the bone, glazed with honey and sprinkled with savory spices. It came surrounded by roasted potatoes and boiled greens, with a side plate of bread and butter. Even the ale, though unremarkable, tasted better paired with such a satisfying meal. I drank more than usual, letting it soothe the lingering woes of the previous night. Dessert was a warm bread pudding with dates soaked in a liquor sauce that melted in my mouth. By the end of it, I was tipsy and feeling good. Better than I had in years, actually. There was a good buzz and delicious food; it was like being back in college. Caught up in the moment, I flung my arms around Gem and kissed her. She returned it with enthusiasm, leaving me even giddier than before. The mood at our table was infectious. Heather, Gem, and the rest of the group finally seemed to let go of the tension. We would deal with things down the road, but tonight was about being alive and with friends. Laughter came easily. Jinx cracked a joke about a brothel he once visited in a place called Olde Towne, where the workers supposedly had forked tongues and scales. Gem followed up with a scandalous story about seducing a mother and daughter in one night, while Kev, who didn¡¯t have a story of his own, kept the raunchy jokes coming. Heather just giggled at everyone¡¯s antics and was the first to stumble upstairs, mumbling about needing to cleanse her spirit from all the ¡°spirits.¡± As the night wound down, the group started to peel off. Jinx and Kev each left with one of the local women, their arms slung around their new ¡°friends.¡± Gem kissed me once more before disappearing somewhere, leaving me to eventually wander to my room. It was nothing fancy. There was a bed, a small table and chair, and a pot in the corner. It was all I could hope for after being on the worst camping trip ever. I stripped down, tossed my clothes onto the floor without bothering to stash them in my storage space, and flopped onto the bed. The buzz from the ale was still there, warm and pleasant, though it was starting to fade. The mattress felt wonderfully heavy, and my naked self was about to just sink into it when a quiet knock came at the door. ¡°Hang on,¡± I said wearily. I got up and crossed the tiny space, unlatched the bolt, and opened the door, my body hidden behind it. ¡°Hi,¡± Gem said with a mischievous smile. ¡°Hi?¡± I stepped back, still keeping my naked form out of sight from the hallway. ¡°Got you a present,¡± Gem declared, her voice slurred just enough to worry me. She leaned into the hallway and hauled in one of the swains from downstairs, flashing me a mischievous grin like she¡¯d just pulled off the surprise of the year. ¡°This is Nemdor,¡± she said, with a grin that screamed bad ideas in progress. ¡°Hi,¡± he said, flashing a smile equal parts charm and trouble. He was short¡ªjust a hair taller than my elf-sized frame¡ªbut carried himself with the confidence of someone who¡¯d been told he was charming one too many times. His dark, Mediterranean features gave him a smooth, confident look, and his curly brown hair framed his face perfectly, each lock bouncing lightly at his collar like it knew it was one of his best features. A thin beard clung to his jaw, neat but almost apologetic, next to his untamed hair. His eyes roamed over me with an unsettling hunger. ¡°Fuck!¡± I yelped, snatching the blanket off the bed and wrapping it around myself. ¡°What the hell did you bring him in for?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Gem¡¯s grin stretched wider, her gaze taking on the mischief of a lustful satyr. She shoved Nemdor in front of her, planting her hands on his chest for emphasis. His half-open, loose-fitting white shirt revealed just enough to make her point clear, and his green and brown tights, complete with a codpiece, were doing the rest of the heavy lifting. ¡°¡­He looked like a cute fit for you.¡± She pulled on the strap holding his codpiece. It fell to the floor, his member spilling out from behind it. I was immediately aroused and swallowed hard. ¡°Half dwarf,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°The good half, anyway.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± Sure, I had an idea based on the relative size of what I was looking at. She reached down, taking him in her left hand. He moaned a little at her touch but kept his eyes on me. She reached out to me with her right. ¡°Come on,¡± her voice was low and seductive and a little drunk. ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Time for another first. I awoke before dawn, as I usually did. I was in my tiny bed, nestled on my side between Nemdor and Gem. He was behind me, his stiff morning cock pressed against my naked back. His arm was under mine, wrapped around my body and gripping my breast. Gem was pushed up on her side facing me and had her arm around both of us, her soft breasts pushing against my neck and chin. No amount of stealth would get me out of this bind. I drifted off again, only waking when Nemdor started extricating himself from the tangled pile of limbs. I turned over while he pushed up and kissed him deeply on the lips. He returned the kiss and gave me a wink and smile as he slipped out of the bed. I watched him silently as he crossed the room, picking up his clothes. His tight muscles rippled as he bent, his cock swayed in front of him. I could feel the arousal again. My body was tingling just seeing him there. He pulled up his pants, tied the laces at his waist, and strapped his codpiece on. His phallus was now safely out of sight. Last night was a learning experience. I would have flopped on the mattress if left to my imagination, but Gem was having none of that. She guided us with the skill of an air traffic controller. She directed Nemdor and me around, on top, and behind each other all night. She made sure I experienced him from every position I could think of, and a couple that weren¡¯t in the playbook since they needed an extra player. I loved exploring his body, kissing and tasting his chest and nipples, taking in the scent of a man. Gem joined in sometimes; other times, she moved back, happy to observe. He was a nice fit, like she said. She was an expert on all things carnal, and she shared her wisdom with both of us. Nemdor did his job with gusto. I had to hand it to him because that girl demanded nothing but the best. I lost my second virginity and realized after waking up that I didn¡¯t miss it at all. I waited for him to leave before slipping out of bed myself. I activated Stealth as I had the other morning and scooted around the room, picking up my clothes before dressing. I sat on the edge of the bed and kissed Gem gently on the cheek. She moaned and turned onto her stomach, still out and unrousable. I made my way downstairs. But unlike The Iron Hammer, this place was quiet, with no activity in the kitchen or anywhere else. There were no benches outside, and I didn''t want to deal with the nasty, muddy street, so I sat at a table next to one of the shuttered windows. I opened it up and watched the village slowly wake up outside. ¡°You¡¯re a sinful person,¡± Heather said, sitting in the chair next to mine. ¡°There were a lot of sex sounds coming from your room last night.¡± ¡°All people are sinful, Priestess. Didn¡¯t they teach you that in God school?¡± I replied without looking at her. ¡°I remember you laughing like a naughty schoolgirl at all of Kev¡¯s jokes.¡± ¡°Never said I wasn¡¯t.¡± Heather chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are finding some release. Seriously. But maybe work at some discretion next time; I could hear from you. All of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join.¡± ¡°Door was locked.¡± I laughed, pulled two apples out of my space, and handed one to Heather. ¡°You¡¯re the nastiest Priestess of Amania there ever was.¡± I munched on my breakfast in silence, watching the muddy street outside. There were a million things I wanted to talk about, but it was hard to break a pleasant, peaceful silence. Jinx was the next to come down, blinking sleep out of his eyes and sitting with me. He grumbled a greeting and accepted an apple. Next came Kev, grunting as he plopped into a chair. Gem made it down a few minutes later, and the whole party was together again, slightly hungover but intact for another day. We wrapped up breakfast, mostly enjoying the silence. Just over a day ago, there was the real possibility that we all could still be locked in cages en route to a hellish life up north. We handled it by enjoying the moment of peace we now shared. That was yesterday. Murder World wasn¡¯t going to ease up on me. I got that. I needed to be ready for the next thing. I felt like I was aging a million years a day since I got here. After we finished, we all looked at Jinx, who gave us a silent nod, and we got up and left the inn. We slogged through the mud toward the castle gates, each step squelching louder than the last. Thankfully, the inn was just down the hill, but even that short walk felt like a trial. By the time we reached the gates, I was ready to throw myself into the nearest moat if it meant getting clean. Two guards stood at the entrance: a human woman and a dwarf man. Their armor gleamed unnaturally bright as if defying the grime of the streets out of sheer spite. The human gave us a once-over, her expression politely bored, as though she couldn¡¯t care less about our existence. The dwarf, however, was an entirely different story. The moment we arrived, he launched into a two-minute tirade that felt like it might go on forever. We learned his thoughts on outsiders: not a fan. His thoughts on the Empire? Also, not a fan. Then came his firmly held opinions on rats, cockroaches, and nail-beaked finches destroying his house''s roof. Oh, and his ongoing battle to keep slimes out of his garden? That got a whole chapter. He didn¡¯t just complain¡ªhe painted a vivid, highly explicit picture of every unpleasant trait those things had and somehow managed to compare all of them to us. Kev looked about to erupt like a green volcano, his fists clenched tightly. Gem repeatedly pulled her bow in and out of her inventory, probably debating whether the consequences were worth it. Jinx stood stoic while Heather was too busy giggling to care. As for me? I stood there, bewildered. Still being pretty green to all things Nya, I was half-convinced this was some sort of dwarven ritual. Maybe this was their version of a warm welcome? ¡°¡­an¡¯ that goes double fer yer mither!¡± he finished, wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath. ¡°We¡¯ve been here since sundown yesterday,¡± the human guard finally said, cutting through the chaos. She glanced at us apologetically, her expression like someone explaining away a drunken uncle at a family reunion. ¡°We have business with the Duke,¡± Jinx said flatly, his tone carefully ignoring the dwarf¡¯s loud, nasally breathing as he huffed and puffed like a bull about to charge. ¡°And another thing¡ª¡± the dwarf began, winding up for round two. ¡°DURNOL!¡± The human cut in sharply, and he froze mid-huff. ¡°Remember what we talked about?¡± Durnol¡¯s shoulders sagged, and he looked down at his boots like a chastised toddler. ¡°Aye¡­ I need tae stop lettin¡¯ my bad feelin¡¯s out like that.¡± ¡°No, Durnol. What did we really talk about?¡± He pouted harder. ¡°That Sergeant Caskbrew made the roster, an¡¯ it¡¯s no¡¯ these people¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And I need tae apologize.¡± She smiled at him like a proud parent. ¡°Good. Now, go on.¡± The dwarf cleared his throat and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°Louder, please,¡± she prompted, her grin widening. ¡°I¡¯M SORRY!¡± Durnol barked, his voice echoing off the castle walls. ¡°Perfect!¡± She clapped her hands, beaming. ¡°Now, you can ask them.¡± Durnol straightened up, doing his best to regain some shred of dignity. ¡°Please state yer business wi¡¯ Castle Longhorn.¡± Jinx raised an eyebrow. ¡°We already did.¡± And so, the circus continued. For a solid five minutes, we were treated to an impromptu therapy session between Durnol and the female guard. It turns out that his grievances ran deeper than just the duty roster. Apparently, Durnol felt underappreciated by the entire castle guard. Tragically overlooked, the dwarf was denied his due respect. Sergeant Caskbrew, the villain of Durnol¡¯s tale, wasn¡¯t just responsible for keeping him stuck on night duty for far too long. No, the good sergeant had also ignored every single suggestion Durnol had ever made, no matter how ¡°brilliant¡± they were (Durnol¡¯s words, of course). To make matters worse, Caskbrew had denied all but one of Durnol¡¯s leave requests over the past year. ¡°I¡¯ve got a cousin in Riverside gettin¡¯ married in two weeks!¡± Durnol lamented, his voice breaking with righteous indignation. ¡°Everyone else gets time aff fer their life events, but me? Naw. Nothin¡¯! It''s always, ¡®Durnol, cover this shift! Durnol, clean out the armory!¡¯¡± We shifted uncomfortably, unsure whether to offer our condolences or just back away slowly. The female guard nodded along like she¡¯d heard it all before, occasionally muttering supportive phrases like, ¡°That¡¯s valid,¡± and ¡°I understand, Durnol.¡± At one point, she walked over and took his sword away when it looked like he might pull it out. ¡°Durnol,¡± she said finally. ¡°Yeah?¡± he was short of breath and panting. ¡°I think you should probably step inside and let one of the pages know that these good people have business with the duke.¡± ¡°Aye¡­¡± He sighed and slowly crossed over to her and took his sword back. He sheathed it and pushed the gate open, grunting with the physical and mental exhaustion of the last few minutes. He passed through the outer gate and disappeared behind the walls. ¡°He really is a sweetheart.¡± The female guard said to us. ¡°He¡¯s my son¡¯s godfather.¡± She then stood at attention, gesturing for us to enter the gate. ¡°Please wait inside. Welcome to Castle Longhorn!¡± Chapter Ten: XP don鈥檛 feed the family. Chapter Ten: XP don¡¯t feed the family. ¡°NO! NO! NO! NO!¡± We¡¯d barely settled into our awkward vigil by the castle¡¯s outer gate when the man came charging out of the keep, his arms and body flailing like an inflatable tube man outside a tire store. He was impossibly tall. Like, nearly seven feet. And he was so thin he looked like he could slide under a closed door. His receding red hair, slicked back into a ponytail, only accentuated his angular, sharp-edged face. Every inch of him, from his pointy nose to his bony fingers, looked like he¡¯d been constructed entirely out of corners. He wore silken robes in the house colors of Longhorn, which billowed dramatically as he came to a halt and pointed an accusing finger at us. ¡°You¡¯ll track mud into the duke¡¯s residence!¡± he bellowed, his voice as sharp as the rest of him. ¡°You¡¯re filthy!¡± ¡°Awright then,¡± Jinx said, cocking his head. ¡°Wotcha propose we do?¡± The man bristled at the suggestion, visibly offended by both Jinx¡¯s tone and existence. ¡°You will address me by my proper title,¡± he snapped. ¡°Octavianus Axius Lucretius, Majordomo of this castle.¡± He straightened his already impossibly straight posture, looking down his nose at us with exaggerated importance. ¡°Now, state your business with The Duke.¡± ¡°Mercenary business,¡± Jinx said. He pulled out the quest notice and held it up. ¡°Very well, then,¡± Lucretius said, the look of shock and horror leaving his face. ¡°You are welcome to have an audience with His Highness.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Jinx replied formerly. ¡°However,¡± Lucretius wagged his finger at us. ¡°You are still muddy and poorly presented. Except for you,¡± he gestured at Heather politely and bowed. ¡°Priestess of Amania, you carry the cleanliness and purity of your goddess.¡± He pointed to the left and smiled. ¡°The rest of you will bathe and dress accordingly to show respect to the master of the castle and duke of this Province.¡± ¡°We shall indeed,¡± Jinx said, bowing slightly, nodding the group to follow. ¡°Thank you for your ¡®hospitality.¡± We headed to the left as instructed and found a standalone building just inside the wall. It was about the size of a double garage with two doors. There was a small bench outside, and Heather sat down with a huge grin. ¡°You¡¯re the dirtiest one in the bunch,¡± I muttered to her as Gem opened the left-hand door. The boys shuffled into the right. The damn priestess stuck her tongue out at me. ¡°You only wish.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that mean girl energy I¡¯ve been missing.¡± I shot my tongue out at her in return. The bathhouse was luxurious, the kind of place that could ruin you for ordinary baths forever. The massive, tiled tub was set into the floor, filled with hot, perfumed water that practically begged you to sink into it. A pull chain above the tub summoned a hot rain shower that drenched the entire space in a steamy downpour. Gem and I wasted no time unequipping our clothes and slipping into the bath together. We laughed and splashed, rolling around as we soaped and scrubbed each other under the rain, the heat washing away the grime from the nasty road. When we were finally clean, Gem yanked a second chain, and a blast of warm air enveloped us, drying our skin and hair in seconds. She worked her magic on my unruly hair, braiding it with practiced ease before pinning it neatly. She dressed in a sharp suit, complete with form-fitting pants that gave her the air of someone who could negotiate a truce or kick down the door with her massive haunches if things went south. On the other hand, I went for the dress from my starter kit. It was strapless, made of deep red velvet trimmed with cream-colored lace, and had an empire waist that made me feel regal and slightly overdressed for whatever madness awaited us. I slipped on simple black slippers and added a gold necklace I¡¯d scavenged from the camp¡¯s treasure chest¡ªunenchanted, but it did the job. When I finally caught sight of myself in the mirror after days of grime and chaos, I froze. The sun hadn¡¯t just kissed my skin¡ªit had apparently just decided to have its nasty ass way with it. More freckles seemed to have multiplied across my face. I leaned closer, inspecting my reflection. Between the explosion of freckles, the bright hair, and the cosplay dress, I looked like I¡¯d stepped out of some cartoon. I felt like the comic relief, or maybe as the overly optimistic sidekick in someone else¡¯s epic quest. ¡°Oh, my fucking God,¡± I said, gazing at my reflection. ¡°Which god?¡± Gem said, standing behind me. ¡°You need to be more specific if you want people to take you seriously.¡± I looked at her through the mirror. ¡°I seriously can¡¯t believe this is my body.¡± ¡°Eh,¡± Gem said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s nice. I like it.¡± ¡°But freckles? Really?¡± We gathered in front of the keep¡¯s entrance, freshly cleaned and dressed in whatever finery we could. Jinx looked nearly the same as always, only now he wore blue silk robes with gold trim that added a hint of flair. Kev, on the other hand, had gone all out. He wore tights and an elaborately embroidered purple doublet with blue sleeves and far too many ruffles. The pi¨¨ce de r¨¦sistance, however, was the metal codpiece he¡¯d chosen. It was a gleaming monstrosity that was both alluring and unsettling. Unlike the muddy village outside, the castle grounds were spotless, paved with dark gray stone, making walking around in formal wear a surprisingly low-risk endeavor. Still, I couldn¡¯t shake how strange it felt to be in a dress. As a costume, yeah, I was all about it, but this was me trying to be a grown-up. Then I looked at Kev again. This world specialized in strange, so I just decided to roll with it. Majordomo Lucretius finally granted us entry after a painstaking inspection of our attire, which included more than a few disdainful sniffs. We passed his standards. He led us through the main doors into a tall, cold vestibule made of the same dark stone as the exterior, polished to a mirror-like sheen. Banners bearing the Duke¡¯s insignia hung from the high walls. Lucretius gestured us toward benches along the side of the room, where we were to wait. A few minutes later, a dwarven servant entered from a side door, pushing a cart laden with coffee and pastries. It seemed we were in for a delay before being received, though at least it wouldn¡¯t be on an empty stomach. After about thirty minutes, Lucretius returned and led us through another set of doors into a far, cozier waiting room. This one had a warmer feel, with dark wood-paneled walls and richly detailed tapestries. The parquet floor was a work of art, with intricate geometric patterns inlaid with delicate slivers of gold. A large fireplace on the right side of the room crackled invitingly, its warmth a welcome change from the chill of the stone vestibule. Two dwarven guards stood by the doors at the far end, their armor polished to a blinding gleam. We barely had a moment to take in our surroundings when those doors swung open dramatically. ¡°Welcome!¡± A rich voice bellowed across the room. He was human but with apparent dwarf ancestry. He had dark brown hair, brushed back and neatly tied in a blue ribbon, a short, well-trimmed beard to match, and a physique like nothing I had ever seen. His shoulders were outrageously broad, and he had almost the same proportions as a dwarf but was just under six feet tall. His bucket-sized neck made his voice sound like it bellowed out of a bullhorn. ¡°Travelers! Friends!¡± he barked joyously, ¡°Welcome to Longhorn!¡± He quickly surveyed the party, stopping at Heather. ¡°And welcome Priestess of Amania.¡± He bowed slightly. She returned it politely. ¡°I¡¯m The Duke of Longhorn, Yarnaen Tettienus Lupinus Longhorn.¡± A woman emerged from behind him and took her place at his side. She was nearly identical to the majordomo in height and build, but her features were a little softer, with an angularity that pointed straight into the room. Her pale skin was flawlessly made up, and her bright ginger hair was intricately braided, held in place by a hairnet and six dazzling pins. Her corset and dress worked overtime, hoisting her modest cleavage well above my eye level. The dress was a masterpiece of green fabric, adorned with gems and silver embroidery that shimmered in the light. Her long, sharp, polished nails added an extra edge to her already spidery hands, making her seem less like a person and more like an elegant arachnid. She was undeniably striking, but she was also terrifying¡ªlike a giant insect queen preparing to devour her prey. I did not want to be in her crosshairs. ¡°My wife, Aelia.¡± He said, beaming at her. ¡°Welcome to our home,¡± she said, bowing her head with a smile. ¡°I hope you find it comfortable.¡± ¡°Yer ''ospitality ain''t lackin''.¡± Jinx said with a smile and bowed. The rest of us followed his lead. ¡°And fank you for the use of yer facilities an'' refreshments.¡± ¡°You are most welcome,¡± she said, stepping from her husband¡¯s side and walking up to our group. She strolled by each of us, giving us a quick inspection. She stopped at me, ¡°You look adorable in that dress.¡± Oh, shit¡­ ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, not knowing what else to say. I bowed my head. I could feel my face turning beat red. She was a striking woman, even if she was as scary as all hells. She towered over me and radiated authority. My body responded in ways I didn¡¯t think were in my best interest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aelia said mischievously. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you blush.¡± She reached out and gently brushed my fiery cheek, and a little surge of adrenaline and panic shot through me. It was like being licked by a lion. ¡°Half-elves are so rare out here. It¡¯s always such a pleasure to see one.¡± ¡°Um,¡± I gulped and put on a smile. ¡°Thanks?¡± I remembered something The Whisperer said about being fetishized. My cheeks lit up anew. The creep vibes off the woman were staggering, especially since the lady looked like a human mantis. But for some reason, I was still getting a little turned on. I was not used to this shit. ¡°That¡¯s very kind, especially coming from someone as beautiful as yourself.¡± She inched a bit closer to me. I felt tiny next to her. Her perfume was amazing, and I could feel a slight weakness in my knees; something about that scent made me feel¡­hard to say. ¡°So precious.¡± Aelia said, stepping back to admire me, ¡°And what is your name?¡± ¡°Regan. ma¡¯am,¡± ¡°You should call me Aelia.¡± ¡°Down, woman!¡± Longhorn chuckled at his wife theatrically. He strode up next to her. ¡°Our little farming province is not exactly in the middle of things.¡± He put his hand around his wife¡¯s waist, gently guiding her back a step. ¡°We don¡¯t often see such a wonderful variety of Imperial races in our home, so please excuse our over-enthusiasm for those visiting from distant locales.¡± ¡°No need to apologize,¡± Jinx said, jumping in with a big grin. ¡°I''m well an¡¯ envious of someone wot gets to live out in the beautiful natural splendor.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s plenty of space in my province for more.¡± Longhorn grinned at us. ¡°We do have business.¡± He led his wife to the side of the room with the fireplace. ¡°Lucretius, we will be moving to the study.¡± ¡°Guards!¡± Lucretius barked, snapping his fingers. The two guards stepped forward in unison. ¡°Just us,¡± Longhorn said flatly. ¡°Of course, my Duke,¡± Lucretius bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m only concerned with safety.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure a group that travels with a Priestess of Amania wouldn¡¯t have come all this way to bring us harm. This discussion will be held privately.¡± ¡°As you wish, my Duke.¡± He held his hand to us and ushered us into the room he came out of. Aelia stayed by the fireplace. I glanced back to make sure she stayed there. I wasn¡¯t ready to deal with that¡­whatever that was. She gave me a wink and smiled. I just grinned back at her politely and consciously steadied my breathing. Once the door closed, Longhorn dropped his enormous smile. ¡°By the fucking gods, that woman,¡± he muttered after shutting the doors behind him. He held up a finger to us and quickly walked over to the enormous crescent-shaped desk at the end of the octagonal room. The walls had bookshelves, couches, and several small trophy cases. The wall behind the desk had a six-foot-wide map of the province. MAP ADDED: LONGHORN PROVINCE: WIDE PLANE COUNTY BLUE CREST MOUNTAIN COUNTY GREYSTONE FOREST COUNTY He quickly opened a drawer, pulled out a control rod similar to the one I got with my mage lamp, and tapped it on a brass plate on his desk. The room''s floor, ceiling, walls, and doors erupted with amber runes that circled and flashed for a moment before fading out. ¡°There,¡± he said, tossing the rod back into the drawer. ¡°This is not a conversation that will leave this room.¡± His cheerful demeanor quickly vanished with the fading of the privacy spell. ¡°First of all,¡± he said. ¡°Apologies on behalf of my household.¡± He looked at me. ¡°My lecherous wife most of all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I was hoping there was a hole somewhere in the study; that way, I could bury myself in it. ¡°She¡¯d like to sink her claws into anyone young and new that comes this way. So again, Sorry.¡± He settled in his chair and gestured for us to take ours. Six seats surrounded the desk, so everyone had one to choose from. ¡°And her cousin Lucretius is a bit of a prick as well. If I had any wisdom to put out in this world, it would be never to hire your in-laws.¡± ¡°Wot would you ''ave us be doin'' for you, yer lordship?¡± Jinx asked after they were all settled. ¡°I appreciate your straightforwardness,¡± Longhorn said. ¡°But my wife managed to wreck all sense of etiquette with her sloppy advances.¡± He settled back in his chair and examined each of us, his eyes studying our faces. He was all business now. ¡°With whom am I dealing?¡± ¡°Apologies, me lord,¡± Jinx said, pulling a ring out of his inventory and the notice. It was the same ring he touched to it to start the quest. ¡°I''m Jinx, party ''ead. This is Kev, the big geezer, ''eather the priestess, an'' the lovely satyr is Gem. We''re registered wiv the Mercenary Guild an'' authorized to accept posted quests.¡± He slid the ring and paper across the desk. ¡°And what about you,¡± Longhorn said, nodding to me. ¡°Regan Moon,¡± I said. ¡°Rogue.¡± I smiled with a slight shrug. ¡°Joined us on the road, she ¡®as,¡± Jinx said. ¡°She¡¯s in the party but not part of the guild.¡± ¡°I would imagine not.¡± He shrugged, looking at the paper and ring. ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t give a load of my finest manure if you¡¯re with the guild or not, so have at.¡± He slipped the paper and ring back to Jinx. ¡°The job¡¯s simple enough, but the backstory¡¯s a pain in the fucking ass.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get to it then,¡± Jinx said, accepting his paper and ring back before settling into his chair.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°About three months ago, A bunch of frosty bitches from the Cult of Gelruth came through my muddy little village out there.¡± ¡°Ah, hells,¡± Kev interjected. ¡°Frost elves, right?¡± ¡°Hells is right,¡± Longhorn said. ¡°Tall, blonde, and frozen to the core. It took a couple of days for me to find out, and I bounced their bony asses out just as quickly as that, but they managed to make off with a few of our people.¡± ¡°Those people being?¡± Jinx said. ¡°My former foster, Eric the Idiot, among some others. Since turning sixteen, he had pretty much moved into the inn. They either seduced him or enchanted him. Don¡¯t fucking know, don¡¯t fucking care.¡± ¡°You want him back then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated. He¡¯s another of my wife¡¯s cousins, and I¡¯ve had to put up with the ungrateful brat for six years. He just came of age, so fuck it. He¡¯s not my responsibility anymore.¡± Longhorn spun around in his chair and opened a small cabinet behind him, pulling out a bottle and a handful of glasses. ¡°That woman and her family.¡± He plunked the glasses down and decanted the bottle. ¡°She gave me an heir and a backup, so I can¡¯t begrudge her too much.¡± He poured out six glasses and pushed them out to us. He hesitated with Heather. She smiled and shrugged, reaching for the glass. ¡°But I lost my attraction for red-haired women after she managed to flood this castle with so many of her relatives that they displaced the rats.¡± He held up his glass and toasted bitterly. ¡°To missing rats.¡± ¡°Missing rats,¡± we murmured out of unison. We downed our drinks together. Oh, baby, I loved it. It was a buttery whisky with an herbal aftertaste that warmed my throat and mouth with a slight tingle. Man, the booze was good in Murder World. ¡°I told you it was a long back story.¡± He set his empty glass down. ¡°They¡¯re squatting at an old keep straight north of here called Pridehelm.¡± He pointed to the top of the map where it was labeled. MAP LOCATION UPDATED: PRIDEHELM KEEP My internal map placed the keep just outside the province at the foot of the mountains. I briefly mused at this before Longhorn jumped back into the story. ¡°Now,¡± He continued. ¡°As you may have gathered, I wouldn¡¯t give up the left tit on a breastplate to get my wife¡¯s useless cousin back.¡± He poured another drink. ¡°But a month ago, one of those frost maidens pounds on my door with an offer of ransom.¡± ¡°Ransom?¡± ¡°I know, for a fact, that there are no men in the cult. I¡¯ve had it scouted out. So, they had some nefarious purpose for the men they captured here, and I¡¯m sure Eric cried out my name to get spared from whatever fate they had in store.¡± He took another shot. ¡°They wanted ten thousand GP for his safe return and gave me until the First Caedasin of Clarus to deliver.¡± He smirked. ¡°She¡¯s safely locked in my dungeon.¡± ¡°So why not send your men?¡± Jinx asked. ¡°Different province.¡± I pointed up at the map. Longhorn nodded at me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Right, you are, little one.¡± He slapped his glass on the desk. ¡°And Sardrod Hillrock wouldn¡¯t mind in the least if a dragon cult tormented my people for all eternity. But, if I send my own men up there, he¡¯ll take that as a hostile act, and I would have to deal with an Imperial grievance.¡± ¡°Right then,¡± Jinx said. ¡°The offer?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t pay anyone ten thousand GP for the safe return of my idiot-in-law, who I¡¯m not even legally responsible for.¡± He poured another drink and capped the bottle. ¡°But I will pay ten thousand GP for someone to raise Pridehelm Keep to the ground.¡± ¡°Fire, all right then?¡± ¡°Burn the whole fucking place and every icy bitch in it.¡± Longhorn pulled out the quest sheet from his desk and quickly noted it, sliding it forward. ¡°There¡¯s about twenty of them in all, I think. All magic users, and probably not that powerful, based on the one I have downstairs.¡± ¡°Give us a sec, Your Grace,¡± Jinx said. Party Chat: Jinx: Thoughts? Gem: We weren¡¯t planning on making that much on the entire tour. Kev: I know, so what do we do then? Regan: He wants us to kill twenty people. Why am I the only one that has a concern about that? Jinx: Because you¡¯re the only one that don¡¯t know anything about dragon cults, love. They want to bring an all-powerful apex predator into this world. Even Heather would be on board with it. Regan: Why would anyone want to do that? Gem: They believe the dragon will give them power¡ªand frost elves like the cold. So, a frost dragon sounds like fun for them. Kev: I¡¯m in. We can take them. Gem: Me too. Jinx: Regan? Regan: What the fuck ever. Sure. By the way, why isn¡¯t Heather in the party? Jinx: She was a bitch earlier. Gem: We like her now, though. Regan: We should totally invite her in. Jinx: We¡¯re done. ¡°I do have a question,¡± I asked, raising my hand like in school. Longhorn looked at me momentarily; I put it down quickly, realizing I looked like an idiot. ¡°And what would that be?¡± he replied, his voice starting to slur slightly from the drinks. ¡°Two, come to think of it.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± he said, starting to look irritated. ¡°Why pick us?¡± ¡°Honestly,¡± He said, a frown forming on his face. ¡°No one else has come.¡± He leaned back in his chair. ¡°Not out here in this gods¡¯ forsaken country.¡± ¡°No one?¡± ¡°And time is running out. It¡¯s the Third Arcomin of Funa already. So, I have less than two weeks until the deadline.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I have no idea what will happen if I don¡¯t. I¡¯m not worried about them, but no one puts the screws to Longhorn.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± ¡°You had another question?¡± ¡°Yeah, that whiskey. I don¡¯t suppose you could pour me out another glass?¡± The party just looked at me like I just asked him if it was okay for me to take a dump on his desk. Longhorn bellowed and clapped his hands. He raised a finger to me with a smile and spun his chair around. He pulled a sealed bottle out of the cabinet and set it on the desk before me. ¡°A gift.¡± He scooted it toward me. ¡°For one who appreciates the good stuff and has had to put up with my wife.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I gleefully took the bottle and slipped it into storage. ¡°You¡¯re the best Duke ever.¡± The dwarven features of his ancestry lit up with an expansive grin. ¡°You¡¯re most welcome.¡± He took two beats as he looked at us before rising to his feet and holding out his massive hand. ¡°Do we have an agreement?¡± ¡°Yeah, we do,¡± Jinx said. He stood, and we all joined him. Jinx shoved his hand into Longhorn¡¯s, and the deal was done. ¡°That bird you got locked in yer cellar,¡± he pointed down. ¡°We¡¯ll take ¡®er wif us, that¡¯ll ¡®elp get us in.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Longhorn pushed the document to Jinx. ¡°I¡¯ll put spotters on the roof. When they see smoke coming out of the wretched place, I¡¯ll release payment through the Guild system.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Jinx read the paper and pushed his ring against it. PARTY QUEST RAISING OF PRIDEHELM KEEP The Duke of Longhorn has had enough of the Cult of Gelruth. After taking several citizens hostage utilizing seduction or enchantment, including Eric the Idiot, the cult has gone too far. Raise Pridehelm Keep to the ground with fire and eliminate the threat. REWARD:
  1. 10,000GP
  2. XP
We emerged from the castle and were directed around the right toward the dungeon entrance. We were allowed to switch clothing before leaving and were ready to trudge back through the mud to the carriage with the cultist prisoner. The sun was shining brightly in the mid-morning sky, bathing the courtyard. Morning dew vaporized off the heated dark grey stone, leaving eerie clouds of fog. ¡°We should be hitting the keep right before nightfall,¡± Jinx said. ¡°We just have to tow this witch with us, but she won¡¯t be giving us any trouble.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all about eliminating the Cult members there,¡± Heather said. ¡°But the deception you plan on using is a little distasteful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the safer option,¡± I said. ¡°If we use a smile to get them to open the door and let us in, then we have the benefit of surprise.¡± I skipped a little to keep up with the group. ¡°If we just start blasting fire at the door, we lose our advantage in the fight.¡± We reached the entrance to the dungeon, where a cheerful dwarf stood guard. He raised a hand in greeting, his grin as bright as the lantern hanging above the door. ¡°Name¡¯s Stibs,¡± he said, his voice hearty and warm. ¡°But folks ¡®round here call me Ironbeard. Darn glad to meet you!¡± Jinx, the big grump, snorted and handed him the orders from the duke. Stibs read it over and unlocked the door with a grunt and a hoot. He passed through and yanked the heavy door closed with a clang that rattled my ears. He called out an apology to us from behind the door. ¡°I understand the tactics,¡± Heather said. ¡°The whole thing is just disturbing for me.¡± ¡°Yeah, but dragon cults are hard on the world,¡± Kev said. ¡°I know the Church of Amania would back us up on this.¡± ¡°The Goddess supports cleansing the world of tainted beliefs,¡± Heather said. ¡°I wish we had a better approach, is all.¡± ¡°They''re gonna be dug into a dungeon wiv only one way in or out, most likely.¡± Jinx said. ¡°So, the furver we get in there wivout fightin¡¯, the better. We can ''old up and fight from a defendable position.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with these guys anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°They are basically at war with half the continent,¡± Heather said. ¡°If they unleash a dragon, it will decimate everything.¡± ¡°So, fuck those guys then?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Kev said. ¡°Zero mercy.¡± ¡°But can they, I mean, really do that?¡± ¡°In theory,¡± Jinx said. ¡°''s been done before, a long, long time ago. Took out a chunk of wot we call central America in about a week. The thing''s still there. They''re lazy bastards, so they don''t travel far once they''ve got a layer established.¡± ¡°That was thousands of years ago. Most of these cultists are just delusional,¡± said Heather. ¡°There¡¯s very little chance they have the magic to summon a dragon.¡± ¡°But they do a bunch of nasty shit trying,¡± Gem said. ¡°Those witches weren¡¯t recruiting. They were harvesting.¡± The door opened, and the guard pulled the prisoner we were waiting for by her chains. ¡°Oops,¡± I whispered, my face getting hot and the usual rush of bodily excitement. ¡°Down girl,¡± Gem whispered back. The prisoner was a frost elf, looking like a Norwegian supermodel cast in a Ziggy Stardust-inspired Christmas special. She stood about six feet tall, her athletic frame clad in a short black robe with a thigh-high slit and a plunging neckline that didn¡¯t leave much to the imagination. Her long, muscular legs looked like they belonged on the cover of a fantasy fitness magazine. Her bright blue eyes glimmered beneath a cascade of white hair like freshly fallen snow¡ªyes, snow. Her pale skin caught the morning sunlight, glowing with a faint blue shimmer that made her look otherworldly. Even her lips were a deep, frosty blue, like she''d just kissed the Arctic. Her features were smooth and sharp, strikingly androgynous. She was flat-chested, broad-shouldered, and carried herself with a kind of regal elegance that the chains couldn¡¯t diminish. ¡°Not fond of that sun,¡± she said, turning her face away from the morning light. She spoke with something that sounded like an Eastern European accent. ¡°I hope you¡¯re here to take me back home.¡± ¡°The Duke has agreed to your terms,¡± Kev said. ¡°We¡¯re hired to deliver payment and retrieve Eric.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°My sisters were getting pretty tired of having him around. The novelty certainly didn¡¯t last more than a week.¡± She surveyed the group as the guard unlocked the shackles. ¡°Oh, look at you bunch.¡± She said. ¡°A Priestess of Amania in tow, really? I certainly hope you¡¯ll try to convert me on the way back. It should be fun.¡± ¡°If you are willing to listen to the word,¡± Heather said. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to explain it.¡± ¡°And a brute,¡± she said, ignoring Heather. ¡°A ranger and a wizard, of course.¡± She stopped and looked at me. ¡°And just what are you supposed to be?¡± ¡°The comic relief,¡± I said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m the funny one.¡± The cultist chuckled. ¡°And I thought that was what the Priestess was for.¡± She rubbed her wrists when the shackles were removed. ¡°I¡¯m Acolyte Leoleth of the Church of Gelruth, Lord of Ice.¡± ¡°Be a good acolyte so we don¡¯t have to chain you up,¡± Kev said. ¡°I¡¯d gladly let you,¡± Leoleth said with a coy smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be quite an enjoyable prisoner. I¡¯ll be at your mercy all the way there.¡± She let out a sigh that dripped with low-budget drama. ¡°The guards here just don¡¯t have the stamina to keep me interested, and once I get home, I won¡¯t be the center of attention anymore.¡± With a collective eye roll, we led the frost elf out of the castle grounds. The muddy street met us at the gate. Two of the duke¡¯s men led us down the middle of town, with the party in a defensive formation behind them. I was on point for some reason, with Leoleth directly behind me, flanked by Kev and Jinx. Heather and Gem took up the rear. When the mud got deep, I struggled through; I glanced back and saw Leoleth gracefully stomping ankle-deep without breaking stride. I almost got run over by the towering elf woman. ¡°It must be a challenge for you,¡± Leoleth said in mock sympathy. ¡°Such little legs in such a tall world. Is that why you live in a dwarf kingdom?¡± ¡°Real estate¡¯s more affordable,¡± I grunted at her. ¡°Less icy bitches too.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± the elf said. ¡°Little, funny, and mean. And here I thought you were just little.¡± I stepped up my pace to keep ahead. ¡°But seriously, what is your role in the group?¡± ¡°Bass player. It sucks because the lead guitarist and the frontman catch all the tail.¡± It was obvious to me that Leoleth was digging for intelligence on the party, and while it was clear what roles the others had, she didn¡¯t know what I did. I pinged the rest of the group on chat, telling them not to reveal any information. ¡°I have no idea what that even means.¡± ¡°It means I work as hard as everybody else in the band, but I don¡¯t get the recognition because my instrument is not as flashy. So, all the chicks dig the other guys.¡± ¡°Chicks? You mean little birds?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Babes, hotties, smokin¡¯ mamas, foxes, groupies, floozies.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re the funny one or not,¡± Leoleth said as we reached the stables. ¡°Unfortunately, she is.¡± Said Kev. ¡°So, you¡¯re the little pink-haired jester girl.¡± ¡°You pegged me.¡± I smiled at her. The stable hands brought the horses around, and Gem and Kev started hitching them up. ¡°So,¡± I said, leaning casually against the carriage, ¡°How¡¯s the whole dragon-summoning gig going? Like, on a scale of stupid to bat-shit crazy, where does that even land?¡± Leoleth straightened, her frost-blue eyes gleaming with pride. ¡°We work to bring his glory to Nya. Such a goal could take years, even centuries. But he will reward all of us with life and power beyond anything this world has ever seen.¡± ¡°Centuries, huh?¡± I snorted. ¡°With your looks and that bod, you could be modeling in Nya¡¯s version of Paris, rolling up in limos, sipping champagne. But sure, centuries in a basement works, too.¡± ¡°Again,¡± She gave me a flat look. ¡°You make no sense.¡± ¡°No sense? C¡¯mon, girlfriend. You could be living your best life, enjoying Hot Girl Summer. Instead, you''re cooped up in a dungeon with a bunch of smelly geeks trying to summon a dragon that¡¯ll probably eat you. Sounds like a dream.¡± ¡°You know nothing, you little half-breed!¡± Leoleth hissed. ¡°Who''s the mean one now.¡± I glared at her. ¡°You¡¯ll like the inside of the carriage, nice and dark like your basement.¡± I opened the door and gestured for her to enter. Leoleth slipped inside without another word. Gem and Jinx shrugged and entered after her, followed by Heather. I climbed up to the box to join Kev. I didn¡¯t want to spend the next half day talking to that icy bitch. ¡°Catty,¡± Kev smiled when I sat next to him. ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing the reins to me. ¡°You need to learn this stuff anyway.¡± I struggled to get the horses moving, even with Kev¡¯s help. After a few awkward moments of trying, I managed to get the carriage moving and led it slowly around the livery and out the town''s main gate. ¡°Bye-bye, Mud Town.¡± I sang to myself as we got back onto the highway. It was a half a day¡¯s ride north from Longhorn to the keep. The Imperial Highway out here was impressive. It was wide enough for two carriages to pass by each other easily and was elevated above the muddy fields of wheat and corn that the province was famous for. Small communes were clustered along the highway along the road on elevated land. NEW SKILL: COACH DRIVING: LEVEL 1 The skill appeared about thirty minutes after we entered the fields. Almost immediately, I understood how to steer the coach more effectively. ¡°Cool,¡± I said. ¡°I just earned a skill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty amazing,¡± Kev said. ¡°You Rifters are lucky like that. The skills come easy from just a bit of practice until you get caught up.¡± ¡°All I¡¯ve done so far is stab stuff.¡± ¡°There,¡± Kev said, pointing ahead and to the right. ¡°Those are bog rats.¡± I saw bipedal animals scurrying around the rows of corn, eating and scattering. They were about the size of golden retrievers, covered in filthy grey and brown fur, and had long rat faces. ¡°Gross,¡± ¡°You have a bow, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Climb up and shoot as many of those things as you can as we go by. Those are big rats, a pest for the farmers because they eat everything. And they are too nasty to just kill with a hoe.¡± I climbed to the top of the carriage and pulled my bow out of inventory. I nocked the first arrow and aimed. The motion was smooth, like motor memory. I had done it before but hadn¡¯t thought about accuracy or range. This time, I took my time and imagined where the arrow would fly. I pulled back, aiming at the nearest bog rat, and released it. The arrow flew wide, extremely wide. ¡°Fuck,¡± I muttered. Kev chuckled. I pulled another arrow and did the same; the result was the same. I pulled a third and targeted a rat further down the road. I let the arrow fly, and it still missed with another wide margin. ¡°Keep at it,¡± Kev called back to me. ¡°Just don¡¯t miss so bad that you hit me.¡± ¡°Challenge excepted.¡± I barked at him, pulling another arrow out of her inventory. It took twenty-one tries before I finally hit one, which prompted a congratulatory message: DEFEATED BOG RAT +10XP There was no other reward, just a little XP. ¡°XP don¡¯t feed the family,¡± I muttered, pulling out another arrow. Chapter Eleven: You try keeping twenty women happy for three months. Chapter Eleven: You try keeping twenty women happy for three months. SHORT BOW SKILL INCREASED Short Bow: Level 2 +1 DEXTERITY You have used this weapon enough to increase your proficiency. All short bow attacks now increase the chance of connecting and causing damage. All arrows shot by a short bow now inflict 1.5x damage to critical areas on successful attacks. By the time the level-up came, I had almost exhausted my iron arrow supply as we passed through the fields. I had probably killed thirty or so bog rats. I put the bow away and slipped back into the seat next to Kev, my fingers and hands burning with fatigue. We were now passing out of the low-lying fields and entering the highlands at the foot of the mountains. ¡°You level up?¡± Kev asked with a chuckle. ¡°Or just run out of arrows.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not completely out.¡± ¡°A ranged attack will be good.¡± He added the next part a bit hesitantly. ¡°Especially as an assassin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an assassin,¡± I said quickly, glaring at him. ¡°You¡¯re not going to train any other Rogue jobs out here. So, you might as well focus on getting it up as high as possible until we get to the city.¡± ¡°The assassin skill only rises when I kill people.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Kev pulled back on the reins and brought us to a stop. ¡°Not a lot of fun.¡± He hopped down and gestured for me to follow. ¡°We¡¯re getting close to the keep. We need the frost elf up here so they don¡¯t attack us.¡± I joined him on the ground, and he slid open the door. ¡°Switch, ¡° he said into the compartment. Jinx emerged with Leoleth after a second. She was laughing, trying to catch her breath. ¡°Your priestess is hilarious,¡± she managed between gasps, still struggling to get the words out. ¡°And here I thought all the Amania types were dull.¡± ¡°You should see her drunk,¡± I replied. ¡°She¡¯s, like, all Girls Gone Wild.¡± Jinx gave me the same look our old babysitter used to give my parents when Megan and I were six¡ªright before she pocketed an extra five bucks for the trouble. He led the giggling frost elf up to the carriage box. Kev and I entered the compartment to a snickering Gem and an annoyed-looking Heather. ¡°No,¡± Heather said before I could even open my mouth. She waved her finger, turned away from us, and faced the corner. Gem snorted. ¡°I like her.¡± We sat silently as the carriage rumbled along the highway, the crunch of gravel beneath the wheels filling the air. Eventually, the sound shifted to the hollow clatter of wood as we crossed a bridge spanning the very dwarvenly named Narrow River. That was the end of Longhorn¡¯s territory. I took a breath, bracing myself for the ugly business ahead. My stomach twisted at the thought of what I would be doing. It was still a broad-stroke plan, but I¡¯m sure the party needed more from me than a plucky personality. I didn¡¯t think this would be any better than the camp. It was more like a different shade of terrible. At least, thank the gods, we¡¯d be spreading the burden a little more evenly. I blinked at the phrase, a flicker of surprise breaking through my grim mood. Thank the gods? That was new. Come to think of it, I¡¯d been saying hells, too. Going native, I guess. ¡°They¡¯re worse than slavers,¡± Heather said. My face might as well have been a billboard on I25. There was no question about what I was thinking. ¡°Do you know how a summoning works?¡± ¡°You know I don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°You need a living vessel to summon a creature from another realm.¡± ¡°Like some dude, you pick up at an inn?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Gem said. ¡°It yanks their soul out of their body. Then the body is infused with magic while shoving someone else¡¯s soul in.¡± ¡°The magic infusion then molds the body to fit the new soul.¡± Heather finished. ¡°What happens to the old soul?¡± ¡°Nothing good.¡± Heather looked ill. ¡°It¡¯s consumed by the entity that takes over the empty vessel, giving it the boost it needs to come to life in this world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some sinister shit right there.¡± I wanted to thank the world of magic for bringing me to Murder World and all this fun, happy stuff. ¡°They are sacrificed to be used in a summoning,¡± Gem said. ¡°Or they are used as a spiritual power source.¡± ¡°Power source?¡± ¡°First, they are killed, and then life energy is siphoned into a crystal that can be used to power rituals.¡± ¡°Do they lose their souls that way?¡± ¡°No,¡± Heather said. ¡°It filters the soul energy out and retains the life energy. Souls aren¡¯t good to anybody in this world, so no one has a good reason to capture one.¡± ¡°What if they¡¯re just assholes?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t invented anything that can hold a soul, other than a body, of course.¡± ¡°Yay, us,¡± I said, my hands up. ¡°Haven¡¯t started harvesting souls yet.¡± Then the weird girl gears started turning. ¡°Is there a way to transfer a soul from one body to another?¡± Gem looked at me like I was crazy. ¡°You would need a living body without a soul. They¡¯re a bit hard to come by.¡± ¡°Off-topic by about a thousand miles,¡± Kev grumbled as he shuffled around. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked tactics beyond the basics.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said coldly. ¡°What do you have in mind.¡± We went over options, keeping up with Jinx on chat while we planned an approach to the problem. Most of them would involve me raising my Assassin job by about a thousand levels. ¡°You don¡¯t want me in there,¡± Heather said. ¡°They won¡¯t let me anyway, so I might as well sit it out.¡± ¡°We may need you,¡± I said, giving her a pouty look. ¡°Yeah,¡± Kev said. ¡°But she¡¯ll put the cultists on edge the second she crosses their threshold. We need them to feel like they are in control.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are anticipating an ambush.¡± ¡°Not with only three of us.¡± ¡°Four,¡± I corrected. ¡°No,¡± Kev said. ¡°You sneak in after. You¡¯re going to make sure our flank is clear.¡± ¡°Stabby Stabby, Joy Joy.¡± I sang sarcastically. ¡°I told you,¡± Kev said. ¡°You¡¯ll be training up that assassin job while you¡¯re out here.¡± Group Chat: Jinx: Arrived. It had been about two more hours of planning and plotting, and I couldn¡¯t figure out a strategy that seemed to work that involved everyone walking into a den of homicidal cultists hell-bent on delivering frozen death across the countryside. I arranged my inventory in my head accordingly and climbed out onto the carriage''s roof. It¡¯s time to get into character. ¡°There it is, Pridehelm Keep,¡± Jinx said. The word pride didn¡¯t exactly resonate with the place. What once was a castle, a proper castle, was a ruin now. There used to be an outer wall, but it was almost completely gone except for one side on the east. The keep itself was a single round tower that seemed reasonably intact. For some reason, a makeshift rope bridge was strung behind the east wall and the tower¡¯s roof. As the sun set, I could see a single figure standing on top, watching us approach. Three more came out of the keep, hands raised, with crackles of magic visible between their stretched-out fingers. They were all clad in the same robes as Leoleth. ¡°I can see why you were anxious to get back here,¡± I said up to Leoleth. ¡°The place smells like body odor and Hot Pockets.¡± ¡°Being as short as you are.¡± Leoleth snarled. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can smell anything other than your own asshole.¡± ¡°I thought we were friends now.¡± I pouted at her. ¡°And then you come at me with the short jokes.¡± I waved to the trio on the ground with a toothy grin. ¡°Why aren¡¯t there any dudes in your cult anyway?¡± ¡°There are.¡± Leoleth snorted. ¡°But we are an all-female order; we don¡¯t want the distraction of men in our midst.¡± ¡°All female order?¡± I mused out loud. ¡°Must be catty as fuck.¡± ¡°Is she coming in with us?¡± Leoleth asked Jinx with a pleading look. ¡°No,¡± Jinx said, throwing a nasty look back at me. ¡°She ain''t gonna get off the fuckin'' coach.¡± ¡°Come on!¡± I barked back a Jinx. ¡°You¡¯re not serious, are you?¡± ¡°I ain''t gonna let you go down there with us and muck up everythin'' with your bleedin'' mouth. Stay with the coach and the priestess.¡± I plopped down on the top of the carriage and sat cross-legged, pouting at Jinx. ¡°Crisscross applesauce,¡± I muttered bitterly, loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°I wanted to see the sacrificial altar.¡± ¡°Why do you keep her?¡± Leoleth asked Jinx. The carriage pulled in beyond the broken wall. The three cultist women still held defensive positions by the door. There was a small lean-to built against the east wall. I could see a bed roll and a small chest inside it. I doubted these elves had much in the way of wealth, but I marked it in my mind to check later. The frost elves standing guard looked so much like Leoleth that I thought they could be related. Either that or, in the waning light of day, I couldn¡¯t catch the subtle differences in appearance. ¡°Welcome back, sister.¡± The middle one said. ¡°Thank you, sisters.¡± Leoleth sat up in her seat, beaming with pride. ¡°Mother was getting worried,¡± the one on the left chimed in. ¡°She thought there would be no bargain with the duke.¡± ¡°Are you, like, all really sisters and stuff?¡± I called out to them. ¡°I have a twin sister, but she really doesn¡¯t look like me.¡± Leoleth turned and glared at me. ¡°Lucky her.¡± she hissed. She turned back to her fellow cultists. ¡°We have our bargain. These mercenaries were hired to deliver the ransom and retrieve the duke¡¯s cousin.¡± ¡°The duke¡¯s wife¡¯s cousin.¡± I corrected. Jinx snarled back at me. ¡°Shut it.¡± ¡°I just wanna make sure we get the right guy.¡± ¡°Regan!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Leoleth cleared her throat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the duke send his own men?¡± The middle cultist asked. ¡°''Cause, sweet''eart, this land belongs to Sardrod Hillrock, and he won''t take kindly to Duke Longhorn marchin'' his men over that back there.¡± Jinx pointed over his shoulder at the Narrow River. ¡°So, bring him on out!¡± I bellowed. ¡°We need to get this done; I got a date back at Longhorn!¡± ¡°You''ll ''ave a date with my boot up your arse if you don''t shut up!¡± Jinx was standing in the box, glaring down at me. I looked up at him sheepishly. ¡°Seriously though, ladies,¡± he said, turning back. ¡°Bring ¡®em out so we can get on our way.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t bring anyone out until we have verified funds.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t show you funds until we have the duke¡¯s cousin,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Wife¡¯s cousin.¡± I corrected. ¡°Wife¡¯s cousin,¡± Jinx said, flipping his riding whip back over his head with a little snap. I easily dodged it but made a play of rolling onto my side. ¡°If we deliver him to you, what stops you from leaving.¡± The middle one said. ¡°Integrity, Love.¡± ¡°From a band of mercenaries.¡± The one on the right snorted. ¡°I guess we ain¡¯t the trusting types then, are we?¡± I barked, puffing up my chest. ¡°No.¡± the middle one replied, throwing a nasty look at me. ¡°You knew we was coming,¡± Jinx said. ¡°What was the plan?¡± ¡°We were going to bring you down to the jail and let you collect him there.¡± ¡°Inside your dungeon? You ain¡¯t serious?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t sure you would be coming in the first place.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, love,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Longhorn got his pride hurt by you lot.¡± He gestured to the keep. ¡°You may be dug in pretty good, but if this goes south in any way, he will come across that river, consequences be damned.¡± The three looked into space for a moment, and a party chat ensued. ¡°Do I look like that when I chat?¡± I asked. ¡°Shh!¡± Jinx said. ¡°Mother will meet you inside. Bring the payment.¡± ¡°Payment will be held in inventory between me and my people,¡± Jinx said. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at me as I shot up excitedly. ¡°Not you.¡± I sat back down and pouted again. ¡°The priestess will not be coming,¡± Leoleth said to him. ¡°Or little jester girl.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled. ¡°Never entered my mind,¡± Jinx said. And on cue, Gem and Kev emerged from the sliding door and stood by the carriage. Jinx climbed down, followed by Leoleth. He crossed over to the side of the carriage and joined a loose three-way circle with Kev and Gem, where they supposedly exchanged inventory items. Jinx passed them each a sack of gold that they stored away. I slipped down the carriage and landed next to the group. Jinx pointed at the running board, and I sat on it, looking as sad as possible. The group cautiously entered the door to the keep dungeon. Leoleth was with the middle cultist in the lead, with Jinx, Gem, and Kev in the middle, and the other two cultists. All passed single file through the doorway. The door swung wide and ground noisily to a close. I checked the roof first to see if the sentry was looking down and dashed for the door before it closed, activating Stealth as soon as I passed the threshold. The stairs leading down were wet and slippery, and it was no small effort to keep from sliding down the steps as soon as I hopped past the closing door. The others were ahead, Jinx and Gem loudly talking and making a racket. I equipped my black armor, cloak, Sick Stick, and a second dagger in my belt just in case. I sighed and started following the line. I wasn¡¯t sure if these cultists were necessarily combat-trained or not. Jinx thought most of them were ritual magic specialists since they were busy trying to summon the impossible into this world. I¡¯d have less of a problem gutting them if that were the case. The passage leading down was narrow, forcing the group to go single-file. I could see them clearly enough a few yards away and crept up quickly to the last one. I counted down from ten as I did; it steadied my hand and nerves. On one, I messaged Jinx. Regan: NOW! Jinx erupted in violent, hacking coughs and staggered forward in the narrow downward passage. ¡°Hey!¡± Gem yelped. ¡°You okay?¡± I could hear her slapping Jinx hard on the back as he coughed and sputtered. From behind, I slammed Sick Stick into the temple of the last cultist in line. SNEAK ATTACK ON GELRUTH CULTIST. 16 POINTS DAMAGE WITH SICK STICK DAGGER X3 SNEAK ATTACK DAMAGE X4.5 CRITICAL WEAKNESS DAMAGE 216VP DAMAGE TARGET SUFFERS STUN TIME REMAINING: 3 SECONDS TARGET SUFFERS FROM TILT-A-HURL DEBUFF TIME REMAINING: 5 SECONDS TARGET HAS SUFFERED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO A VITAL AREA. -300VP/SECOND I clamped my hand over her mouth and lowered her onto the steps. The message popped up before she finished laying down: YOU HAVE DEFEATED GELRUTH CULTIST. +500xp CORPSE: GELRUTH CULTIST. LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. Cultist robe of enhanced ritualism
  2. SICK STICK ENCHANTED DAGGER OF SUPERIOR QUALITY
  3. DAGGER, medium QUALITY
  4. POWER Chrystal, 40EP charges
  5. Bag of ritual ingredients
  6. 3SP
  7. 15CP
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? ASSASSIN JOB ADVANCED TO LEVEL 2 +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA +1 INTELLIGENCE DAGGAR ADVANCED TO LEVEL 4 +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA I quickly looted the corpse and skipped to the next one while Jinx continued his act. She was marching down, focused on Jinx¡¯s coughing fit. I was three steps behind her, so I was right about at her height. I twirled Sick Stick, gave a little leap, and landed on her back, the blade digging into her neck. The One and Done skill activated as soon as the dagger broke the skin. The body practically folded in half, and I had to catch it with one arm, bracing myself against the wall with my legs and free arm. I lowered her down the steps and looted everything before continuing in Stealth after the group. I topped off my AP with a potion. ¡°So, this is a big room, only one of ya in ¡®ere!¡± Jinx said as they emerged from the narrow stairs, took a right-hand turn, and presumably headed down another passageway. He was feeding me as much information as he could. We could use chat, but this was faster, and I only had seconds to react. I made my way, trying to keep pace and maintain stealth. Another cultist stood, watching the passageway the group had passed, shaking her head. I didn¡¯t even count before slamming my dagger into her temple. Like the first one, she died in just a couple of seconds from critical damage. I quickly yanked the body to the side, out of sight of the passageway, and continued, not bothering to loot it. ¡°Hey there, love!¡± Jinx barked at the next junction. ¡°Jus¡¯ you down ¡®ere?¡± This cultist didn¡¯t turn to look at the group but was staring up the dark corridor I was bouncing down. I skipped to increase my pace. She was carrying what looked like a large grain sack over her shoulder. I dropped stealth and slipped my dagger behind my back. ¡°Slow down,¡± I whined, just quiet enough for her to hear. I entered the room briskly, shaking my head with a smile, my hair bouncing around comically. ¡°I¡¯m the one with the short legs.¡± The cultist gave me a slight smile. I walked up and slammed Sick Stick up under her ribs. She lurched, dropping the heavy bag on top of me. I let go of my dagger as I struggled to hold up the heavy sack. I took a few steps back, holding the fifty-pound bag still over my head. She stumbled. She looked down at the handle sticking out of her with genuine surprise. I got a notice of the Tilt-a-Hurl debuff.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Shit,¡± I whisper-shouted. Her hands went to the hilt but paused. Her eyes grew wide. I knew that look. I was about to drown in whatever it was that frost elves ate for dinner. I threw the sack at her face as hard as I could, knocking her off balance. She fell onto her back, banging her head. The sack landed on top of her chest. She was still alive, suffering from the Tilt-a-Hurl debuff and a minor concussion. I must have missed her heart. I heaved the sack over her face and sat on it. She kicked and floundered. I checked her hands and wrists for storage devices, but there weren¡¯t any. It was a slow countdown death, unfortunately. When she expired, I just left her on the icy stone floor. I hopped up and yanked my magic dagger out of her torso. You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me! I thought as the notification appeared: ASSASSIN JOB ADVANCED TO LEVEL 3 +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA +1 INTELLIGENCE The job advanced way faster than I thought it would. Then I remembered what Jinx and The Whisperer said about advancement as a Rifter. I groaned as I moved down the hall. ¡°Oy!¡± Jinx bellowed from down the corridor. ¡°This is where ¡®e¡¯s ¡®eld up then?¡± Regan: The route behind us is clear. Jinx: Okay, Love, there¡¯s no one guarding the duke¡¯s cousin, so we need to take these two out. Regan: Duke¡¯s wife¡¯s cousin. There was a pause. I think Jinx was looking for a way to kick me out of the chat. Regan: Then what? Jinx: We move through the dungeon, eliminating the rest. Regan: That¡¯s all we have for a plan? Jinx: Just get down here. Regan: I¡¯m right behind you. Hang on. I slinked into the room while the others still had their backs turned. It was long, like a wide hallway, with three cages stacked next to the wall to the left of the passageway. Each one had straw bedding and the obligatory bucket because that¡¯s the height of dungeon hygiene. The floor? Good old hard stone slabs. It¡¯s a dungeon. Like, what else would they use? A single mage lamp hung overhead, casting a small pool of light in the center and leaving the edges draped in shadow. I made myself a stealthy little hiding spot in a dusty, dank corner. On the far side of the room, another passage led out, probably to more bad things. Leoleth and the cultist were so laser-focused on Jinx and the others that they hadn¡¯t noticed their friends hadn¡¯t made it. ¡°As you can see,¡± the cultist said with a flourish, ¡°He is here and healthy.¡± ¡°Healthy enough,¡± said a young man¡¯s voice from the middle cage. He was the only prisoner in the room. ¡°You try keeping twenty women happy for three months. Especially on a diet of sheep brains and hard tack.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even keep one woman happy,¡± the cultist said dryly, her tone as sharp as the glare she shot him. ¡°You, of all people, should know that¡¯s not true...¡± Eric the Idiot was not what I was expecting. He leaned lazily against the cage¡¯s crossbeam, his hands draped out like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. He wore a well-cut dress shirt that had clearly seen better (and cleaner) days. He had tights and a codpiece that made a bold statement about confidence. He had red hair tied back with a blue and yellow ribbon. Maybe he was trying to mimic the duke¡¯s style, though the effect was more ¡°dashing scoundrel.¡± His beard, no longer neatly trimmed, was flirting with full-on Robinson Crusoe. Despite his scruffy appearance, his youth showed in his face, though the weariness behind his eyes suggested the charm was doing all the heavy lifting. He didn¡¯t have the lanky frame typical of his family. Instead, he was solidly built, just shy of six feet tall, with muscular legs that the tights weren¡¯t shy about emphasizing. Handsome? Absolutely. Subtle? Not a chance. I had to be honest with myself¡ªI was starting to love me some cockiness. Gem had it, Nemdor had it, and this dude? He practically oozed it out of his pores. ¡°I¡¯ve got to say it now,¡± Eric chuckled, lounging against the bars. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely shocked my cousin¡¯s husband actually lifted a finger to get me back.¡± ¡°Just be grateful that he has,¡± the cultist replied. She seemed more than just angry at him. It was as if his attitude was causing her physical pain. Eric grinned, clearly enjoying himself. ¡°You talk a big game, Tiriana, but be honest. You couldn¡¯t survive down here without me.¡± ¡°We managed well enough before,¡± Tiriana shot back, her expression icy. ¡°Before? Sure,¡± Eric said, his smirk growing wider. ¡°But after? There¡¯s no going back from what we had. Admit it, you¡¯ll miss me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re deluding yourself, human.¡± Eric laughed and leaned closer to the bars. ¡°Oh, come on. How many nights did I thaw those chilly loins of yours?¡± He glanced at my group, raising his eyebrows theatrically. ¡°People say elves don¡¯t have a sex drive, but I swear to the gods, these frosties¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Tiriana bellowed, her hands snapping up as icy magic crackled to life between her fingers. Frost danced and fell to the floor in front of her. She glared at Eric with the kind of look that could freeze fire. Still, there was a flicker of shame behind her fury, as if he¡¯d struck a nerve. ¡°No need to get all worked up, love,¡± Jinx said with a wicked grin. ¡°We¡¯ll be takin¡¯ off your ¡®ands soon enough.¡± I used the distraction to work around the room, trying to get a vantage point from which to launch an attack. I knew we were about to hit DEFCON 1 any second. ¡°Mother has the keys; she will be here shortly,¡± Tiriana said. She stood with her back to the cage and looked down at Jinx. ¡°This is the part where you present your ransom to us.¡± ¡°That it is, Love.¡± Jinx stepped back and opened his palm, a bag appearing in his hand. ¡°Now,¡± Jinx said. Looking at Tiriana. ¡°Now what?¡± She asked. I hit her in the right temple with a steel arrow. One and Done activated, and she collapsed in a heap. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Eric bellowed, his face a mix of terror and twisted amusement as he gawked at the scene before him. Once the surprise wore off, he burst out laughing. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shame,¡± he said after catching his breath. ¡°These frost elves¡­¡± He shook his head, almost wistfully. ¡°Too bad all these beauties are wrong in the head. I¡¯ve really developed a taste for those blue lips.¡± Before anyone could respond, a wall of ice exploded, shoving everyone not in a cage back through the doorway and into the shadowy corner I¡¯d been hiding in earlier. We landed in a tangled heap, mostly unharmed but awkwardly piled on each other. I wriggled out from under Kev, who was muttering something that was probably an apology. Leoleth sprinted past us, vaulting over me like a frosty blue gazelle, and darted back up the corridor. I got a clear view under her robes. Now I knew what Eric meant about blue lips. ¡°Did she just run the wrong way?¡± Gem asked, brushing herself off as she climbed to her feet. We shuffled back into the jail. Eric looked me up and down with an appraising look. ¡°Whoa. Where¡¯d the pretty elf come from?¡± I blushed under his gaze. ¡°Do I let him out?¡± I asked Jinx cheekily. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Eric replied. His smirk quickly faded as realization dawned. He let out a laugh. ¡°I knew it! He wouldn¡¯t give a copper to piss on me, let alone pay a ransom.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx said dryly. ¡°He just wants us to burn the place down.¡± Eric chuckled nervously. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind being on the other side of this door before you start if that¡¯s okay with you.¡± ¡°I got this,¡± I sighed and rolled my eyes. I knelt before the lock. I didn¡¯t let myself get distracted by Eric¡¯s¡­shapely man area. I mean, it was right there at eye level. The codpiece was covering it, but that strap looked like it was barely holding it on. It could fall off if I accidentally¡­maybe ¡­Not distracted. ¡°Make it fast, love,¡± Jinx said impatiently. The lock clicked, the door swung open, and I felt like a better person for two whole seconds. Jinx started issuing orders. ¡°Gem, check the corridor an¡¯ shoot anyone who gets close. Kev, keep left of the door, be ready to ambush. Regan, to the shadows wiv ya.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Eric asked. ¡°You want to fight? Fight,¡± Kev said, shrugging. ¡°You want to run? Run.¡± ¡°My possessions are further down in the dungeon,¡± Eric said, stretching as he stepped out of the cage. ¡°Any chance you¡¯ve got a rapier?¡± ¡°Here.¡± I pulled a moderately decent rapier we looted from the slaver camp and handed it over. Eric took it, testing its weight with a few swings. ¡°Not exactly top shelf, but it¡¯ll do.¡± He rolled his shoulders and shook his arms like a prize fighter warming up. ¡°Got a dagger, too, maybe?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I grumbled, pulling the spare from my belt and handing it over. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°A kiss for luck if you happen to have any?¡± ¡°Luck or kisses.¡± ¡°I¡¯d settle for either at the moment.¡± ¡°I¡­Uh¡­¡± ¡°For the sake of the gods,¡± Gem laughed from the doorway. ¡°Stop acting like a Purity Initiate and kiss him, you little brat.¡± I stood on my tiptoes, grabbed Eric by the collar, and pulled him down for a kiss. I clung to him, letting the rush of the moment wash over me, silently wishing us both luck. His arms wrapped firmly around my waist. And he pulled me against him. His body was hard, and his grip was firm. After a moment, we let go, leaving me blushing and buzzing with excitement. ¡°Well done,¡± Eric said with a smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s not die.¡± He turned to face the doorway. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see where we can go from there.¡± My heart was all a flutter. Love me a cocky boy. I let myself savor the thrill for a few seconds, but reality crashed back hard and fast. The weight of everything we¡¯d been through to get here hit me, along with the fact that I¡¯d advanced my Assassin job by two levels in less than two minutes. Gods, damn it. I pushed it back, turning my thoughts to what was coming up. I shifted back to the far wall from the entrance. I realized the cage did not reach the ceiling of the room. I climbed the bars and squatted in the shadows, my short bow ready. ¡°Gem,¡± Jinx said. ¡°If they don¡¯t drop on the first shot, you back to the other door, you got it.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Eric,¡± Eric whispered. He had moved over next to me, looking up at my hiding spot. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My name is Eric.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Regan,¡± I whispered back with a flirtatious giggle. I smiled at him before activating Stealth and nocking a steel arrow. ¡°You¡¯re as bad as Gem.¡± Kev groaned, throwing me a nasty look. We could hear footsteps coming up the stairs towards the room a moment later. With my elf vision, I could see a white-tipped frost elf head peeking around the corner. I drew my bowstring back, but an arrow was flying before I pulled it halfway. There was a cry of pain, followed by a thump on the ground. Gem was kneeling in front of the entry of the corridor, another arrow nocked and ready. Eric and Kev had assumed positions on the left and right of the entry, prepared to strike. ¡°Why are we not fleeing?¡± Eric whispered to the group. ¡°We¡¯re contracted to burn the place down,¡± Kev whispered. ¡°We can¡¯t do that with a bunch of witches with built-in fire-suppressing magic now, can we?¡± Gem let another arrow fly and then immediately started backing up quickly. A spike of ice came flying out of the passageway at an upward angle and smashed into the room''s ceiling. Chips of stone and ice came raining down. ¡°Really!¡± Eric shouted. ¡°More icicles?¡± He moved to a position in the doorway. ¡°Who is it down there?¡± He turned sideways, his rapier up in defense, and the dagger held over his head dramatically. ¡°Nuala?¡± He inched forward toward the entry. ¡°No, wait,¡± he said. ¡°Selphie? You¡¯ll have to forgive me; I have trouble telling you apart!¡± Another spike came flying through, and he parried it with the rapier in a quick, simple wrist movement. It exploded on the blade. He laughed as two more shot out, each easily blocked. ¡°Zilyana!¡± He clanked his blades together. ¡°You should come up!¡± He took two steps back. ¡°You certainly didn¡¯t mind getting poked by me two nights ago!¡± ¡°You filth!¡± Zilyana came running into the room, her hands up with magic energy swirling between her fingers. Kev swung his hammer low, catching her ankle. The bones crunched as she cried out and fell to the floor. Eric brought his dagger down between her shoulder blades, ending her quickly. He grabbed her by the scruff of her robe and yanked her body back towards the back of the room. ¡°Not sure what the count is at this point.¡± ¡°Seven,¡± I muttered. Eric turned slowly and looked up at me. I was in stealth mode, so he probably couldn¡¯t exactly see me. ¡°These three, plus four?¡± ¡°Yes. That makes seven...Math.¡± ¡°You got four already, plus Tiriana?¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s cute and deadly,¡± Kev grumbled. ¡°Can we focus, please?¡± Another series of icy spikes started flying into the room, and Eric spun around, back on defense. I could barely make out the shapes in the passageway. There were two standing shoulder to shoulder. One shot the ice spikes while the other stood with her hands up. I let my arrow fly. It ricocheted off an invisible barrier with a tiny blue spark a few inches from the one I aimed at. ¡°They have shields!¡± ¡°Use the obsidian,¡± Gem said, switching her arrow out. I did the same; Eric was busy intercepting the spikes, and Kev kept his position at the side of the passage. Gem and Jinx were side by side. The latter had his hands up, charging up his lightning attack. Gem didn¡¯t have a target since she was too far back, and the passageway was at two sharp of an angle. I shot an obsidian arrow; it bounced off the shield, but the shield sputtered. I moved as fast as possible, summoning a steel arrow, nocking it, drawing, and releasing it. I was grateful for all that practice on the Imperial Highway earlier. It flew straight into the left chest of the righthand figure. She spun and dropped as the shield reappeared with a whop! A few seconds later, I got the notification and five hundred XP for the fallen cultist. ¡°Eight.¡± ¡°I can stop most of these spikes,¡± Eric said. ¡°But if we get one with another ice wall attack, they¡¯re just going to bowl us over.¡± ¡°Press it!¡± Jinx barked. ¡°Gem and Regan, take out the shield caster.¡± Gem stood and moved cautiously to the entryway. ¡°Regan, you shoot first,¡± she said. ¡°Then me.¡± Her eyes focused on the corridor. Gem had the more powerful bow, so it made sense. I released another obsidian arrow that bounced off the shield with the same effect. This time, Gem let her own arrow go right after, and she hit the frost elf in the center of the forehead. There wasn¡¯t even a cry as the cultist folded over. ¡°Nine?¡± Eric asked. I winked at him. ¡°Your math¡¯s getting better.¡± ¡°Move!¡± Jinx bellowed. Kev led the way, followed by Eric and Jinx, with Gem and me stalking behind, bows drawn and ready. The room at the end of the corridor was large and round, with about ten cells lining one wall. Unlike the cage they¡¯d stuffed Eric into, these cells had been adapted into small living spaces. Curtains hung from twine inside the bars, offering a semblance of privacy. The center of the room served as the common area, complete with a table, a few mismatched chairs, and a small makeshift kitchen on the opposite side. A stove, pots, and pans completed the home-sweet dungeon aesthetic. ¡°Nice thing is,¡± Eric said, taking position near the door at the far side of the room, ¡°as far as I can tell, there are only two ways in or out of each chamber. So, no chance of them flanking us.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx muttered, glancing around. ¡°An¡¯ we ain¡¯t got no place to hide either.¡± ¡°Most of them aren¡¯t that tough,¡± Eric added, his tone confident but measured. ¡°Mother and her number one, though¡­they¡¯re the ones to watch out for. And those ladies are pretty mean, too.¡± ¡°Regan,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Scout it.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± I turned to Eric as I stowed my bow and pulled out Sick Stick. ¡°You make it down that far?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go past this room,¡± Eric said. ¡°Which reminds me...¡± He walked off toward one of the cells. I activated Stealth and moved down without a sound. A dark, quiet staircase led downward, hugging the room''s walls. I moved cautiously, each step deliberate. The stairs were unlit, but about ten steps down, a faint blue flicker of light caught my eye from below. The air was heavy with silence, making every tiny sound feel deafening. I crept downward, keeping close to the right-hand wall for cover. When I reached two steps above the landing, I crouched low. My right hand gripped the wall for balance as I lowered myself further, steadying my left hand against the landing. Peeking around the corner, I caught sight of a shimmering blue light. It was another force shield. Before I could send a chat back to Jinx, a barrage of spikes shot towards me, fast as arrows, my instincts kicked in, and I dove back as quickly as I could, my heart racing as the projectiles clattered against the walls. I didn¡¯t make a clean retreat, however. Shearing pain shot from my left arm as an ice spike wedged itself in my wrist. I fell backward, losing my footing as another tore into my left ankle. Blood spurted everywhere as I cried out. 20 POINTS PIERCING DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WRIST. 40 POINTS FROSTBITE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WRIST. 25 POINTS PIERCING DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT ANKLE. 40 POINTS FROSTBITE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT ANKLE. YOU ARE SUFFERING FROSTBITE DEBUF. ALL AFFECTED LIMBS SUFFER 90% IMMOBILITY. TIME REMAINING: 60 SECONDS ¡°FUCK!¡± I yelled, pushing myself up the steps while pain and frost paralyzed my limbs. The spikes pierced completely through my wrist and ankle, and I could barely move. I heard soft leather slapping against the stone steps as one cultist ran up. I could either heal or attack. I pulled myself up with my right hand and readied Sick Stick. Pain and adrenaline raced through my body as I leaped blindly at the sound of footfalls around the corner. I landed on one of the frost elves, slamming Sick Stick down as hard as possible. It landed in the middle of her bare thigh. There was a shriek from her, and I let go of the dagger. We both fell backward, away from each other. I landed hard on the stone steps, the impact jarring every bone in my body. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself upright, but the elf I stabbed was already gone, having tumbled around the corner. Sick Stick was still lodged in her leg. Notifications flickered in my vision as I fumbled for a healing potion from my inventory. The sweet, herbal liquid filled my mouth, and I swallowed quickly, feeling its magic start to work as I inched backward up the stairs. A pair of hands grabbed me under the arms and yanked, dragging me up toward the room where the others waited. ¡°Get her before she heals,¡± I croaked. It was Eric. He nodded without a word, hopped over me, and bounded down the stairs, a newer, shinier rapier gleaming in the faint light. He vanished around the corner, and the sound of ice spikes smashing against metal filled the stairwell. Shards of ice flew up, bouncing off the walls and ceiling in glittering chaos. Moments later, a death notification popped up in my vision, along with the reward of two hundred and fifty XP. The potion did its thing. The icy spikes in my wrist and ankle shattered and fell away as the frostbite debuff faded. Unlike Heather¡¯s holy blessing, this stuff took its sweet ass time. I was still aching as I pulled myself up into a sitting position, wincing with every movement. Jinx and Kev rushed into the stairwell and the room, the sharp tang of ozone trailing. Gem followed closely behind, her sharp eyes darting to me. She paused at the corner as magical energy erupted in the room before her. ¡°Damn.¡± She sighed. ¡°Break time.¡± She turned and returned up the stairs, reaching down to help. ¡°You okay?¡± she asked, her voice tense. I grabbed her hand, using it to steady myself. ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± I grunted, though every muscle in my body screamed otherwise. ¡°It¡¯s clear.¡± Eric barked up at us. ¡°How many?¡± I asked, getting up and testing my weight on the newly healed ankle. It hurt, but it was functional. ¡°Three more, counting the one you stabbed.¡± ¡°Twelve then.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Gem frowned. ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°There¡¯s two behind us,¡± I said as she descended the stairs. ¡°The one on the roof and Leoleth.¡± ¡°Leoleth ran. Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t come back and stab us from behind.¡± ¡°The duke¡¯s intelligence might not be accurate. We don¡¯t know how many there are.¡± The room was almost an exact copy of the upper one, complete with living space and kitchen. The three cultists were sprawled out on the floor, dead. I pulled Sick Stick out of the thigh of the nearest one and wiped it off on her robe. The other two were still smoldering from Jinx¡¯s attack. ¡°They¡¯re on high alert and know we are coming,¡± Kev said. ¡°So, it¡¯s going to be a slog.¡± ¡°How¡¯s your lightning attack?¡± ¡°Against this lot,¡± Jinx smiled at the two he took down. ¡°Pretty devastatin''. They ain''t got too much in the way of defense, you an'' Gem ''it those shields, the rest of us can ''it ''em ''ead on.¡± ¡°I only have ten obsidian arrows left.¡± ¡°Be smart with ¡®em.¡± Jinx said with a wink. The next set of stairs opened to a long hallway with no opposition. It was lined with empty cupboards and cabinets and almost completely dark. I could see clearly but still proceeded cautiously, phantom pain in my wrist and ankle throbbing at the thought of another ice attack. Eric formed up at my elbow, sword at the ready. The dagger was gone and was replaced by a shiny buckler about the size of a hubcap. We reached the end of the hall, and the stairs went down to the right. I looked at him and he smiled and nodded at the doorway. The stairway was narrower than before. Eric moved in front and Gem directly behind. Jinx followed, with me and Kev in the rear. I was too far back to see the front, so I kept half an eye behind us. A blast of arctic air knocked me back a step, followed by the plinking of ice spikes flying up the stairs. I could see Eric using his shield and rapier to shatter them and knock them off course. Gem was on her back, stunned. I slipped past Jinx with my bow ready. Eric leaped from the steps down to the landing below and dashed out of sight. ¡°Eric!¡± I shouted at him. That cocky bastard! ¡°A little help!¡± he shouted up after a second. I hopped over Gem, who was recovering. The landing was attached to a well-lit room lined with bookshelves and a large table in the middle covered with books, scrolls, and papers. Three of the Cultists were there; two had ice swords and shields and were trying to double-team Eric on the left side of the room. The third was shooting ice spikes at him from the right-hand side of the area. There was no way I could hit any of these targets with all the moving and jostling around. I dropped the bow and summoned Sick Stick. I pulled up on the spell-slinging cultist and tried slashing my blade across her throat, but she twisted away, completely dodging my attack. She followed up with an ice wall attack that blew me head over heels into one of the bookcases. I took a hit and dropped my favorite dagger somewhere along the way. I summoned a short sword for some stupid reason. I gripped it in my right hand and pulled a dagger into my left. She summoned an ice sword, a shield, and an evil smile. We faced off for a moment. I planted my feet, knees bent, and was ready for the fight. I hated fighting fairly. ¡°Turn sideways!¡± Eric was looking at me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like me!¡± I glanced over. He wasn¡¯t facing his opponents like I was. He was sideways, with his rapier between him and his cultists. I copied his stance, and the dagger suddenly seemed less important, but now I presented a much harder target to hit. ¡°Keep your right foot in front!¡± he barked. ¡°Point it forward and to the left! Never cross your feet. When you turn, use your back foot. Shuffle! Don¡¯t step. You don¡¯t want to lose your balance.¡± The cultist attacked; I moved the way he suggested. I was only at level one with this stupid thing, but even I could feel the benefits of better footwork. I shuffled back as she advanced, and I managed to block her first couple of attacks. I wasn¡¯t sure what her levels were, but I didn¡¯t see her fighting with nearly the same proficiency as Eric. I glanced at him to see where he was, and she took the opportunity. She charged me with her shield, her left shoulder against it in an all-out bashing attack. I had no defense against it, so I threw my short sword at her feet while she ran at me. She tripped up, falling face down on the floor. ¡°Gods,¡± I muttered as I straddled her, shoving her face down onto the floor. I slammed my dagger down into her left shoulder, right below the neck. It hit something it shouldn¡¯t have because it barely penetrated. I let go of the blade and gripped her by the hair with both hands. She bucked against me, trying to toss me off. I yanked back as hard as I could. She gasped at the pain. I pulled her head off the floor before slamming it with everything I had. That had her rattled. But she wasn¡¯t done yet. She kicked and pushed, trying to get her arms under her. Rinse and Repeat. I slammed her down again and again and again. Bones cracked, and teeth scattered. I didn¡¯t stop until the remains of her face were flat, and grey stuff oozed out of her forehead. By the time I got the final notification, there was nothing left. I was pretty much holding a busted sack of skin and goop. ¡°Fuck!¡± I gasped. It was new, but it¡¯s not like I had much of a choice. It was a results-oriented kind of day. ¡°I am never going to raise my skill in that damn weapon.¡± I lamented, dropping her on the floor. Her busted head splashed in the blood with a squishy splat. I picked up my discarded sword. Lightning flooded in from the stairwell, engulfing the two remaining frost elves. They fell to the ground, screaming and twitching as Jinx carefully and slowly walked into the room, his eyes focused on the two of them. Several agonizing seconds later, they stopped moving, their bodies smoldering. ¡°Nice sparks,¡± Eric said breathlessly. ¡°I appreciate you not frying me, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good people.¡± Eric looked over at me and the mess on the floor. His eyes grew wide. ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°Tha¡¯s me girl,¡± Jinx said to him, patting him on the shoulder with a chuckle. ¡°Best not piss her off.¡± He crossed to the table and started sifting through the scrolls and papers. He pulled various ones into his inventory with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Icy bitches.¡± He mumbled to himself. ¡°Thanks for the advice,¡± I said to Eric. He nodded back at me. ¡°You look like you could be a natural.¡± I looked down at the pile of goo on top of the cultist¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Natural what?¡± ¡°The blade,¡± he said quickly. ¡°You just need to practice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just being nice because you think I¡¯m cute.¡± ¡°Fifteen,¡± Gem said, rubbing her side and surveying the carnage. ¡°Ten are yours.¡± ¡°One more, and I get a set of steak knives.¡± I shrugged. I walked around the room. I wanted to shake the dark thoughts out somehow, and some looting certainly wasn¡¯t a bad way to start. The shelves held some books, plus various other things. I saw a kettle on one and a sack on another. A small flat basket stacked with about a dozen tiny scrolls, all sealed with globs of blue wax caught my eye. I picked one up to examine it. NEW ITEM: SCROLL OF ARCTIC BLAST Concentrated wall of arctic air that will blast just about anything over. It¡¯s fully charged and ready to start the party. Break the seal and go at it. ¡°Spell scrolls?¡± I asked out loud to the group. ¡°Hells yeah,¡± Jinx said, looking up. ¡°Just break the seal; it''ll charge you up, and you can fire one off in any direction. Grab ''em!¡± ¡°Most of the books are crap. By the way,¡± he said as I added the scrolls to my space. ¡°There''s some interestin'' stuff ''ere though. No time to go over it right now.¡± A distant scream came from the next stairwell, followed by the sounds of flying ice spikes. I could hear fighting and yelling but couldn¡¯t determine what was being said. ¡°Gotta see what¡¯s going on down there,¡± Eric chirped. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if they were doing some of the heavy lifting for us.¡± He moved to the stairs. Energy rippled up, and waves of light poured like a river from the chamber below. Eric took a cautious step back. ¡°Regan,¡± Jinx said. He straightened up from the table. ¡°Scout it out.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I moaned. ¡°Okay.¡± My last scouting mission went so well. I activated Stealth and crept down the steps. Light erupted from the room below, splashing the stairwell in a dizzying array of colors that ricocheted off the stone walls like the worst Icelandic rave ever. The air was choked with ozone, thick and heavy. More screams, this time muffled, started up again, jagged and frantic. The cries were cutting through the crackling hum of energy. I made it to the bottom of the steps, and I slipped around the corner. There was a small carved archway leading into the chamber. I crouched down in full recon mode. I don¡¯t know if sunglasses existed here, but I wished I had some. No one was watching the entrance. I might as well have been playing the tuba and doing River Dance, and those freaks wouldn¡¯t have noticed. The chamber beyond was the largest I¡¯d seen yet, a natural cavern with the floor roughly leveled out. I could feel my hair standing up from the crackling energy that filled the space, the noise echoing off the walls like a cross between an electrical storm and a raging river. At the center of the room lay a circle of symbols. Painted or chalked? It was hard to tell. They pulsed with a sickly glow, like a heartbeat against the cold stone floor. At its heart, a young frost elf thrashed, stripped naked, bound, and gagged. Her muffled screams tore through the air, raw and desperate. Directly across from me stood a woman clutching a massive leather-bound book, her lips moving as she chanted. The rising noise of the room swallowed her words, but the cadence felt heavy, deliberate. Three other cultists flanked the circle, their faces pale and hollow, illuminated by shafts of light spilling from crystals perched atop their staffs. They stared down at the girl with a kind of sadness. The beams of light converged on the frost elf. Her pale skin shimmered beneath the shifting, ghastly rainbow, a perverse beauty in the glow. She writhed harder, her body arching against the bonds. Her screams cut deeper now, soaked in terror¡ªterror that thickened the very air as though the room itself felt it. It was the sound of someone who knew their soul was about to be ripped away. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Get there, Regan! ¡°¡­Oh shit.¡± Party chat: Regan: Uh, guys, this looks like a summoning. Chapter Twelve: Tell me more about Hot Girl Summer. Chapter Twelve: Tell me more about Hot Girl Summer. I had my bow in my hands and was nocking an arrow before I even thought about it. I¡¯m okay stabbing people, but I wouldn¡¯t say I like the idea of someone getting their soul eaten. Jinx came tearing down the stairs, nearly knocking me over as he pushed past, electricity crackling in his hands and cursing like a sailor. The rest of the party was right behind him, weapons out. I let loose an obsidian arrow, targeting the frost elf in the middle. She had stopped screaming and moving. It ricocheted off an invisible shield. I followed with another, but the shield was up before I could pull back my string. I turned to ask Gem to help, but a shockwave of magical energy burst out from the elf at the center of the ritual circle. It hit like a bus, flinging us all into the cavern walls. Everything was eerily still for a moment, save for the ringing in my ears. I was sprawled against the cold stone; my face smashed unceremoniously into the wall. Then came the sounds. First, a sickening series of cracks, like someone snapping bones or crushing twigs underfoot. That was bad enough. But then came something worse: a wet, sliding noise, like raw meat being dragged over rough stone. Every survival instinct in my body screamed, DO. NOT. LOOK. And, honestly, I wanted to listen. Nothing that made noises like that ever turned out to be something you wanted to see. But this was Murder World. It wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t gonna be feeling pain pretty soon, and I might as well see where it was coming from. To my credit, I was the first to get to my feet, though they were shaking like a crackhead on day four of withdrawal. And what I saw? Well, there¡¯s that thing where people say they wish they could unsee something. Car crashes? Sure. Dogs giving birth? Been there. Walking in on your parents doing it when you were too young to process that kind of trauma? Yeah, that was pretty high on the spectrum of the worst things my eyes have beheld. But this? It was way the fuck up there, just south of seeing mom pegging dad. The elf¡¯s body had started bloating like she was filling with air. Her arms and legs stretched and bent backward in ways that would¡¯ve made a contortionist scream. Extra joints popped into place with wet, meaty crunches, and those limbs split in half. Eight legs. She was growing eight gods damn legs. And her torso just popped open like a busted sack of steaming ravioli, spilling guts and gore all over the cavern floor. Out of the mess, a hardened shell began to emerge, shiny and dark, and an abdomen the size of a keg inflated behind her like some monstrous balloon. Her head twisted a full 180 degrees, the neck popping and cracking with a sound that made me want to throw up. And then, because things weren¡¯t as horrific as they could have been, mandibles punched through her cheeks, shredding what was left of her face as they grew to a full eighteen inches and razor-sharp. She¡­or rather, it¡­was now a spider. A mother fucking spider growing to the size of a Chevy Suburban fifteen feet in front of me. It was a gleaming iridescent dark blue and silver. Its legs, now lined with wicked silver spikes, spread out wide enough to touch the cavern walls. Six glossy, black eyes scanned the room, unblinking. Its breathing was heavy and labored, each wheeze echoing off the stone. And then... silence. The kind of silence that makes your skin crawl because you know it¡¯s just waiting for the right moment to explode. Jinx: That there is an Ice Arachne. Hit its face and abdomen. Stay away from the mandibles, the legs, and the- A massive ball of webbing, six feet across, shot from the ass end of the spider, flying towards Gem, who was still getting to her feet in the doorway. She dove into the chamber just in time to avoid the massive ball. It splattered against the opening, filling it with finger-thick webs, sealing the only exit we could see. Jinx: Spinnerets. The cultists jumped and started running toward the chamber''s back. There must have been another exit. A whole fat lotta good it did us with something that looked like it crawled off a heavy metal album cover blocking the way. I downed an AP potion and activated Stealth before scooting off to the creature''s right side, keeping a healthy distance while trying to flank it. Gem and Eric split apart, moving to the left and right. Kev also eased around the left, his hammer out. Jinx gave it a smile and a salute. ¡°Evening, old girl.¡± His voice was steady, almost kind. ¡°Jus¡¯ remember, we ain¡¯t the ones that dragged you ¡®ere.¡± He fired off a stream of flame, not at the spider, but at the glob of webbing that covered the door. I hoped the pass opened up soon because this was starting to look like my version of the Kobayashi Maru scenario. She lurched forward at him, and he dashed off to the right side towards Eric. The thing was a slow mover, unlike one of her little cousins. The problem was that it took up all the space, and its weapons seemed lethal at a single hit. And, of course: Giant Fucking Spider! Gem started firing arrows, one after the other, into its soft abdomen. One out of three managed to stick for negligible damage. It mostly trained its eyes on Jinx, who had directed his fire at it. It lifted its legs to spear him, causing him to break the spell as he dodged. The fire spell seemed painful, if not causing much damage, as the spider bellowed out a silent scream, which was just air whistling through its mandibles. ¡°Keep ¡®er distracted!¡± Jinx yelled, shooting flames at its abdomen before dashing around again to avoid the spider¡¯s legs. I snuck unseen to its side. Fuck, I thought, gritting my teeth. I had a short sword that was worthless, arrows that were worthless, and a dagger that was worthless. The thorax looked like it was made of steel. There were only a few soft targets on the monster. I counted down from ten to one in my head. At the end of the count, I launched myself onto the top of the creature¡¯s thorax by vaulting off the rock wall. All my newfound strength and dexterity were pushed to the limit. My butt confirmed what I guessed. It was hard as steel and ice cold. It also didn¡¯t seem to know I was on top of it. Either the others distracted her, or there weren¡¯t any nerves on the armored back. I inched forward until I was on the head. Or what I thought was ahead. Do spiders even have heads? I didn¡¯t think so, but I wasn¡¯t an expert. I wrapped my legs around what I thought was a head-like protrusion and slammed Sick Stick into the rightmost eye of the giant spider. SNEAK ATTACK ON ICE ARACHNE. 14 POINTS DAMAGE WITH SICK STICK DAGGER X3 SNEAK ATTACK DAMAGE 42VP DAMAGE TARGET LEVEL EXCEEDS SICK STICK DEBUFF THRESHOLD The spider lurched forward, hissing and wheezing a pained exhale as its mandibles scrabbled at the air, unable to reach me. I clung to its carapace for dear life, my dagger rising and falling in a frantic rhythm. Some strikes hit, with satisfying squelches. Others missed entirely, glancing off the hardened shell or sinking into empty space. It felt like riding a mechanical bull if it was ice cold, twice as wide, and oozing venom. Around me, the rest of the party was throwing everything they had at the beast, but we might as well have been toddlers swinging sticks at a dragon. Jinx¡¯s fire roared across its abdomen, scorching and blistering the surface, but it barely did more than give the spider a nasty sunburn. Kev¡¯s hammer crashed down in thunderous arcs, only to bounce off its armored legs like a kid whacking a pi?ata made of tire rubber. Eric and Gem were the only ones making any headway, leaving small, oozing holes where her arrows and his rapier found purchase. But the thing was huge, and all we were really doing was pissing it off. I had managed to damage two more of the thing¡¯s eyes, but without Sneak Attack, I could not deal much damage with the dagger. The spider let out a high-pitched hiss and then spun towards Gem with a massive lunge. A glob of webbing shot from its abdomen, hitting her square in the shoulder. It spun her around in midair like a meaty pinwheel and slammed her into the chamber wall. My heart dropped as I watched her hit. Hard. She stopped moving, but she didn¡¯t look hurt, just dazed. She was pinned, struggling futilely against the sticky threads as the spider¡¯s attention zeroed in on her. ¡°Shit!¡± I yelled, but there wasn¡¯t time to do much more than keep stabbing. If I did manage to blind it, maybe that would help? Best intentions, at least. Eric dived between Gem and the spider, his rapier slashing back and forth while his buckler deflected blow after blow. The spider pressed its massive body against him, venom-coated mandibles striking out like scythes. The thing wasn¡¯t fighting. It was trying to eat him. Eric gritted his teeth, every muscle straining as the buckler in his left hand wedged against one of the mandibles. His right hand kept his rapier between his shoulder and the other one. His blade was starting to bend under the pressure, but it was enough to keep those jaws from closing for the moment. The venom dripping from the spider¡¯s mandibles splashed across his shirt. It soaked through the fabric. My stomach churned. Did it need to be injected to work? Absorbed through the skin? Hells if I knew. The rules weren''t exactly clear in a messed-up fantasy world with a demon spider. I kept stabbing, doing my best to help, but the helplessness was overwhelming. Eric¡¯s face was twisted in pain, his body visibly shaking under the strain of holding back something that was ten times his size. Meanwhile, Gem still struggled behind him, stuck fast to the wall. ¡°Oy! Kev!¡± Jinx yelled. He extinguished his flame and pulled out Razor Mandolin. It was an unspoken agreement among the party to keep the thing in inventory, given its value, but the Ice Arachne was too big and powerful. Jinx tossed it under the spider¡¯s body, and it clattered to the ground at Kev¡¯s feet. Kev dropped the hammer and grabbed the axe. I could see his body shift as his strength and dexterity increased by ten points each. I knew that feeling well. He swung the blade up, and it cut deep into the spider¡¯s abdomen. It turned toward the source of its agony, hissing and whistling in pain. Eric was thrown to the side, but he was completely forgotten for the moment. Kev matched its movement and swung the axe hard again, targeting the spinneret. Purple and yellow puss poured out of the beast as Kev¡¯s swing cleaved the entire body part off. It hardened into a stinking half-web, half-blood glue that stuck to the stone floor, anchoring the spider to the ground. It bounced and struggled to move, but it only got more stuck and immobilized. It tried anchoring its legs to the ground and pushing with no success. Eric turned with a dagger to Gem, helping her cut away the silk. Jinx reignited his fire spell and renewed his attack, and Kev kept slicing with the axe. I managed to take out four of its eyes, but the giant spider seemed more preoccupied with the pain in its rear and trying to get off the floor. ¡°Does this thing have a brain!¡± I yelled over my shoulder. ¡°It does!¡± Jinx yelled. ¡°Yer sittin¡¯ on it!¡± ¡°Kev!¡± I held my hands up. He gave the abdomen a final swing, thrusting the axe deep into it with more purple ooze erupting from the slice. He yanked it out and tossed it up to me. I caught the axe and immediately felt the boosts, more than doubling my strength. I hadn¡¯t used it since my evolution, and the effects made my body feel even more electric than the first time I held it in my hands. I bounded to my feet. As the beast kicked underneath me, I raised the axe over my head. I gave myself a moment to center my balance and then slammed it down with all my strength, targeting the patch between its three pairs of eyes. The axe buried itself two-thirds of the way into the spider. YOU HELPED DEFEAT ICE ARACHNE. +1700xp CORPSE: ICE ARACHNE. LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. Razor Mandolin
  2. Ice Aracne Venom
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 3. +1 STRENGTH +1 DEXTERITY +1 INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY NOW ASSIGN 3 POINTS TO YOUR ATTRIBUTES AT ANY TIME. YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 3 ROGUE. +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA STEALTH NOW LEVEL 2:The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. +1 DEXTERITY 4x less detectable in dark, undercover, or outside line of sight. 4x less audible detection. Activation time: 1 second. Range: Self. Cost: 6AP/Second. SNEAK ATTACK NOW LEVEL 3 +1 DEXTERITY 3.5X DAMAGE ON ALL SNEAK ATTACKS. NEW SKILL ADDED: Acrobatics (Dexterity/Strength) Level 1 The skill of tumbling, leaping, and flipping. You can utilize basic tumbling skills to move about the world and impress your friends. The notifications ran through my vision as the Ice Arachne slowly tipped over with its legs curled like any other dead spider. I looted the thing, adding a full pint of venom and the magic axe to my storage. ¡°Whoa,¡± I said. Slipping onto the floor with a rush of blood to my head. ¡°Sixteen.¡± Gem let out a weak laugh. ¡°I just leveled up.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Kev breathlessly ¡°So did I,¡± I said. ¡°That mother fucker was tough.¡± ¡°More than tough,¡± Jinx said, walking around it to us. ¡°We were in way over our ¡®eads.¡± He reached down and helped me to my feet. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that axe¡­¡± ¡°We would have thought of something,¡± I said. ¡°Seriously though, giant spiders?¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t usually that big.¡± ¡°Such a fucking waste,¡± I muttered. ¡°Wacha mean?¡± Jinx asked, eyebrows furrowed. ¡°They didn¡¯t just kill her. They destroyed her. Completely. All to buy themselves a few extra seconds to escape.¡± There was something inside me, something I¡¯d never felt before. This wasn¡¯t just killing. It was worse. Way worse. ¡°Dead¡¯s one thing, but there¡¯s no sweet, peachy afterlife waiting for her. I mean, she fucking knew it too. She was terrified. You should¡¯ve heard her screams before you came down.¡± ¡°We all heard her,¡± Kev said, stepping forward. He wrapped his massive arms around me in a tight hug. ¡°And I saw what you tried to do,¡± he whispered. ¡°You wanted to spare her from that.¡± He let me go and stood up straight. I stepped up on his belt and used it to hoist myself up just enough to kiss him on the cheek. ¡°Thanks, big guy,¡± I whispered to him. It¡¯s easy to get caught up in the rush of things. Beating a giant spider feels pretty epic in the moment. But the weight of everything doesn¡¯t hit you until you¡¯re safe. I slipped back down the orc and moved over to Gem and Eric to see if I could help. Gem grunted as Eric managed to pull her off the wall just as I came up. She wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said. ¡°Any time.¡± He replied as she let go. He turned and looked toward the back of the chamber. ¡°Four of them scampered off.¡± ¡°Not our department,¡± Jinx said. ¡°We need ta jus¡¯ burn the place; We weren¡¯ contracted to kill everyone.¡± ¡°Or get me,¡± Eric said darkly. ¡°I know the duke didn¡¯t exactly like me, but I thought he would have at least tried to get me out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he figured we would spring you while we did our thing.¡± Gem suggested. ¡°I didn¡¯t leave with them. The frost elves, I mean. They charmed me and half a dozen others. Before we knew it, we were chained up in the back of a wagon. I wasn¡¯t turned into a power crystal because I told them about the duke, hoping they would ask for ransom.¡± ¡°Well, they did,¡± Gem said. ¡°And he refused.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t go back there,¡± Eric said, his face turned down. ¡°Mind if I ask where you¡¯re headed?¡± ¡°Ironstone,¡± Kev said. ¡°We need a chat,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Wait ¡®ere.¡± He turned around and stomped out of the cavern, back toward the library. We followed him through the smoldering stairway and up. I noticed everyone looked tired. This simple trip touring the countryside had undoubtedly gone off the rails for them several times. My plans of training to become a flight attendant went sideways, too, so I can relate. ¡°I think he¡¯s a straight-up guy,¡± I said when we reached the library. We all settled on the hardwood chairs around the table at the center. ¡°I think so, too,¡± Kev said. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to him traveling with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Kev,¡± Gem said. ¡°But don¡¯t listen to Regan. She¡¯s got a crush on the new boy.¡± She winked at me. Jinx gave her one of his patented scowls. ¡°Wot I wanted to talk ''bout,¡± he said, regaining control of the conversation, ¡°We landed in a big pile o'' gold, wiv this job, an'' wot we found at the slaver camp. I fink we might wanna quit while we''re a¡¯ead.¡± ¡°But if we are traveling with Eric on board, we¡¯ll have a more capable party.¡± ¡°Right, you are. But we planned this excursion wiv the three of us in mind. We already brought Regan on. No offense, love.¡± ¡°None taken, I guess?¡± ¡°We add another member and we¡¯ll be deludin'' our share of XP and GP. But that¡¯s beside things. The poin¡¯ I¡¯m making is that it is not gonna be much worth to continin¡¯ the trip.¡± ¡°We did just level up,¡± Gem said. ¡°What¡¯s our GP count right now?¡± Kev asked. ¡°Assumin'' we get the ten thousand for this job an'' the money for the axe,¡± Jinx said. ¡°twenty-nine ¡®undred sixty after guild fees and taxes.¡± Gem and Kev both gasped. I had no idea how far money went in this world and had only paid my way through the provincial towns, which didn¡¯t seem to cost much. I knew gold was valuable and only used it for the high-end merchandise I bought in Wood Cut. ¡°Is that a lot?¡± I asked. ¡°You can live on that for about four years in Ironstone.¡± Kev said, ¡°My inheritance was less than that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the GP,¡± Gem said. ¡°We still have the rings and necklace to unlock.¡± ¡°And the chest is worth around twelve hundred,¡± I said. ¡°The three of us already decided to give you the chest as a bonus,¡± Kev said. ¡°You did all the heavy lifting at the camp, so it¡¯s on us.¡± ¡°This ¡®ere is the kind of payoff that mercs like us never see,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It means everyone can afford upgrades an'' trainin''. It¡¯s an ''ell of a start for you, an'' a boost for the rest of us.¡± ¡°So, I could just live in Ironstone for four years and not do anything?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Gem said. ¡°It¡¯s not luxury living. It¡¯ll be a basic room and meals.¡± Four years¡¯ worth of gold, I thought. I had never had more than three weeks of cash on hand in my entire life, and now I was looking at not having to worry about money for the first time. It wasn¡¯t like I was used to living luxuriously anyway. ¡°It¡¯s a one-time thing, love,¡± Jinx said. ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna see money like that for a long time. You need to train an¡¯ gear up. Way fuckin'' up.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± I said. I took a deep breath. Four years. It just hung in my head. I couldn¡¯t even fathom the idea. ¡°Eric owes us for the rescue,¡± Gem said. ¡°But I say let him travel to Ironstone with us, but he¡¯s on his own after that.¡± ¡°Sounds fair,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m happy with what we¡¯ve got. I say we head back.¡± ¡°Second that,¡± Gem said. ¡°I¡¯m a third,¡± Kev nodded. ¡°We got an agreement then,¡± Jinx stood up. ¡°We ¡®ead back. Cut Eric loose and stick together until we split the ring loot.¡± ¡°What did you say about taxes and fees?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like Ticketmaster, is it?¡± ¡°The Mercenary Guild takes twenty percent of all GP,¡± Kev said. ¡°They¡¯ll also grab the Empire¡¯s cut and pass it on.¡± ¡°Never worried about taxes before.¡± ¡°Taxes to the Empire are fifteen percent of what¡¯s left?¡± Kev asked the group. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Gem said. ¡°Fifteen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a contractor wif us,¡± Jinx said, ¡°So you pay the fee, too.¡± ¡°But we looted the forty-three hundred from the slave camp. How will they even know we have it?¡± I asked. ¡°¡¯Cuz if we ¡®ave it and lie about it, then we get booted from The Guild if they find out. None of us will risk that.¡± ¡°And the other loot?¡± ¡°We pay taxes on it when we sell it,¡± Gem said. ¡°The buyer collects it.¡± ¡°The Empire and Guild only deal with the coin, then?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So, we call it quits,¡± I said. ¡°How long until we get to Ironstone from here?¡± ¡°We ¡®it the junction at Mountainside,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Then, take the ''ighway west, an'' we''ll be back in a day an'' a ''alf at the most.¡± ¡°I almost hate to ask,¡± I raised a hand. Why did I raise my stupid hand? ¡°What?¡± ¡°How dangerous is the road?¡± ¡°Should be pretty safe.¡± Kev shrugged. ¡°It was supposed to be safe already. Look what happened to us.¡± ¡°We are in more settled territory, less mountains and hills, so fewer places for outlaws to hide out.¡± ¡°Okay, cool. I¡¯ll let Eric know he doesn¡¯t have to walk then.¡± I hopped up and skipped down the stairs, feeling lighter than I had in days. Eric was cute. Annoyingly cute, actually. The more I saw of him, the more I liked the idea of having him around. It was starting to feel... appealing. I paused at the entry to the cavern. I had to move three points into attributes. I dove into my Character Sheet. I added a point to Strength, a point to Spirit, and a point to Luck. I felt like I needed a little spirituality. I definitely felt the need for more luck. You have passed level 10 Strength. Powerful Strike Level 1 Unlocked. Powerful Strike Level 1 Powerful Strike will apply 3x damage to any successful melee attack when activated. Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 79 AP Plus Cooldown: 47 seconds. Cool. When I returned to the chamber, I saw him squatting near the dead spider. His rapier hung lazily in his right hand as he stared at the floor in front of him, clearly lost in thought. ¡°You can put your sword away.¡± That¡¯s what she said. I snorted at my stupid internal joke. ¡°Huh?¡± His head jerked up, startled. ¡°Oh. Right. Sorry.¡± He stood, and with a fancy twirl of steel, the rapier and buckler vanished into his storage. ¡°You okay there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, shaking his head as he stepped toward me. His face twisted into a grimace. ¡°I¡¯ve been playing the spoiled rich kid for so long; I don¡¯t know how to be anything else. Not that I¡¯m rich anymore.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ve decided to head back to Ironstone,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s not much point staying out here. You¡¯re welcome to come with us if you want.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± His voice was heavy with gloom. ¡°Then... whatever.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You could join the Mercenary Guild, maybe? Start making some money? You¡¯re good with that sword. Or you could go back to your family.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that,¡± he admitted. ¡°They sent me to the duke, hoping he¡¯d take me on as part of the household. You know, like my cousins. I blew that.¡± ¡°At least you got some training out of it,¡± I said, trying to be encouraging. ¡°Yeah, but I wanted to join the guard,¡± he said. ¡°That was the plan. Turns out that wasn¡¯t really me, though.¡± ¡°So, what are you?¡± I asked, crossing my arms and looking him over. He smirked. ¡°Swinging on chandeliers, bedding beautiful women, and drinking the good stuff.¡± I plopped onto the floor. ¡°Crisscross applesauce,¡± I said, gesturing for him to join me. He sat down across from me, mirroring my pose. I pulled out the bottle I had gotten from Duke Longhorn from my storage and popped the cap. I took a swig and handed it to Eric. He accepted the bottle and took a gulp. His eyes immediately went wide, and he started coughing. ¡°This is from the duke¡¯s personal stash. It¡¯s magically protected. Where did you get this?¡± he asked, his voice strangled as he handed the bottle back. ¡°The duke,¡± I said, capping the bottle and tucking it away. ¡°He knew I liked the good stuff, so he gave it to me.¡± ¡°Lucky you,¡± Eric muttered, his voice still raspy from the drink. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one out of three,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°I can¡¯t help with a chandelier, but I think I¡¯ve covered the beautiful woman part.¡± Before he could say a word, I leaned up and kissed him. His arms came around me, pulling me close. I melted into him as my hands roamed over his back. He was filthy and smelled like roadkill, but I didn¡¯t care. For a moment, I wanted him to throw me on the floor and have his way with me. But then reality set in. Even I knew there was a time and place for these things, and this wasn¡¯t it. ¡°Um,¡± I said, gently pushing him back. My face was still flushed. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Okay, what?¡± he asked, looking a little dazed. ¡°We need to get moving,¡± I said, sounding firm. ¡°I thought we were moving,¡± he said with a cheeky grin. I almost lost my breath. I do love me a cocky boy. ¡°Out of here,¡± I clarified. I stood up and offered him my hand. He took it, standing with me. Before he could step away, I slid against him and hugged him quickly. ¡°Not the hug!¡± he groaned, tilting his head back and pretending to call on the heavens. ¡°Anything but the hug!¡± I laughed, rising on my toes to kiss him again. ¡°Shut the hells up.¡± He bent down and returned it enthusiastically. ¡°Let¡¯s get somewhere that won¡¯t be on fire in the next five minutes,¡± I said, pulling back just enough to look him in the eye. ¡°We still have a keep to burn down.¡± We might have kissed a little more. And then a little bit more after that. But then we were done. And then we were done again. And then we were done for real this time. When Eric and I returned to the library chamber, Jinx was hard at work. He was crouched next to the table, a pouch of powder in his hand, meticulously drawing a circle on the floor. His lips were moving, either chanting or muttering quietly to himself. ¡°Walk ¡®round,¡± he said, not bothering to look up. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked, stepping closer. ¡°A little ritual magic, love,¡± he replied, his attention on the powder pouring steadily from his fist. ¡°Gotta set up two or three of these, so the whole place lights up when we need it to. ''Ead on up, yeah? You talking to me ain¡¯t exactly makin¡¯ this easier.¡± Taking the hint, Eric and I started climbing out of the dungeon, leaving Jinx to his muttering and precise powder deployment. I held Eric¡¯s hand as we went, leading the way. He seemed deflated despite everything we¡¯d just shared. I hoped he wasn¡¯t some secret Debbie Downer who¡¯d somehow latched himself to me. That would be exhausting. I ignored the looted bodies of the cultists scattered along the way as we emerged into the open air. The door outside stood wide open, and Kev and Gem were waiting just beyond it. They were both staring up at the top of the carriage with matching looks of bewilderment. Heather was perched up there, a huge grin plastered across her face. Next to her, Leoleth sat with an equally smug expression. ¡°What the fuck¡¯s all this?¡± I asked, stepping forward. My eyes flicked to the ground, where the body of another cultist lay crumpled beside the carriage. ¡°She¡¯s renounced her evil ways and wants to walk the path of virtue.¡± Heather declared from her spot on the roof. ¡°Actually,¡± Leoleth cut in, glancing down at me, ¡°there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you about before the whole purity thing.¡± I crossed my arms and squinted at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tell me more about Hot Girl Summer.¡± Chapter Thirteen: Kind of a package deal. You in? Chapter Thirteen: Kind of a package deal. You in? It was as bright as day. Jinx¡¯s magic fire was good stuff, and Pridehelm was going up nicely; I was glad knowing that miserable place would be gone forever. Within three minutes of the fire erupting from the keep, I received notice of a sizable deposit of gold in my storage. I set the chest out, allowing everyone in the party to dump the looted goods from the cultists so we could split it up later. Jinx was livid when Heather insisted on bringing the frost elf along. The rest of the party sided with him, but Heather held her ground. She explained that Leoleth had spent a month detoxing and had experienced an epiphany during her time in the Longhorn¡¯s dungeon. According to Heather¡¯s account, the frost elf realized she didn¡¯t want to waste her existence trapped in the dragon cult or living on the run as an outlaw. While she wasn¡¯t exactly on a path to sainthood, she seemed determined to avoid a future filled with chains and human sacrifices. Her first act of redemption? Coldly taking down the last guard on the roof as a display of her newfound resolve and loyalty. Heather was practically radiant with pride, seeing it as a small but meaningful step toward spiritual progress. For the Goddess Amania, at least. It wasn¡¯t exactly a glowing endorsement of virtue, but Heather was determined to claim the victory, no matter how shaky. As for me, I suspected Leoleth¡¯s motives were a lot simpler. She struck me as a hedonist itching to make up for lost time. I wanted nothing to do with a verbal altercation between Jinx and the Priestess, so I moved to the privacy of the rickety lean-to to check the small chest I saw earlier. Thank the gods for privacy because the first thing I found was¡­ a smooth, polished stone object clearly designed to¡­ ease the burden of long, lonely nights on watch. It was a treasure, sure. But not the kind I was in the market for. It even came with accessories: a small crock of greasy-looking stuff (which I could only assume was for lubrication) and a rag with a fading cleaning enchantment. Someone had thought this through, but I could hardly praise their work ethic. Eric¡¯s popularity suddenly made sense. This group of elves was clearly one awkward touch away from spontaneous combustion. Honestly, we might not have even needed to storm the keep. Pridehelm might have burst into flames all on its own. I dragged myself back into the thick of it when Jinx and Heather each called me out to join the debate. I left the chest for the next adventurer to come across and reluctantly complied. Leoleth gave me the ultimate puppy-dog eyes. So, cue Sarah McLachlan''s tear-jerking ballad in my head. She and Heather managed to win over Gem, making the deciding vote land squarely on yours truly. The two boys stared expectantly, and I was half convinced that the frost elf and I would end up sharing the lean-to as our new home with nothing but a used dildo to keep us company on the long winter nights if I voted wrong. But girl solidarity won the day. Heather was practically glowing with accomplishment, and Gem just chuckled, amused by the spectacle. Leoleth gave me a chilly embrace (literally, being a frost elf and all). And we piled into the carriage. The moon was now high above, painting the world in its teal light. Jinx was more than happy to take the reins, and Kev sat next to him with his massive arms folded, the look of an angry toddler on his face. Neither of them wanted anything to do with the compartment. Eric snuck in like he was stowing away on a ship, seemingly afraid to draw attention to himself. The journey would take a blessedly uneventful day and a half, which I suspected was just long enough for tempers to settle and new tensions to rise. It had been a very, very long day. To recap, I started off sneaking out of bed before dawn. Again. We got a quest, and I got slightly molested by a lecherous duchess. We rode clear across the valley, where I ended up killing, like, ten dragon cultists. And lastly, we took down a giant demon spider. I also kissed a handsome boy so¡­win! I was tired. I sat between Heather and Gem in the rear while Eric lay across the middle bench, and Leoleth took ownership of the front one. Everyone was drifting to sleep¡ªeveryone but me. When not asleep, my mind wanders. I was still new here, but I felt like I was a thousand years old after witnessing the extremes of this world. Life is held on by a thread here; there is no question about that. I could feel how close I and my friends were to dying more than once. I also dealt out a fair amount of death myself. Each day was a lifetime when it was so close to being your last one. The incidents in the village, in the camp, and at the keep weren¡¯t going to disappear just because I was heading to a new place. The carriage carried us further away every mile, but the faces stayed with me like they were all burned into my mind. The slavers. The frost elves. Even the orcs were all living rent-free at the moment. I wanted to scream at myself for what I¡¯d done. It was wrong. It was murder. Regan Summer doesn¡¯t kill people. That was the lie I told myself. I sat in that carriage, desperate to feel something. Anything actually would have been nice. I longed for guilt. I wanted Jiminy Cricket on my shoulder, whispering Shame! Just a little reminder that I was still human. Back on Earth, I had the full range of emotions to pick from, but here? Murder World decided remorse wasn¡¯t part of the starter pack. Maybe the gods thought I¡¯d be better off without it. I leaned against Gem. She reached up, absentmindedly stroking my cheek as the carriage swayed through the night. Did I deserve this? Did I deserve her? A lover who accepted me completely, even after everything I¡¯d done. Gem never flinched or gave me a second look when I cut down a half-dozen men without breaking stride. I was no slouch in the killing department. My body count was just under twenty, a little over with assists. ¡°I think I love you,¡± I whispered so softly it felt like a confession to myself as much as to her. ¡°I think you do, too,¡± she replied with a smile, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. She didn¡¯t need to say it back. Gem¡¯s love wasn¡¯t the kind you put into words; it was in every glance, every touch. But she wasn¡¯t human and didn¡¯t love like a human. She was a creature of this world. Like it, she was beautiful, untamed, and brutal. I would always be hers, but she would never truly be mine. It was what it was. And somehow, I was okay with that because I was coming to the realization that I wasn¡¯t human either. I took a moment to take stock: what I had, what I¡¯d lost, and where I was headed. I was a Rogue: a thief and a killer who fought dirty. Just thinking that about myself felt ridiculous, like I was narrating someone else''s life. And yet, it was true. It''s completely absurd but true. Still, for the first time, I had good money, real friends, and actual prospects. That felt like a win in a world as extreme as this one. But I¡¯d also lost another life, and it wasn¡¯t just my family and my old home, but the person I used to be. Old Regan had been a quiet loner, content in her solitude but never really happy. She¡¯d reached for so many things back then, only to see them slip through her fingers when things got difficult. Now? I didn¡¯t have a clear path forward, but ideas were forming. I wanted to see this world¡ªevery corner of it if I could. I¡¯d wished to do that back home too, but it had meant working a crappy job so that I could use the travel benefits. Here, exploring felt alive, thrilling, and entirely possible. And I wanted more for myself. I was stronger now than I¡¯d ever been. Everything I wanted felt within reach as long as I was willing to work for it. On Nya, the idea that anything might be out of my grasp seemed laughable. I almost drifted off when my mind was finally done with its endless gymnastics, but The Whisperer¡¯s words lingered: It¡¯s kind of a roll of the dice. If you spin up human, you¡¯ll stay human, but magic has its ideas about how you¡¯ll end up. There was comfort in that thought¡ªand a little terror. Magic had its own ideas, and here I was. Magic in this world was supposedly chaotic, yet it also seemed to keep everything running in an organized way. Still calling bullshit on what she said. I started counting backward in my head from ten. I was done, really done this time. The sounds of the road eased my mind, and I finally passed into my usual dreamless sleep somewhere around three. My slumber ended a few hours later when Kev wedged himself back into the compartment. His snoring was so thunderous that it seemed to shake the whole vehicle. Blurry-eyed, I slipped out of the window and climbed onto the bench next to Jinx. We sat quietly for a while, and then I started rehashing all the loopy thoughts in my head in a rambling monologue.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He politely nodded, giving me as much attention as I needed to feel like I was being heard. And then, unexpectedly, he turned to me, a giant smile on his face. ¡°You know,¡± He said, his tone unusually thoughtful, ¡°they say it¡¯s all random, us comin¡¯ ¡®ere an¡¯ all. But I don¡¯t think it is. Neither of us ¡®ad much goin¡¯ for us back there, on Earth. We just spun our wheels an¡¯ got nowhere. But here? We got traction. Real traction. I¡¯m not much for faith, but I see a hand in it. Don¡¯t know ¡®ow or what, but there¡¯s somethin¡¯.¡± The sun broke behind us, spilling gold and green across the uplands. It was the kind of beauty that filled you up, warming you from the inside despite the chill in the air. For a moment, everything felt¡­ right. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, kissing his cheek softly. He touched the spot, smiling. ¡°For what, love?¡± ¡°For being on the road that day.¡± He shrugged like it was nothing. ¡°Family¡¯ll always be there when you need ¡®em.¡± Coming from a guy who grew up in a broken home, it hit me like a punch to the chest. Heart-wrenching and hopeful all at once. I climbed down and slipped through the carriage window. Inside, everyone was beginning to stir. Maybe it was the sunlight streaming through the windows. But more likely, it was the sheer force of an orc¡¯s sleep apnea. There was a quiet sense of resignation over the party as we all looked at each other, hardly able to speak. We were done. We¡¯d faced the trials of this journey and somehow made it out the other side, mostly intact. The most apparent cost was energy. We were all just bone-deep, exhausted. But not just that. It had taken a toll on the soul as well. It was just a few days of concentrated mayhem; even our stops were only for a few hours while we refueled. By the time we rolled into Mountainside, we had no debate: we were parking the carriage and taking the day off. No orcs, no cultists, no roving bands of kidnappers today. Just pub food, hot baths, and the kind of boredom that sounded downright luxurious. We found the best and only inn in town and paid for rooms. The innkeeper, blurry-eyed and not a morning person, perked up as soon as seven adventurers walked in with coins to spare. He even set us up with a private dining room with our own keg and a serving wench for the day. The hierarchy of offensive odors decided the bathhouse lineup. Kev usually claimed the top spot, but Eric managed an upset victory this time, much to everyone''s disgust. We took turns scrubbing off the layers of dirt that I am sure exceeded the magical tub¡¯s ability to filter out. Afterward, we enjoyed breakfast with coffee and pastries. The seven of us were coming and going, keeping the poor dwarven wench on her toes. I made a mental note to tip her well. While sorting through our collection of looted clothes, I found a lovely cotton dress for Leoleth. It was the kind of thing you''d see in any dwarven village¡ªsimple and functional. She hated it immediately, complaining that the style and color were entirely wrong for her. The ordeal felt like shopping for school clothes with an irritable twelve-year-old. For some reason, I was the only one who wasn¡¯t surprised she managed to disappear with the woodcutter less than twenty minutes after her bath. The fact that he was married, or at least had been, was hardly an issue for the frost elf. Scandals in small towns spread faster than wildfire, and Leoleth was the kind of gasoline that could turn them into infernos. I was just grateful we weren¡¯t chased out of town before lunch. Eric cleaned up nicely, thank the gods. His scruffy ginger beard had been tamed into a more polished, dapper look, and with a fresh set of clothes, he was all I was hoping for. Bounding and swaggering, he was brimming with energy. I was ready to get him out of those fancy clothes and see what all the frost elves had been enjoying. I was worried about Gem. We hadn¡¯t exactly defined our relationship, and I had no idea how she¡¯d feel about me hooking up with someone else. The fun we¡¯d had with Nemdor felt more like a gift she wanted me to enjoy. It was a shared indulgence since she knew I had never been with a man. But I wasn¡¯t the only one enjoying his talents. She was right in there with us and took more than one turn with him. I still had nothing but admiration for the half-dwarf, especially his stamina. I was convinced he had a secret stash of potions somewhere. This was different, however. Eric wasn¡¯t just a random fling; he was a friend. He was a new friend, but I found him very attractive, and wanting to be with him felt natural. Even if it was just for a night. After our heart-to-heart in Wood Cut, I didn¡¯t think Gem was the possessive type. She struck me as someone who¡¯d have no problem sharing me. I mean, she was a satyr. But still, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure. When she returned from the bathhouse, hands on her hips, her expression somewhere between amused and expectant, Eric and I were mid-kiss at the table. I decided to roll the dice. Either she¡¯d be okay with it or not. I smiled at her, cranking up my cuteness and giving her a mischievous shrug, like a naughty schoolgirl who wanted to get caught. Because, let¡¯s face it, I totally did. It just seemed easier than trying to explain all my stupid feelings and shit. She slid onto the bench beside me, eyes sparkling. ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t see this coming.¡± I let go of Eric and turned to Gem, pulling her in for a deep, passionate kiss that left no doubt about how I felt about her. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Eric stammered; his usual swagger was suddenly replaced with uncertainty. It was like the ground had shifted under him, and he wasn¡¯t sure where he stood anymore. I came up for air, turned back to Eric, and kissed him softly. Then, with a playful grin, I whispered, ¡°Kind of a package deal. You in?¡± Spoiler alert: He absolutely was. We spent a good chunk of the day making love after that. Eric was an absolute champ. All that ¡°training¡± in less-than-ideal conditions had clearly paid off. Give the guy a soft mattress, a sturdy headboard, and a proper meal in his system, and he was practically a force of nature. Even the satyr had to admit she was impressed. We all drifted back to the inn around dinnertime, each returning from our little adventures. The innkeeper had pulled out all the stops. A fresh goat had been brought in, and the dining table had been replaced with a spit where it roasted to perfection. From the cellar came the good wine, served alongside plates of roasted vegetables and fresh fruit. We feasted together like a family. At some point, we invited the innkeeper, his wife and children, and the rest of the staff to join us, sharing the abundance and the sheer joy of being alive. The celebration spilled into the rest of the inn, drawing in anyone wandering by. We raised our glasses to friends, present and long gone, to the baby born yesterday down the street, and even to the passing of the town¡¯s oldest draft horse. By first light, we were good and thoroughly exhausted. Still, we packed up and bid farewell to Mountainside, rejoining the Imperial Highway with renewed energy and a healthy stash of wealth. As we rolled out, I glanced westward, my chest tight with longing and excitement. Leaving the road and countryside behind filled me with unexpected anticipation. With all its newness and supposed civilization, the city called to me like a promise. I couldn¡¯t wait to see what it had in store. Character Sheet: Regan Summer Half Human, Half Urban Elf Level 3 Height: 4 feet, 8 inches Weight: 85 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 3 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 3 Base Attributes: Strength: 10 Dexterity: 18 Spirit: 7 Charisma: 17 Intelligence: 18 Endurance: 7 Luck: 11 Adrenaline Points: 233/233 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 188/188 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 1106/1106 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills/Spells: Acrobatics Level 1 Appraisal Level 1 Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 3 Disarm Traps Level 1 Lock Picking Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 2 Nudge Level 1 One and Done Level 1 Pick Pocketing Level 1 Powerful Strike Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 Sleight of Hand Level 1 Sneak Attack Level 3 Stealth Level 2 Racial Skills: Night Vision Hide in Shadows Internal Navigation Gift of Tongues
The End: Rogue Trip Interlude Interlude: Empires grow, or they wither. Fabi Ursa learned this first from her father, the grand strategist Vel Desticius Velius, general of the armies of the late great Emperor Clarus. Her childhood was spent at his side since before she could talk. She grew up in tents, compounds, palaces, wherever her father was as he marched and commanded armies in the Emperor''s name across rivers and mountains, expanding the empire in all directions. He had her tutored in the wisdom of the greatest minds of history by teachers and scholars from every nation of the Empire. She learned to fight, bargain, debate and when she came of age, stood at his side. Ursa watched the tears in his eyes as their beloved Emperor passed. That was the day that the Empire also died. Not at once, not by a catastrophic disaster or defeat. It was the kind of death you see when a man is broken, when the spirit dies before the body. The body would soon shrivel, consumed by atrophy before finally expiring altogether and being consumed by maggots. What made the Empire what it was, vanished the day his successor ascended. The so-called Empress was the ruler now. Beloved for her generosity, her acceptance of outsiders, and her desire to make peace with the Empire¡¯s enemies. Peace is the antithesis of what an Empire is by its very nature. Empires grow, or they wither. The Empress hadn¡¯t marched with armies or sailed on the decks of conquering ships. She never felt the sacrifices of thousands that lived before her, forging the steel of the nation she now dared to lead. She only turned her back on their legacies. Ursa wondered if Empress Claudia Fidelis had the benefit of her upbringing; she would believe such twisted nonsense. The Empress was never taught the one lesson that she needed to have. Strength needs to be used, or it is lost. Fabia Ursa no longer stood by the side of her father, but she executed his will, nonetheless. In the months that followed the Festival of Coronation, the misguided path the Empire was to take became clear; her father and those who served the Empire loyally could see where that path led. Maybe not this year or the next, but eventually, everything they had built would come crumbling down. Action had to be taken. Not the brash action of the sword but the subtle action of a scalpel. The Empire was falling asleep, its strength weakening before her very eyes, and it needed to be slapped before it succumbed to the spell. The best way to cure a patient of an illness is to raise the fever as high as possible without killing him. And if the patient was to die anyway, than the risk was negligible. So, Fabia Ursa stood on the balcony of an inn in the border town of Adha, watching not a grand army of the Empire but a collection of thugs, killers, and mercenaries. Cage after cage of enslaved citizens rolled by, like a parade of misery. Each of these people, whom she had sworn an oath to protect, were being sent to a life of sorrow in the Kingdom of Brikru, one of the Empire¡¯s greatest enemies. The town was a staging area for the operation, the local residents having been shipped off months ago. The place was theirs, and anyone who wandered too close was also conveniently snatched up. They would gather captives from The Imperial Highway here, and then strip them of everything before sending them to the markets, where the life of an Imperial citizen went for a premium. Ursa had learned to downgrade her expectations when dealing with the riffraff of mercenaries that she had to employ to meet her goals. Men who fought and died for something greater than themselves deserved respect, regardless of rank or even ability. Fighting for coin over country was still an acceptable goal, but she found her respect for them waning day after day. She considered the fact that while these beasts with swords terrorized the citizens of The Empire, they were unwittingly fighting for the Empire¡¯s future. Criminals or not. As useful as these ruffians were, they were not worthy to live in the new nation they were unwittingly building, and when the Empire was strong again, these would be the first necks on the block. She smiled silently to herself as she imagined the view of thousands of rolling heads, with the look of shock on their grizzled faces.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Her time in the field with her father, and her time in the muck with these men, helped Ursa recognize that soldiers and criminals had the same basic needs, and, like her father, she would not begrudge them their brutal pleasures. The cries that came out of the tents at night were sounds that she was long used to, both from her time here, and in her time in the fields of conquest. Men who fight, have a cruelty about them. She knew to feed those demons, lest they take over. As a woman, she found it repulsive, but as an officer, and later, an employer, she allowed it and found that it kept the men focused when needed and distracted when they were listless. ¡°We lost one.¡± Ursa didn¡¯t turn to look at Wesley. The last of the carts was rolling by just as the sun was setting. ¡°Where?¡± she asked. ¡°Twin Boulder pass.¡± ¡°What happened.¡± ¡°When Kaeso came to the camp. He said that everyone was killed, stuffed in the carts and burned.¡± Ursa raised her eyebrows; she would have loved to have seen that happen. ¡°No big loss, we will have another group stake out the area before the end of Tenglin, then we will keep the harvest going.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about what happened?¡± ¡°What do you think happened?¡± ¡°Kaseo had captured a mage earlier. He forced him to reconstruct the events.¡± ¡°How did Kaseo force the mage to do that?¡± ¡°He had the mage¡¯s daughter as a hostage.¡± Ursa silently sighed. These brutes. These vicious creatures, she only wished she had the axe in hand to kill them all herself. ¡°And what did he find out?¡± ¡°A single assassin killed nine in their sleep and slit the throats of two others. The rest fell by magic, arrows and mace.¡± Wesley stood next to her, looking at her with a worried look. ¡°They were stripped naked, and all their possessions were seized. Do you think it was a rival gang?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ursa said, turning to go back inside. ¡°They just captured the wrong people and paid the price.¡± ¡°What will we do about it?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ursa said turning back to him. ¡°If you¡¯re stupid, you deserve to die.¡± She entered the small suite she called home and poured herself a tall glass of wine before resting on the bed. It was lumpy, full of straw and not at all good. Anyone of her station would have brought one from home, but she and her father were used to living in camps and sleeping on cots and ground alike, the gift of toughness was something she appreciated from her upbringing. The loss was not a big one. She knew this would happen from time to time. This was a criminal enterprise, but it was more than that. There were better ways to make money, but money was not the goal. The money was only necessary to keep the operation going as long as possible. The real goal was fear. Citizens of the Empire needed to fear something. If the Imperial Highway was not safe, then trust in the Empress would wane. That trust is hard to get back when lost. The mere idea that agents of Kingdom of Brikru were openly taking people from deep in the Empire¡¯s territory and enslaving them was unheard of just a few short years ago. The Empire was weak. Kidnapping on the Imperial Highway was just the beginning. Her father and his allies were ready to unleash assaults on the realm that would expose every weakness their beloved Empress had allowed to fester. Those weaknesses will be pressed, boarders will be overrun, countries will mutiny, and the citizens will call for a new Emperor, one that knows how to command armies. She sipped her wine and let her thoughts linger on what Wesley had said. Nine killed in their sleep, and two more with their throats slit. This was a detail she wanted to look into later. An assassin, someone who killed with cunning and calculated precision, was the kind of person that needed to be monitored, perhaps recruited. Before she turned in for the evening, she called for a scribe. Chapter Fourteen: You love me. Stop acting like you don鈥檛. Part Two: Little Rogue (In the Big City)
Chapter Fourteen: You love me. Stop acting like you don¡¯t. By noon, the towering walls of Ironstone came into view. They loomed at least thirty or forty feet high, constructed from the flat red stone that gave the city its name. Traffic on the highway had been growing steadily all morning, and it wasn¡¯t long before we joined a queue of carts, wagons, and carriages backed up for miles outside the city gates. Like Longhorn, Ironstone had a sprawling suburb outside its walls, but this one wasn¡¯t a patchwork of shanties. It was more of a proper village, stretching along the highway and into the surrounding area. The road became a chaotic boulevard of wagons, horses, pedestrians, and vendors hawking everything from fresh produce to questionable trinkets. I perched on top of the carriage, taking everything in as Kev and Jinx worked to navigate the congestion, their shouts adding to the cacophony of the street. Kev even cracked the whip a few times to keep vagabonds from getting too close. Traffic eased about a mile from the city, where side roads branched off toward the north and south gates. Signs pointed cargo wagons south toward warehouses and the shipping port, while others directed goods north to the city markets. Another sign announced that all new visitors had to register at the main gate unless they were delivering goods or passengers. After what felt like an eternity, more like an hour and a half, we finally reached the main gate. Human and dwarven guards armed with small leather whips stepped forward to stop the carriage. Their stern expressions left no room for negotiation, and their cracking whips drove the point home. ¡°Tokens,¡± one of the human guards said as he cracked his whip. Kev and Jinx climbed down, and I followed. They pulled out their gold Imperial tokens and held them up for the guard to inspect. He glanced at them without taking them from their hands. I held my silver one up and was similarly examined. Gem slid the window open, and everyone except Leoleth held theirs out. The frost elf must have been missing credentials and seemed to opt for hiding back in the compartment. The guards didn¡¯t seem too keen on inspecting the vehicle after being told it was a Mercenary Guild party returning. ¡°They don¡¯t give Guild parties much of a ''ard time.¡± Jinx said. ¡°We bring in gold to the city, an'' the guards ''ave enough to look after on a busy day like today.¡± Gem and I climbed onto the top of the carriage as we resumed our journey into Ironstone. And it indeed was a city, a real city, unlike anything I had ever seen. Once inside the towering walls, the city spread out in every direction along seven massive thoroughfares radiating from the main gate. Most buildings were six or seven stories tall, all built from the same red stone as the walls and streets. In the distance, taller structures jutted up. They looked like civic halls, commercial towers, and the spires of churches fading into the sky. Above it all hung a heavy cloud fed by thousands of chimneys and smokestacks. The haze gave the sunlight a yellowish hue as it filtered down onto the bustling streets. The moment we passed through the gate, something stirred in my chest. It was a warm, inexplicable feeling of home. I had never felt anything like it. No, that wasn¡¯t true; this was a kind of Christmas and Thanksgiving warmness. Everything about this place, from the red stone to the busy people, even the thick haze above, filled me with a deep sense of belonging. I closed my eyes, breathing in the city''s layered scents. Smoke, horses, street food, and even the sour tang of garbage mingled into a strangely familiar aroma. The traffic sounds along the thoroughfare was almost rhythmic, like a melody waiting for music. My eyes darted over the buildings¡ªshops, tenements, restaurants, inns¡ªcalling to me. I wanted to leap off the carriage and dive straight into the city''s heart. I could hardly wait to explore every street, climb every building, and uncover every shadowy corner Ironstone had to offer. It was alive, and I could feel it. And it welcomed me in with a warm embrace. ¡°Oh boy,¡± Gem said, interrupting the spell. ¡°Not a huge fan of cities.¡± I looked over at her wrinkled nose. I was still looking around, mesmerized by the sites. ¡°I love it.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Gem chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re an urban elf. This is your thing.¡± The spell suddenly snapped off, and I blinked in surprise. ¡°Whoa.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It was like a magical spell or something. I almost had an orgasm just sitting here looking around.¡± ¡°You¡¯re about three-quarters orgasm all the time.¡± ¡°Rude.¡± ¡°Seriously, I feel the same way when I¡¯m in the forest,¡± Gem said, her tone light. ¡°We satyrs are nature-bound¡ªliving outside walls is just how we are.¡± She slung an arm around me, pressing a playful kiss to my cheek. ¡°Your kind come from the city, however. It¡¯s natural to feel a little giddy now that you''ve arrived.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to understand why the crazy dragon cult did what they did,¡± I said, half-joking. ¡°Crazy being the keyword,¡± Gem replied with a laugh. ¡°But, yeah, I get it¡ªsort of.¡± ¡°I liked the peace and quiet out in the sticks, but this? This feels like where I belong,¡± I admitted, glancing around. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta learn to step out of your comfort zone,¡± She nudged me. ¡°You could stay like the hundreds of thousands of people here who never go past the gates, but if you want to see the world, you¡¯ve got to push yourself. It won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only half-urban elf, you know,¡± I shot back with a smirk. We rode along one of the main streets for about an hour before arriving at a colossal, block-sized building that towered at least seven stories high. Its walls were a stunning blend of white marble and ironstone, an architectural masterpiece that gleamed in the light. It was an apartment block, but one so massive and opulent it felt more like a grand palace than a place where ordinary people might live. Jinx turned around to face us. ¡°Grab your shite.¡± He said. ¡°End of the line.¡± I had nothing to grab, so I just slid off the carriage. The rest emerged from the compartment. Eric and Leoleth looked around, wide-eyed. Leoleth was clad in one of Gem¡¯s dresses, having long decided I wouldn¡¯t make any fashion choices for her. A stable hand climbed up to the box on top, and Jinx handed him a silver coin along with the reins. The entire first floor of the building was a massive stable large enough to hold dozens of wagons and carriages along with the horses needed to pull them. It hit me that it was an upscale version of those nasty podium buildings that Denver was famous for. ¡°This is my place,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Don¡¯t come around unannounced; the landlady don¡¯t like it. The stable hand hauled the carriage, and the party crossed the busy street. ¡°We need to hit The Guild first.¡± Jinx continued. ¡°There¡¯s an annex about four blocks that way.¡± We strolled down the bustling street toward the building he had pointed out. There were no sidewalks like I was used to. Instead, carts, horses, and pedestrians jostled for space on the cobblestones, creating lively chaos. Thankfully, the boulevard was wide enough to accommodate traffic moving in both directions without too much trouble. I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the crowd. It wasn¡¯t just gnomes, elves, and dwarves. I spotted reptilian folk, feline humanoids, and even tiny people smaller than gnomes riding around on dogs. Overhead, winged figures flew gracefully across the street, their shadows flitting over the rooftops. It was truly cosmopolitan in a way I never thought was possible. Street vendors lined the blocks, adding their flavor to the scene. One sold finely crafted leather goods, while another offered herbs in neatly arranged baskets, sold by the bagful. We passed an especially tantalizing vendor grilling and selling skewered meat and thick, greasy-looking sandwiches to a line of eager patrons; my stomach grumbled, wanting in on the action. Shops and businesses occupied the ground floors of the buildings, each marked by signs painted with glowing magical pigments that reminded me of storefronts back home. Most buildings stood five or six stories tall, their walls accented with wood trim and wrought-iron details. The upper floors housed apartments or offices, their windows adorned with shutters and embellishments that gave each red stone building a unique character. Lanterns mounted above the streets promised ample light after sundown. Every block had an alleyway between buildings, serving as a space for trash and deliveries and a place a sneaking half-elf girl could use to beat a hasty retreat if necessary. At last, we reached the Guild Annex office at the corner of a block. Its angled entrance was marked by a modest brass plaque below a slightly dusty window. Inside, the room had a utilitarian feel, with a long counter at the back wall fitted with several teller-like windows. A large noticeboard covered the right-hand wall, cluttered with pinned papers and postings. Three of the four windows were manned, but the room wasn¡¯t busy, just a few mercenaries milling about, scanning the job board with varying interest levels. It smelled faintly of dust and old paper. For all the magic in this strange world, bureaucracy still reigned supreme. I half expected someone to hand me a pen and a stack of forms to sign, like I was closing on a condo in Englewood. The vibe was more ¡°title company lobby¡± than ¡°adventurers'' guild ready to slay a dragon for gold.¡± Jinx approached the counter and presented the ring he had never worn from storage. I held back with the others while he conducted business, speaking in terms I didn¡¯t understand yet. He turned after a moment and waved at me to come over. ¡°You¡¯re a freelance Rogue then?¡± The Guild clerk asked from behind the glass. His voice came from a small mesh in the wood underneath. A small slot was also available for sliding documents back and forth. The clerk looked like a gnome, but his voice seemed too low and was delivered in a bored monotone. ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°May I see your token, please?¡± I produced my token and held it up to the glass. The gnomish man squinted at it momentarily before sliding a piece of paper at me under the slot. ¡°Please sign to accept payment.¡± I signed the paper without reading it, stifling a little internal snort. Title company vibes, indeed. The pen was even tethered to the counter with a chain, completing the aesthetic. A moment later, my inventory flashed, showing a deposit of GP that nudged my total to just over three thousand. A small thrill of excitement buzzed through me. I turned to see the rest of the party staring off into the air, clearly watching their virtual deposits roll in. This world might run on magic, but apparently, it had online banking, too. Thank the gods. ¡°I¡¯d like to say that was easy money,¡± Kev said, shaking his head. ¡°But, by the gods, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re back in civilization.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss the Axe.¡± I lamented. ¡°That¡¯s a good item.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll buy a dagger or sword just like it.¡± ¡°That kind of high-end magic is not within our financial means.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of making something like that if only people who can use it can¡¯t afford it?¡± ¡°You really have to ask?¡± Gem said. ¡°Rich people vanity.¡± ¡°There¡¯s some good stuff out there,¡± Jinx said. ¡°You just need to find it.¡± We wandered out of the annex and back to the bustling street. I reached into my storage, pulling out twenty GP and two small pouches. It just dawned on me to do this while we were approaching the city, but I didn¡¯t have a chance to get to it until now. ¡°Here,¡± I said, slipping ten coins into each bag and handing one to Eric and Leoleth. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it will help you get to the next thing.¡± Leoleth accepted the bag and tucked it away. ¡°Thanks.¡± She gave me a wink and puckered her lips at me. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Eric said, handing the bag back. ¡°I have a pile that I managed to snatch from the duke and a fair amount of silverware. I like to pretend it¡¯s my inheritance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it then.¡± Leoleth snatched the bag. I let her take it. It would have been like trying to wrestle a piece of sausage from a dog; really, no point. We followed Jinx as he led us off the busy thoroughfare and onto a side street so we could talk. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take Regan with me to get the rings cracked. Let¡¯s meet for dinner at The Crying Jester.¡± We all shrugged in agreement. ¡°It¡¯ll take us some time to get it done. We¡¯re still partied, so we can chat if we are close. ¡°Uh,¡± Eric said, ¡°We can¡¯t chat with you.¡± He and Leoleth looked at Jinx expectantly. ¡°We need to finish settling things up,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Then we disband. So, there¡¯s no point in adding you.¡± ¡°I need to go to the temple,¡± Heather said softly as she crossed over to me. We hugged tightly, and she whispered, ¡°Goodbye, little elf,¡± into my ear. ¡°This isn¡¯t one of those forever goodbyes, is it?¡± I asked, my voice wavering as a few tears threatened to spill. I clung to her, afraid to let go and lose my friend. ¡°No,¡± she assured me, gently pushing me back. She handed me a small ceramic token. ¡°This is from the church. Reach out to the temple if you need me.¡± She kissed my cheek, and a rush of divine energy coursed through me at her touch, filling my body with the warmth of her blessing. She turned to Leoleth, ¡°Do you want to come with me to the temple?¡± ¡°No,¡± the frost elf replied flatly. Heather¡¯s face fell slightly before she turned and sauntered off down the block. My gaze lingered on her retreating figure, her graceful form commanding my attention until she disappeared into the distance. ¡°What exactly are your plans?¡± I asked Leoleth when Heather got too far to enjoy watching. ¡°I need to find a job,¡± she replied, brushing a hand dramatically through her silver hair. ¡°Something that pays well. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have many skills to make money. That¡¯s a problem.¡± She pouted as if her newfound poverty was somehow my fault. ¡°What skills do you ¡®ave?¡± Jinx asked. ¡°I have a couple of ice spells. You know, the ice spikes and the wall thing. I am a level three ritualist, but I don¡¯t think anyone needs one of those.¡± Jinx raised his eyebrows at that. ¡°I think the two of you need to come wif me then.¡± He practically yanked our arms off as he pulled us back onto the main street. He was unusually excited. His gripes seemed more like happy gripes. He chattered endlessly as he guided us through the streets of Ironstone, his enthusiasm boundless. He regaled us with tales of legendary war heroes, equally heroic dwarven urban planners, and the city''s storied history. He had a deep affection for the place or at least its history. It was more like a local showing off their knowledge to the newcomers. Ironstone was three cities within one, all enclosed by one of the largest city walls in the world. That much I gathered from Jinx''s impromptu tour guide performance as we moved through the streets, Leoleth following silently, her eyes everywhere, taking it all in.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. First, there was Ironstone Proper, the bustling heart of the city where I had first arrived. It was a hive of commercial activity, home to markets and businesses and a mix of lower to upper-class citizens. It dwarfed the other areas in size and energy. To the south lay Commerce City, the oldest of the three settlements, dominated by docks, warehouses, and the massive river port. It was a chaotic maze of industry and opportunity, though its labyrinthine streets also made it a haven for criminals. Finally, perched on the mountainside was Ironstone Prime, the mining hub turned playground for the city¡¯s wealthiest families. It reminded me of affluent mountain towns in Colorado, with its sprawling estates and air of exclusivity. Jinx led us through Prime''s tree-lined, winding streets, enclosed behind its own secondary city wall. Gaining entry required tokens and a stated purpose. Leoleth''s presence cost us a few extra GP. We climbed through a high-end commercial district where well-dressed pedestrians strolled leisurely along sidewalks that separated them from the paved roads. Upscale shops and fine dining establishments lined the streets, exuding an air of wealth that made me instinctively check my coin purse. I mean, if you wanted to pick a pocket, this was the place. Eventually, our ninety-minute trek brought us to a basement tavern hidden beneath Hotel Prime, a luxurious five-story building constructed from imported white marble and nestled against the mountainside. The entrance was an unmarked door several steps below the cobblestone street. I braced for a grimy, dimly lit dive bar but was pleasantly surprised. The tavern was unexpectedly upscale, with plush chairs and velvet-cushioned couches arranged around small tables. Warm, soft lighting bathed the space, and a trio of musicians filled the air with that soothing medieval jazz. An illuminated bar stood at one end, staffed by human and elven bartenders, while the rest of the room offered ample lounge seating. A staircase led up to the hotel above, tying the place together with a vibe that felt distinctly Earth-like yet unmistakably otherworldly. I glanced down at my simple tunic and pants and felt immediately underdressed. It was largely empty, but the refined clientele here milled about in elegant attire, and I silently thanked the dim lighting for sparing me further embarrassment. Still, the cozy, sophisticated atmosphere was a welcome surprise, and I relaxed just a little as I took it all in. ¡°This is a don¡¯t-speak-unless-spoken-to situation,¡± Jinx whispered to us, his tone low and serious. ¡°It¡¯ll be in yer best interests to follow my lead.¡± Leoleth and I exchanged a glance but nodded in unison. We settled onto a curved couch tucked into one of the corners. A low cocktail table sat in front of us, lit by a single flickering candle, flanked by a couple of comfy chairs on the opposite side. The room was quiet, the midafternoon lull keeping the crowd sparse. When the serving wench approached, Jinx held up three fingers without a word. She was a dwarven beauty, her dark blue strapless silk dress hugging her figure and falling just short enough to show a tantalizing glimpse of the ribbons of her black, thigh-high stockings. She smiled sweetly, nodded, and spun around with a practiced flair, her pleats twirling before she strode toward the bar. I glanced at Leoleth, only to find her watching me with an eyebrow raised, clearly aware of where my attention had been. I cleared my throat and shifted awkwardly, pretending to inspect the candle as if it held all the secrets of the universe. Before long, an elven bartender appeared, balancing a tray of red liquor in shot glasses. His youthful appearance was striking, though with elves, it was hard to tell if he was twenty or two hundred. His skin had a dark, metallic gray sheen that caught the room''s dim light, and his hair was as white as Leoleth¡¯s. His androgynous, flawless face leaned just masculine enough, thanks to the faint stubble along his jaw. His silver eyes seemed to glow faintly, like twin moons in the shadows, and his attire was sharp: a black, tailed suit with no tie, the top three buttons of his shirt left undone. A row of silver hoops adorned his long, pointed ears, glinting in the low light, and a few flashy chains hung around his neck, surely adding some bonus points to his Charisma. He set the tray on the table with a quiet clink, his movements smooth and deliberate, before standing back with an air of practiced elegance. This place took its style as seriously as its clientele. ¡°Jinx,¡± he said with a smile as he sat in the chair across from him. ¡°You¡¯re back early,¡± he placed the shot glasses on the table one by one in front of each of us. ¡°How was the tour?¡± He spoke with a drawl, something like a Texas accent. It came out of him smoothly, like the hustler in an old-timey western. ¡°Profitable,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Came back early cuz we made all we could.¡± ¡°Working smart rather than hard.¡± The bartender said. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯ say it wasn¡¯ ¡®ard.¡± Jinx said with a smile. ¡°Woulda been a rougher go if it weren¡¯ for these two birds right ¡®ere.¡± ¡°To your two lovely birds, then.¡± The bartender picked up his glass and held it up. Jinx joined him, and we hesitantly held ours up, too. ¡°Cheers,¡± Jinx said. And we traded clinks with each other and drank our shots. It was a cinnamon whisky close to Fireball but a little smoother. It burned down my throat but then instantly sent a second, cooling sensation down right after. ¡°Quiet birds.¡± The bartender said with a smile. ¡°Told ¡®em to let the grownups talk first,¡± Jinx said with a chuckle. ¡°This is Regan an¡¯ Leoleth. Girls, this ¡®ere is Aymon.¡± ¡°Pleasures all mine,¡± Aymon said with a smile, offering his hand to each of us in turn. ¡°I hope not,¡± I said when he shook my hand. He gave a little chuckle. ¡°What brings them here?¡± he asked Jinx, a little business pushed into the charm. ¡°Couple of things,¡± Jinx said, his tone was more business now. ¡°Regan,¡± he said. ¡°Rings.¡± I wordlessly pulled the storage rings and necklace out of inventory and placed them on the serving tray. ¡°Can you get these taken care of while we talk?¡± Jinx asked. Aymon raised his eyebrows at the tray of storage items. He smiled and held his hand up, finger waving over his head. The wench came up and silently picked up the tray, whisking it away. ¡°And the other thing?¡± Aymon asked, looking at us with silver-eyed intensity. ¡°These two,¡± Jinx said. ¡°I wanted you to meet them.¡± ¡°Do I want to meet them?¡± ¡°Regan ¡®ere¡¯s a Rogue. Leoleth¡¯s a Ritualist.¡± ¡°Okay then,¡± Aymon nodded with an appreciative smile. ¡°Maybe I do want to meet them.¡± ¡°They need some training up,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Lots.¡± ¡°What jobs do you have, sweetie?¡± Aymon said, shifting his gaze solidly on me. ¡°Assassin,¡± I said flatly. ¡°Level three.¡± I could feel the weight of his presence pressing down on me. He was a Charisma powerhouse. That much was obvious. It radiated from every pore, each one practically sparkling with weaponized charm. If I weren¡¯t careful, he¡¯d dissolve my mental defenses like sugar in hot tea, and I¡¯d fall in love with him in no time. I needed a counterattack. Something unexpected. Something absurd. ¡°Plus,¡± I added, with all the seriousness I could muster, ¡°Decoupage. Level six.¡± He blinked, caught off guard. I had no idea what decoupage entailed, but my mom had a bunch of nineties hat boxes in her closet plastered with vintage pictures. That counted, right? Cute and stupid for the win. ¡°Gods,¡± He chuckled. ¡°Should have brought more drinks. That what you want to do?¡± ¡°Not especially. I like crafting well enough, But the murder is a little difficult. It seemed like an easy skill to pick up in the sticks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an easy skill to pick up anywhere.¡± Aymon tilted his head at me, digging for more. ¡°You want to branch out a bit, then?¡± ¡°I want to make a comfortable living. Get out there, see the world, all that. Not necessarily kill a whole bunch of people. It seems hard to completely avoid it, but I don¡¯t want it to be the focus of my professional life. Or my personal life, come to think of it.¡± ¡°Where do you come from?¡± ¡°Is this like a job interview? I mean, do ya really need to know all that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to know who we invite in.¡± I took a deep breath and glanced at Jinx. He nodded slightly. ¡°Denver.¡± I didn¡¯t want to share my past. Jinx said to play it close to the vest, but he seemed to think it was a good time to play it straight with this guy. ¡°No idea where that is.¡± ¡°Too bad, it¡¯s the Queen City of the West, you know. Also, the first city to have both NHL and NBA titles in the same year.¡± I paused for a moment while he just looked at me. ¡°Yay, Sports,¡± I said, pumping my arms up weakly. I settled down, seeing his confusion. Confusion was good. ¡°I¡¯m a Rifter.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± he leaned back in the chair and folded his hands, letting my absurdity wash over him. He was getting comfortable. ¡°Skills? Spells? Anything like that?¡± ¡°I have Stealth, Sneak Attack, Lockpick, Sleight of Hand and the usual Rogue and Assassin stuff. The only spell I have is Nudge.¡± I left off Appraisal. It seemed like a good idea to keep that little nugget tucked away. ¡°That¡¯s a good one,¡± Aymon said. ¡°You need to develop that and pick up a couple more. Anything telekinetic is handy. Plus, spell development can raise your Luck. We can find a place for you if you''re willing to learn. I assume you have your own money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing okay.¡± ¡°I love your hair, but it may not be the best look in this line of work. You need to tone it down a little.¡± ¡°You know the carpet matches the drapes.¡± He looked confused, the earth reference entirely over his head. ¡°No idea what that means.¡± I gave him an overly flirtatious wink. ¡°I¡¯d love to show you sometime.¡± I felt like I won that round. He smiled and looked over at Leoleth. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Ritualist, Level Three.¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Look at me,¡± she arched her back and turned to the side, offering him her profile. ¡°I¡¯m fucking gorgeous.¡± Jinx snorted out a laugh, but I wasn¡¯t going to break character. Me and the frost elf were like a comedy team. ¡°Okay then.¡± He said, sighing. ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°Level Four Summoning, which I¡¯m not proud of: level Two Keystones, Control Sigils, and Adaptive Spell Craft. I also have level four in Divine Structures. I have Ice Spikes, Level Three, Ice Wall, Level Two¡­¡± She went on and on. Not just laying out her spells to him. But every skill she had leveled in her entire life¡ªeverything from Sweeping, level four, to Eyebrow Plucking, level two. I had to act absurd, but she was a natural. ¡°All that and a pretty face.¡± Aymon said, interrupting finally. He did smile appreciatively, at least. ¡°The bod rocks too,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t undersell it.¡± Aymon looked at her, puzzled. ¡°What do you want to do with all that awesome you have there?¡± ¡°Hot girl stuff.¡± Leoleth said. ¡°I want a pile of gold and a bunch of pretty things.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you love it when a frost elf calls herself a hot girl?¡± I asked. Aymon aggressively ignored me and went on. ¡°You¡¯ll find a fair amount of that on the other side of some tough locks and security sigils. Sounds like you have a good foundation of skills. But you¡¯ll need more than a pretty face and rocking bod to get to those safes.¡± ¡°So,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Teach me to be sneaky. The little pink hair girl right here can do it, So can I.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re gonna have to learn to shut up.¡± I groaned. She looked at me, fluttering her eyelashes. ¡°You love me, stop acting like you don¡¯t.¡± Amon pushed through. ¡°I guess you have yourself a nest egg like Regan?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± she nodded at me. ¡°But she¡¯s got this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t got anything.¡± ¡°Honey,¡± Leoleth looked at me with a sultry smile. ¡°We can be roommates or¡­something? It¡¯ll be fun.¡± She puckered her lips and patted me on the thigh. ¡°You¡¯re so cute, I love you.¡± I could feel my cheeks burning; thank the gods, it was dark in the room. ¡°I like how you are a slightly more feminine David Bowie, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m gonna be your sugar mama.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need sugar, just a little gold. We can always get more of it.¡± ¡°Jinx,¡± Aymon said, breaking up our banter. ¡°You wanna grab a drink at the bar?¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± Jinx stood and winked. ¡°Ladies?¡± I nodded at him, and he shuffled off. Aymon sighed after Jinx left. I could tell he wanted to get control of the conversation. ¡°So, you know about the Mercenary Guild, and the Magic Guild, and all the other Guilds, right?¡± We both nodded without saying anything. I wasn¡¯t even sure what he was talking about. ¡°You can seek out perfectly respectable employ with any of them.¡± ¡°Not looking to start swinging a sword, and they don¡¯t take rogues.¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of it. You could potentially train up combat or magical skills to join them, even as a rogue. Plus, nothing¡¯s stopping you from adding another class to your set and taking that route. But you¡¯re sitting here because you don¡¯t want respectable.¡± ¡°Respectable¡­¡± Leoleth mused, ¡°¡­dull.¡± ¡°And doing illegal shit is all I have if I don¡¯t want to switch to another class?¡± I asked. ¡°No,¡± Aymon said. ¡°The Rogue class is like any other. The skills are just tools that you use to get the job done. They lean toward not hitting obstacles head-on, using finesse instead of brute force.¡± He grinned at me, raising a knowing finger. ¡°You had the option to pick any basic class you wanted. You knew what that entailed.¡± ¡°I was too weak to be a fighter.¡± I rubbed at the phantom pain in my right hand. ¡°Got my ass handed to me on my first fight. Almost died.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been on the road, and I know you¡¯ve done some extreme stuff already. It takes a lot to hit level three Assassin, especially that quickly. At four foot zero and with no fighting experience, you had to think of something when things got tough. Alternate paths.¡± ¡°Four-foot eight.¡± I said bitterly. ¡°But yeah, did some stuff.¡± ¡°I saw the bodies,¡± Leoleth said nodding. ¡°She does lots of stuff.¡± ¡°Do you fucking mind?¡± I grumbled at her. ¡°Back on topic.¡± Aymon said impatiently. ¡°We have a purpose. The Union, I mean.¡± ¡°The Union?¡± I asked, eyebrows raised. ¡°Sounds very blue-collar.¡± ¡°There is a lot of inequity in the world.¡± Aymon leaned in close, ignoring my comment. ¡°Money, power, and prosperity are locked into the upper echelons of society. It¡¯s not just the Imperials or the royals. Wealth is tied up in the guilds and the churches as well. The gold¡¯s only at the top.¡± ¡°So, the Union is made of altruists then?¡± ¡°Not exactly. We want to poke a few holes in the buckets of the rich, get some of that wealth to trickle down and don¡¯t mind making a big pile of gold in the process. We also want to dampen down the bad actors, the people that use wealth to exploit and spread misery in the world.¡± ¡°Yeah, Fuck those guys.¡± ¡°I like the part about getting that gold for ourselves.¡± Leoleth said. ¡°I promise to be a good girl with my money.¡± ¡°Those missions don¡¯t exactly line up.¡± I said. ¡°They can,¡± Aymon said. ¡°We have a code. First and foremost, money flows down, not up. You don¡¯t steal from anyone poorer than you; if you divert wealth or resources from those who need it, you¡¯re out. There are plenty of deep pockets to pick out there; we don¡¯t need to make the world worse. We also don¡¯t move against each other. It¡¯s about who you steal from.¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°We give back. The guilds take twenty percent, and we take thirty. It seems like a lot, but all that GP is tax-free. We reinvest half in the community and the rest in the Union¡¯s members.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s better spent that way.¡± ¡°The taxes you pay only fill the coffers of the rich. We only collect fees on quests that the Union hands out. If you want to go and work as a freelancer for a mercenary party, go ahead; the money you make is yours. That also goes for any work you do on your own.¡± ¡°But we stick to the code.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and you need to do quests for us. At least six a year.¡± Aymon leaned back. ¡°If we don¡¯t have anything suiting you, you help train others or pay dues. We will be investing in you. We will help you with your skills and give you opportunities to get stronger and more capable, but you need to pay that back in solid work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing getting booted from the Union is bad?¡± Leoleth asked. ¡°You can buy your way out,¡± ¡°Or die your way out.¡± Leoleth chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Aymon¡¯s face darkened a little. ¡°It happens, but we have more than a few Assassins to clean things up. But seriously, we are about being the best at what we do. We have access to training and gear to help you achieve that comfortable living you want. And jobs that will take you around the world.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Leoleth declared, throwing her arm around my shoulder. Then she planted a cold, wet kiss on my cheek. ¡°We?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. I was glad I missed most of the time in the carriage with her on the way to Ironstone. ¡°Yes, with your sneakiness and my looks, we will be the unstoppable duo of legends.¡± ¡°I have looks, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so adorable, I want to put you in my pocket.¡± ¡°We all okay then?¡± Aymon asked, not as annoyed as I expected him to be. I mean, I was actively trying to be annoying. And Leoleth was just being herself. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. Leoleth nodded, pulling me close to her side. ¡°Okay, then,¡± he said. ¡°No oaths, swearing, or ceremony; you¡¯re either in or not.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± ¡°In,¡± Leoleth said with too much enthusiasm. He reached into the breast pocket and pulled out a small business-sized card, and handed it to me: Panqinor Xilberos and Son¡¯s Clothiers & Tailors Lower Alley, 5 East and Wood Barrel Ave South ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a card.¡± Leoleth said, looking at me like I was an idiot. ¡°Before we bring you on, we need to do a full assessment.¡± Aymon said. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then we¡¯ll see. Come by at noon.¡± ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to find it.¡± He reached up and waved back at the bar. ¡°You¡¯re both new here. You¡¯ll need to learn a lot more about this city.¡± The wench returned with the tray of storage rings and necklace. I reached down to pick them up but hesitated. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°On the house.¡± Aymon said with a smile. He waved Jinx back over. I pulled out a small sack, poured a hundred GP into it, and set it on the tray. ¡°I said it was on the house.¡± ¡°For the Ritualist.¡± Chapter Fifteen: We can play with that later. Chapter Fifteen: We can play with that later. We left the bar using the same alley door. I placed the necklace and rings back in storage without looking at the contents. I wanted to get settled and start sifting through the items. I wasn¡¯t sure why the party had designated me as the loot person, but the rogue in me liked having all the stuff. ¡°We need rooms,¡± I said to Jinx as we started working their way down the mountainside. ¡°Room.¡± Leoleth corrected. ¡°You¡¯re not living with me.¡± ¡°Of course I am. When I have my own money, I¡¯ll get my own place, but you will be sad because you will want to keep living with me because we¡¯ll be having all the fun together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even a real sentence.¡± ¡°There¡¯s rooms at The Jester,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It¡¯s a good location to work out of and a nice place for the money. You two can get settled, and we¡¯ll still have time before the rest of the party shows up.¡± I let him lead us through the city, taking in the sights as we moved along. The diversity of people fascinated me; some seemed so different from humans that they resembled aliens. It struck me that I was one of these wonders now, not quite human but a half-elf who belonged here in Ironstone as much as anyone else. Almost immediately, guilt washed over me. I glanced at my hands, feeling a wave of existential dread. The sensation of being in the wrong body surged within me, accompanied by an urge to fight against this place, to find my way back home. But then, for the first time, I could imagine a life here, in this world. It twisted a knot in my stomach. It was a new longing, not to return to Earth but to stay and become a part of this one. The feeling passed as quickly as it came, leaving a lingering guilt new to me. It had been panic in the past, but now it felt like I was somehow betraying my family by considering this place my home. ¡°When you''re out an'' about in the city, you need to stick to the main streets as much as possible,¡± Jinx said as we passed from Prime to Ironstone Proper. ¡°¡¯ Specially at night.¡± ¡°Not safe?¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Jinx said. There were several horse-drawn cabs parked around a glowing streetlamp just outside the upscale city. Jinx led us up to one and ushered us inside. He had a quick word with the driver and paid him before getting in himself. ¡°You¡¯ve only seen the ''Ub District and Prime. The city¡¯s got dozens of different neighborhoods, not all of ''em nice, but like any city, you gotta know your way ''round. To start, learn the main thoroughfares and cross streets. They all launch from the ''Ub District and lead to the main points of town.¡± I made a mental note to acquire a city map; it would undoubtedly help me navigate. Once I saw it, my innate mapping ability would ensure I remembered every detail. We arrived at The Crying Jester, about a dozen blocks from Jinx''s home. It resembled an urban version of the country inns I knew well. The public room was spacious and bustling, with its own entrance. Rooms were available for rent at a standard hotel desk, complete with a bellhop. I booked a small two-bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the lively street below. It reminded me of a beachside resort with white paneled walls and bleached oak accents. Unlike the provincial inns I was accustomed to, there was an ensuite bathroom, similar to places back home. I thanked the gods for the inclusion of plumbing in the magical world. I felt for Leoleth and decided to offer her my second bedroom. Despite her quirks, I sensed her genuine desire for friendship, especially since she seemed to lack anyone else. I¡¯m sure she would be making her own money in no time and getting her own place once she was on her feet. Jinx joined us in the suite as I retrieved the null space chest I had obtained from the slave camp. I unceremoniously emptied the contents of the six rings and necklace into it and let the chest sort everything out. ¡°That was unexpected,¡± he said as we looked at the contents. It was a haul, to say the least. The chest had over twenty-five magical items and jewelry, several magic scrolls, and ten spell tomes. There were also stacks of non-magical gear, clothing and arrows to be picked up and divided among the party. He explained that spell tomes were magic books that taught the user an individual magical spell. ¡°Just open ¡®em up and activate ¡®em in yer mind.¡± He tapped his temple with a grin. ¡°You can learn it the long way or the short way. These things are valuable, but you don¡¯ go sellin¡¯ ¡®em. Too bloody useful.¡± ¡°Aymon recommended I pick up some more magical spells, but I¡¯m not a Mage.¡± ¡°You can still use magic,¡± Jinx said. ¡°Ya can learn any skill you want, but it won¡¯t ¡®elp your class advance. You can grow ¡®em just like any skill, though. The disadvantage is that if you¡¯re not a Mage, EP doesn¡¯t replenish as much.¡± Using my spell, I appraised all the objects to understand their descriptions and benefits. It appeared that these items lost their Arcana data if removed from a cracked storage item. That eased some of the guilt of basically stealing shit from someone that was already a victim. With so many potentially useful items and spells in the chest, Jinx suggested dividing them up rather than selling everything for gold. I agreed, and we spent the next hour or so arranging the items around the suite for the four of us to share. Leoleth looked on with blatant envy. I contributed three hundred and thirty-seven gold pieces to the group and gifted her the null space storage necklace¡ªa white gold and sapphire chain that complemented her blue skin perfectly. Delighted, Leoleth danced around and kissed me, causing my cheeks to flush with embarrassment once again. About an hour later, Gem and Kev arrived with Eric. Sensing the potential awkwardness with Leoleth, he kindly offered to take her downstairs for a drink while the rest of us divided the loot. As they left the room, he smiled and winked at me. I found myself admiring his physique as he walked away in his tights. We all gathered around the array of objects that Jinx and I had set out, each item accompanied by a brief description for the benefit of those without the Appraisal spell: Circlet of Essence: Siphons and stores magical essence from the wearer to the capacity of 100% of the wearer¡¯s ability over the course of 24 hours. Effectively doubling the wearer''s EP when needed. Axe of frost: (Requires Power Chrystal recharge) Battle Axe that inflicts cold damage and the Frost Bite Debuf for ten seconds. Beads of the Oasis: (Uses Ambient EP) Necklace of blue crystal beads that alleviates the discomfort of heat and humidity. Bedlah of the Siren Dancer: (Uses Ambient EP) Dancer Outfit, which, when fully equipped, enhances dance performance and Boosts Charisma by 50%. Bracers of True Shot: (Uses Ambient EP) Enhances all projectile accuracy by 150%. Chain of Desire: (Uses ambient and Channeled EP.) Belly Chain, while worn on bare skin and 66% uncovered, boosts Charisma by 25%. Adds the spell Aura of Seduction. Aura of Seduction Spell: Creates sexual desire in an individual. The level of desire increases with the amount of EP channeled. Gloves of Sure Grip: (Uses Ambient EP) Doubles grip strength of wearer on non-living objects. Leather Armor of Evasion: (Uses Ambient EP) Adds 5 points to dexterity for the wearer and adds the skill dodge when worn. Dodge skill: boosts the ability to evade attack when an attacker is visible. 10% chance to physically move the wearer out of the direction of danger. Light Boots of Endurance: (Uses Ambient EP) Boots that add five points to endurance. Long Bow of Lethargy: (Requires Power Chrystal recharge) Drains target of AP and ads the Lethargy debuff on the target for 5 seconds on a successful hit. Obsidian Dagger: (Non-Magical) A dagger of steel coated in a sharpened layer of Obsidian. Ignores magical protection. Rod of disruption: (Uses Channeled EP) Control rod that disrupts ritualist sigils. Rope of Obedience: (Uses Ambient EP) 50-foot Rope with the ability to crawl up any vertical surface and bend into any desired knot upon command. Can utilize complex commands in noncombat situations. Sword of Flames: (Requires Power Chrystal recharge) Releases a gust of magical fire on a target when successfully attacked. ¡°What about the power crystals?¡± I ask Jinx. ¡°Some of this stuff runs on them, kind of morbid.¡± ¡°Not the same.¡± Jinx picked up the ax and pulled a small, egg-sized gem out of his storage. ¡°These are made from raw magical essence.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a mine down on the Equatorial Continent that exports millions of these things, and you can make them on your own if you don¡¯t mind giving yourself a headache,¡± Kev said. ¡°They ain¡¯t enough to power more than a few whacks.¡± Jinx twisted his face, a look of concentration. The gem crackled and vanished in a puff of red smoke, and the ax glowed with new power. ¡°The ones needed for a large ritual are made from people. ¡°We have about a dozen of those. I''m glad no one died.¡± The party agreed to pick items in rounds, starting with Jinx, then Gem and Kev, and finally me, since I had used the Appraisal spell and knew the value of each item. Any leftovers would be sold for gold unless someone in the party wanted to buy them with their share. Jinx chose the Circlet of Essence, Rod of Disruption, and Light Boots of Endurance. Kev opted for the Axe of Frost, Sword of Flames, and Gloves of Sure Grip. Gem selected the Bracers of True Shot, Long Bow of Lethargy, and the Leather Armor of Evasion. I picked the Obsidian Dagger, which wasn¡¯t magical but suited my needs perfectly. I also chose the Rope of Obedience and the Chain of Desire, the latter being something I just had to have; I mean, it was a gold chain adorned with crystal stars and small pink pearls. I purchased the two leftover items: the Bedlah of the Siren Dancer and the Beads of Oasis. I spent a total of four hundred and seventy-six gold pieces. Excitedly, I slipped on the Bedlah top. Without the skirt (or rather, loincloth), it had no magical power but was a pretty silken lavender with gemstones and golden trim. I clasped the chain around my waist, which magically cinched up below my navel. Suddenly, the option to cast the spell Aura of Seduction appeared in the corner of my vision. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare.¡± Jinx glared at me. ¡°We can play with that later.¡± Gem smiled. We moved to the selection of Spell Tomes next. The party followed a similar pattern of picking spells out: Jinx went first. Kev went next, and Gem and I followed. Again, I had them arranged on the table with a small description of each: Bag of Bones: Zaps muscle and fat from the target, reducing strength, dexterity, and endurance for five seconds. Broken Tongues: Area of effect spell that blocks the targets from being able to communicate for two minutes. Face in the Crowd: While in use, the user¡¯s face becomes unrecognizable. Grappling Hook: Fires a summoned rope and grappling hook forty feet in any direction with a guaranteed catch on any rough surface. It can hold the weight of one person. Lasts five minutes. Heal: The same effect as a potion of moderate healing. 2-minute cool down self only. Little Things: Allows castor to create any nonmechanical object that fits in hand. The object will remain solid for 5 minutes. Mark: Mark a target secretly, increasing the chance of a hit. The target can be tracked for 2 hours. Rag Doll: Drains target of all Strength for 5 seconds. Shroud of mist: Renders a person incorporeal while hidden until the first attack. Spell time: five minutes, cool down, thirty seconds. Spell deactivates when combat starts. Wind Burst: Blasts Air from palms of hands with enough force to propel a person fifteen feet vertically, or if directed at a target, blasts them 15-20 feet horizontally. Cool down 30 seconds. Jinx selected Heal and Broken Tongues before purchasing Bag of Bones after no one selected it. Kev went with Rag Doll and Wind Burst. Gem picked Shroud of Mist and Mark. Given my rogue tendencies, I decided on Face in the Crowd, which seemed tailor-made for my needs. I also chose the Grappling Hook, which would pair perfectly with the Rope of Obedience. Additionally, I purchased the spell Little Things for one hundred twelve gold pieces; the ability to conjure small tools or a lock pick seemed too useful to pass up. With the major loot divided, we moved on to smaller items. I selected a Ring of +2 Dexterity and a Ring of +3 Endurance from the attribute rings available. Among the scrolls, we each took three Arctic Blast scrolls, and I also picked a Scroll of Iron Bands for restraining purposes. Gem and I agreed to divide up the arrows we found. I ended up with three hundred and seventy-five Iron, two hundred and fifty-one Steel, fifty-three Obsidian, thirty Elven Bark, twenty-seven Ash Wood, and sixteen Shark Teeth arrows. Jinx agreed to take and sell all unclaimed items. He gathered up all the unenchanted weapons, storage rings, plain armor pieces, odds and ends, and distributed the monetary value among the rest of us out of his gold. We each received two thousand, one hundred and one gold pieces. After my purchases, my share amounted to eight hundred and fifty-one. By the time we finished dividing everything, it was dinnertime. The party headed down to the pub for dinner and drinks. As we made our way, Gem pulled me aside. ¡°I¡¯m leaving in the morning,¡± she said. I felt a little betrayed by the sudden departure. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have my family. This is a windfall for us. I need to take this back.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you wait a couple of days?¡± I felt a rise of anxiety in my stomach. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could make it worth your while.¡± ¡°You know how you feel about the city?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I thought about the rush I had when I first saw the buildings and people of the city and what Gem had told me about home.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I feel the same way about my village,¡± Gem said. She pulled me close. ¡°I want to stay with you but must go home. It¡¯s where I belong.¡± ¡°When do you plan on returning?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a month or two.¡± ¡°I can live with that.¡± I kissed Gem deeply and then planted a second lighter kiss on her lips. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For being here when you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always come back for you,¡± she whispered back. ¡°Me too,¡± I said. ¡°In case you need stealing or an orgasm.¡± We laughed and embraced. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to it. Tonight especially.¡± We joined the rest of the party, along with Eric and Leoleth, in a corner table at the pub. Drinks and dinner had already been ordered, a relief as the evening crowd began filling up the place quickly. The night unfolded pleasantly. Jinx shared more of his tales, and Kev and Gem recounted stories from their homes. Gem mentioned she lived in a forest about three days'' ride to the north, and was the eldest daughter in a large family of five, three of whom were half-satyrs like her. The kingdom was a small one wedged between this one and another. I couldn''t help but wonder why such basic details hadn''t come up before. Despite her closeness to the party, Gem kept her personal life separate. As the last of the drinks were finished, we bid our goodbyes. Kev and Jinx departed together while Leoleth and Eric headed upstairs. Eric mentioned he was staying at the same inn since he had nowhere to go in the city. He made a point to inform me that they were retiring to their separate rooms, but Gem and I would spend the night together saying our goodbyes. That last night in my room was a mix of thrill and sadness intertwined. In the morning, I woke as I usually did, just before dawn. Gem was already gone. Character Sheet: Regan Summer Half Human, Half Urban Elf Level 3 Height: 4 feet, 10 inches Weight: 89 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 3 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 3 Base Attributes: Strength: 10 Dexterity: 18 Spirit: 7 Charisma: 17 Intelligence: 18 Endurance: 7 Luck: 11 Adrenaline Points: 233/233 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 188/188 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 1106/1106 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills/Spells: Acrobatics Level 1 Appraisal Level 1 Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 4 Disarm Traps Level 1 Face in the Crowd Level 1 Grappling Hook Level 1 Lock Picking Level 1 Little Things Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 2 Nudge Level 1 One and Done Level 1 Pick Pocketing Level 1 Powerful Strike Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 Sleight of Hand Level 1 Sneak Attack Level 3 Stealth Level 2 Racial Skills: Night Vision Hide in Shadows Internal Navigation Gift of Tongues The draconian released my hands. The words of my character sheet hung in the air in front of me for a few moments. He quickly started scratching out the words with a quill on the parchment in front of him. I was sitting across the table from Aymon, and the lizard man with Leoleth sat in the chair next to me. His appearance surprised me when I met him thirty minutes earlier in the clothes shop. He looked like a velociraptor but had more human arms, legs, and a shorter tail. Strangely, he had huge, bushy eyebrows, which were grey with age. He wore a silk shirt, brown wool pants, and a tweed vest with pockets filled with a tailor''s tools. I had seen all types of people since getting to the city, but mostly in passing. Sitting across from one at a table was a new experience for sure. They shared a look at each other when he passed the sheet over. Aymon took a moment to read over my and Leoleth¡¯s information. Leoleth had taken the appraisal first after we arrived and were ushered into the back work area of the clothier slash tailor. We were both a little hungover from the night before. We started early since neither of us knew the city, but we needed to find the address. Once I had managed to find and purchase a map from a shopkeeper three blocks from The Jester, I pinpointed the address by having Leoleth give me a quest to find the alley¡ªnice little workaround using the quest system. The shop was nestled in a quiet alley in the Hub District of Ironstone Proper, just a few blocks south of the gate to Prime. The rest of the area consisted of shops selling household design goods, clothing, and other textile products to upper-middle-class patrons. It was a far cry from the luxury goods of Prime, but the area sported more carriages than wagons and nicely dressed pedestrians walking about. So, I took the extra time we had shopping for outfits. I picked a pretty black choli-style top with short sleeves and a matching skirt that hung loosely at my hips. I wanted the Chain of Desire to be available, which meant a bare midriff. Leoleth decided on a short blue silk dress that seemed not particularly practical, but she said something about branding when she slipped into it in the dressing room. I didn¡¯t care since it was not too expensive. Was I turning into a sugar mama? ¡°Thanks, Panqinor,¡± Aymon said to the draconian after he finished reading over the sheets. Panqinor sniffed and stood with a scary ass smile. I gave him one of my cute ones, and he winked at me. ¡°Good day.¡± He had a raspy voice, as one would expect from a lizard man. ¡°All right then,¡± Aymon turned to us, still sitting at the table. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡± He placed the two sheets in front of us and tapped on them. ¡°I¡¯d say you are both on your way, but neither of you meets the minimum to get full membership.¡± ¡°Minimum? Dude, I¡¯m a level three Rogue.¡± ¡°You are indeed,¡± Aymon sighed. ¡°But a Rogue Assassin.¡± He leaned back in the chair. ¡°As an assassin, I would be happy to let you in as a member in full standing, but you indicated that was not the direction you wanted to go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But almost all of your pertinent skills are at level one. They are too low at this point.¡± ¡°So where do they need to be.¡± ¡°We need those base skills at level three each. Plus, you must have climbing, parkour, and disguise skills or spells, all at level three.¡± ¡°Face in the Crowd doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°It works okay for some things, but you need to add something that will give you the ability to take on a persona.¡± ¡°What can the Union do to help me along then?¡± ¡°We can help by selling you spell tomes.¡± Aymon shrugged. ¡°But really, you need to build up your skills. The easiest way is by employing a Union mentor to train you.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Leoleth asked. ¡°Not much to say other than you have a good basic understanding of ritualistic magic; you have zero other skills to work with.¡± ¡°What can you do to help me?¡± ¡°I can give you the Rogue Class and Thief Job and the baseline skills to start developing, but you will also need to build those up to level three.¡± ¡°I assume you don¡¯t just give her the job?¡± I asked. ¡°No, the Union charges two hundred GP for that.¡± He smiled at me at me. All the Charisma in the world couldn¡¯t spin gold out of the turd he was lying in front of me. ¡°So, to join, all basic Rogue skills should be at level three, and all spells at level three.¡± I looked down at my sheet, tracing my fingers over the list of skills. ¡°Which you will help us train up for a fee.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°That will take a while.¡± ¡°It all depends on how hard you work.¡± And how much we pay. I thought. I looked over at Leoleth, who looked at me in return, shrugging her shoulders. Nancy Fucking Sanders. One thing I brought with me from my old life was my ability to smell bullshit, no matter how much Paradoxe you sprayed on it. Nancy was my mom¡¯s MLM buddy. She came around at least a half dozen times to me in two years, trying to get me to join her stupid health coaching/supplement club. Yeah, no. First, how the hells could I be coaching on healthy anything, and secondly, I didn¡¯t even have the starter money to get my first demo pack. ¡°So,¡± I floated a question out to him. ¡°Do we get some kind of bonus if we bring in someone else to join?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°You get a straight-up bonus, plus a share of what they bring in or any training they pay for.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, standing. ¡°It¡¯s been educational.¡± I grabbed up the sheets and stood nudging Leoleth. Who looked up at me, eyebrows raised in surprise. ¡°Do you want to add the Rogue class?¡± Aymon asked Leoleth. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said bitterly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that her decision?¡± ¡°Not when I¡¯m paying for it.¡± I gave him one of my cutesy smiles and a little sideways nod. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be around if you need us. If you want to try doing this on your own, go ahead, but you will want our resources.¡± He dropped his smile right before I turned away. ¡°And protection.¡± ¡°If we need you,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ll be the first to know.¡± I was already marching the frost elf out the door. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Leoleth said as we exited the shop. I practically dragged her out and into the alley. ¡°It¡¯s called a pyramid scheme.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Basically, they make GP by bringing in new members and pressing them for money. They squeeze lower members by forcing them to pay for training and spells. Usually, those lower members don¡¯t even get to work. They pay dues and train others. It¡¯s not a thieves¡¯ guild. It¡¯s just a scam to make money for the senior members.¡± ¡°Jinx said they were okay.¡± ¡°He probably didn¡¯t know.¡± We walked into the main street and started walking back toward the Jester. ¡°I¡¯m guessing he thought it was a straight guild like the mercenaries. There probably isn¡¯t any Rogue Guild. At least the Union isn¡¯t one. It¡¯s just a scam.¡± ¡°But they hire out Rogues.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure a few can take outside jobs, but we¡¯ll never get to that level. There will always be a barrier in place that we will have to overcome.¡± ¡°So,¡± Leoleth said, stepping in front of me and stopping our movement. ¡°Little elf, what do we do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big city.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure two hot girls can find a way to make money.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Leoleth nodded approvingly. ¡°Prostitution.¡± ¡°No, you idiot, stealing shit.¡± ¡°Oh. That sounds fun too.¡± I steered us to a small cafe on the corner of the next block. I pulled up a chair at one of the caf¨¦ tables outside and plopped myself down. ¡°Here,¡± I handed Leoleth a silver. ¡°Get us a couple of coffees if they have it.¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± She said with a wink. ¡°And the change!¡± I barked after her. I needed to think. I wasn¡¯t angry. I could blame Aymon, not really. A rogue getting upset at another rogue for pulling a hustle felt like poor form. What truly pissed me off was sitting here at a random caf¨¦, utterly aimless in this city, with no prospects to speak of. Sure, I had time to plan and build something, but the last thing I wanted was to fall into my bad habits. Wallowing in self-pity just because something I wanted wasn¡¯t easy was my M.O. in the old life. Some of the nonsense Aymon had spewed stuck with me, though. I didn¡¯t want to be a bad person, but I wasn¡¯t exactly on the path to being a good one either. No, I wanted to be a good person who did bad things. Sort of? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Stealing welfare checks from little old ladies¡ªor whatever the Nya equivalent might be¡ªwasn¡¯t my style. I liked the idea of doing bad things for good purposes. And yeah, there was something undeniably romantic about being the ¡°good Rogue,¡± spreading wealth to the masses. Baby steps, I told myself. I¡¯d start small with a code. Naive? Absolutely. But everyone had to start somewhere. Then there was Leoleth. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of her yet. She seemed utterly unbothered, game for anything as long as it sounded entertaining. A former cultist who¡¯d apparently been okay with sacrificing people. But in a world like Nya, where was the line? This place thrived on violence, and as far as I could tell, morality here was more of a suggestion than a rule. Nothing was too forbidden, it seemed, as long as you didn¡¯t get caught. Heather¡¯s endorsement of Leoleth went a long way toward easing my doubts. Justice wasn¡¯t even on the table for her, so I let it go. Besides, she was fun to have around. I had to believe nothing was impossible here. That belief was where I¡¯d messed up in the old days. I wanted to use these skills, but I¡¯d need to build them first. What would I have done back in World of Warcraft? I would grind. It was time to start doing just that. ¡°No coffee,¡± Leoleth reappeared from the inside, lugging two massive, over-the-top girlie drinks garnished with about half a dozen different fruit slices each. ¡°All they had were these.¡± She was starting to grow on me. We sipped our drinks in a contemplative silence. It was strong alcohol mixed with fruit juice and something that made it foamy. I pieced together a plan, nothing too complicated; I mean, I was working with Leoleth. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± she asked. ¡°Grind.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re talking.¡± ¡°Not that kind of grinding.¡± We finished our drinks. She ¡°forgot¡± to give me the change of course. I was pretty much expecting it, but she was about to score me a lot of gold if things worked the way I planned. I nodded to her, and we got up. She followed me to the end of the block. We were just outside the gates to Prime, where people were getting lined up to enter. ¡°Walk that way.¡± I pointed down the block. Dozens of pedestrians were headed in our direction. ¡°Swing your hips,¡± I said quietly as we turned onto a busy street filled with the neighborhood¡¯s upper-class pedestrians. ¡°Make eye contact and smile at the men.¡± ¡°Time to steal shit?¡± Leoleth whispered. ¡°Yes. Be the hot girl.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what Leoleth¡¯s charisma level was, but she didn¡¯t need much to be a distraction on the street. She arched her back and walked like a supermodel on the runway, and there wasn¡¯t a person who passed that didn¡¯t notice. She gave everyone a sultry glance and a smile. Men and women both seemed affected. I, on the other hand, slunk back, activating Face in the Crowd. It drained my EP down slowly, but I became the forgettable best friend of the prom queen and was virtually unseen on the crowded street. As we walked, I snatched. Not every person I bumped into, but every third or so, and only if they were dressed well. As we passed, I grabbed pouches, daggers, or purses, all going into my personal storage. The wealthier people tended to carry a small bag of coins on them, probably for the pickpockets, since they, too, had personal storage of some kind. Then, just as the EP was running low, it came: Congratulations: Pick Pocket is now Level 2 Dexterity +1 Charisma +1 We made our way into the suite of The Crying Jester without incident, without anything, actually. I pulled out the purses, pouches, and accessories I had nabbed and lined them up on the bed. Leoleth squealed in delight, grabbed a jewel-encrusted dagger, and held it up. ¡°This one¡¯s pretty,¡± She said dreamily. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I cast Appraisal with my last few remaining EP and got a value of sixty-five GP and no magical properties. ¡°You might want to sell it,¡± I said with a smile as I started overturning the pouches and purses, dumping the contents on the bedspread. ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one with the flashy stuff. You can do all the stealing.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said sternly. ¡°We both do the stealing. There¡¯s not enough of us to specialize. You need to learn all the stuff that I do, and I need to learn as much about ritualistic magic as I can, so we can work together.¡± ¡°I like that.¡± Leoleth put the dagger down on the bed with the others. ¡°Where do we start?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I thought about things. The Union may be a bit of a problem if they were interested in doing crimes and whatnot. But if they were bullshit, as I suspected, then they wouldn¡¯t be interfering in our lives. Still, keeping a low profile seemed like the best place to start. ¡°I think we should focus on the basic stuff, pick pocketing, sleight of hand, and the physical skills to start doing higher level work. Also, you should work on fine-tuning your magic so we can bypass protections. How do you add a new class?¡± ¡°You can add a new class at level five, but I just turned level four, so it will take a long time to add it.¡± ¡°So, we just focus on the skills then for now. Hopefully, you¡¯ll advance as we add and build them on. It means you¡¯ll have gain the rogue stuff organically and add the class and job at level five.¡± ¡°You mean stealing without any skills?¡± ¡°No, you can pickpocket without stealing.¡± I pulled a silver coin off the bed and held it up to Leoleth, the inspiration hitting me. We divided the loot between us, which added up to a surprising three hundred and sixteen in gold and other coins. The dagger she grabbed and the high-end items were worth about four hundred altogether. I chucked some other odds and ends into storage to sort out later when we had a fence. I decided to reach out to Jinx to see if he knew a guy. Out of that, we pulled fifty SP to start practicing. We left The Jester and headed up the main boulevard toward Prime. With my Chain of Desire on full display, I practiced the Seduction spell. I poured a small amount of EP into the chain and focused on everyone as we passed. It had the same effect as Leoleth and her swaying hips and smile. Leoleth, in turn, started bumping into people, just as I had. Leoleth had virtually no skill as a pickpocket, and it showed. She was awkward, I mean first time in heels awkward. But she wasn¡¯t stealing; instead, she deposited a silver coin into every pocket she could reach. She wasn''t always successful, but she always tried to do it without being noticed. ¡°Holy Shit,¡± Leoleth said as we approached the gate to Prime. She looked over at me, beaming. ¡°Pickpocket, Level One.¡± ¡°You thieving little sneak,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Only cost you fifty silvers.¡± ¡°Forty-Three,¡± Leoleth said. The training regimen started the next day. I didn¡¯t imagine that Aymon was completely full of shit when it came to the stuff we needed to do. I knew picking pockets was not the best way to make money; we needed to level up in as many ways as possible to start pulling off the jobs we wanted. We decided to focus on the ground-level skills during the day and then train the physical skills using the rooftops in the evenings. While slipping coins into unsuspecting pockets worked, we also found that sleight of hand delighted crowds in different ways. I introduced three-card monte to the world of Nya, playing it on the counters of taverns and inns for drinks and fun, never taking money from the patrons, as I practiced my skills, even losing from time to time to keep it balanced. We worked on our skills in separate taverns around the Hub District, careful not to overstay our welcome in any of them. We also kept all games out of The Crying Jester. Chapter Sixteen: You鈥檙e not right. Chapter Sixteen: You¡¯re not right. ¡°Evening, Regan.¡± I settled into the stool at the bar, ready for the night¡¯s dinner and drink. ¡°Hey, Nyvorlas.¡± The tavern owner at The Crying Jester was a stupidly handsome mountain elf named Nyvorlas. Unlike many elves, he had a rugged mountain man look, with a full bushy gold beard and long hair tied back in a loose man bun. His lumberjack arms were always on display in his tight shirt, which always seemed not to be buttoned up enough, tantalizing me with a full chest of hair I wanted to lick every time I saw it. I had a crush on him since I started staying at the inn. Seeing the hipster elf every night was a great way to kick-start my evening or end it well. Then I met his beautiful dwarven wife, Yarnorra. No moving on another girl''s guy, or vice versa. Not my style. But both were easy on these little elf eyes. So yeah, double-crushing it. Just my luck ¡°Where¡¯s Leoleth tonight?¡± ¡°She¡¯s playing games over around Central Blvd.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± He murmured, sliding a mug up to me. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to show you.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I asked, on yellow alert since he barely knew my name and had almost nothing in conversation other than small talk leading up to now. He held up a gold coin between his massive fingers. ¡°This.¡± ¡°Good tip,¡± I said. Looking at the coin. ¡°You¡¯re not expecting that from me, are you?¡± ¡°It is a good tip. No one tips me a gold for anything.¡± ¡°I would expect you to be happy about it.¡± He slapped a card down on the bar. ¡°Some drow elf comes in, gives me a gold coin, and tells me to give you this card.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. I was a little afraid to reach for it. ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t like shady shit in my inn.¡± He glared at me and slid the card over. ¡°You and your girlfriend keep whatever crap you do out of this place.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do any shady crap,¡± I said, pouring on the pouty face. He still glared down at me. ¡°We earned some good money with the Mercenary Guild and just want to settle in and take some time off before we have to go out and earn more.¡± ¡°No trouble,¡± Nyvorlas said. ¡°Or you¡¯re out.¡± ¡°No trouble,¡± I said, flipping the card over. A note from Aymon invited me to chat at an inn called The Hanging Judge tomorrow at noon. I held it up for Nyvorlas. ¡°I met this guy a week or two ago. He probably just wants to ask me out on a date.¡± I smirked. ¡°He thinks I¡¯m cute.¡± Nyvorlas tilted his head, his expression softening. ¡°You are pretty fucking cute.¡± I blushed, heat rising to my face. For a second, I swear my freckles started glowing like they¡¯d been enchanted. With Nyvorlas looking satisfied, I dug into the mystery stew that was dinner for the night and read over the card. Sorry Dear, I understand your hesitation in signing up, but there is an opportunity I would like to discuss that you might be interested in. Meet me tomorrow at noon for a chat at The Hanging Judge. No strings attached (sorry for the unintended pun). Bring the frost elf if you want, but you¡¯re the one I would like to speak to. Aymon I tucked the card away and finished dinner. Right after we¡¯d gotten the MLM pitch, I reached out to Jinx and told him I thought The Union was mostly a scam. His response was exactly what I expected¡ªhe shrugged it off. He only used them to fence questionable items or pick up the odd sigil or storage cracker. He¡¯d just assumed they were a proper guild. He apologized for the lousy recommendation, but I told him there were no hard feelings. Leoleth and I had already started our own ¡°program of self-improvement.¡± I said my goodbyes to Nyvorlas, who, in turn, gave me a suspicious look. Once outside, I set off. My nights were now dedicated to scurrying across rooftops like a caffeinated squirrel. Glamorous? Hardly. But practice is practice. I tested my lockpicking skills on random doors when I wanted to stop and catch my breath, always relocking them after. If nothing else, I was getting faster. The funny thing is, I used to shun exercise with a passion. Now? I was leaping over alleyways between Ironstone¡¯s buildings, loving the sheer joy of movement. The combination of body and magic created something I¡¯d never imagined possible back on Earth. Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance, all boosted with AP, let me push limits that would put American Ninja Warrior to shame. Once I left the bustling hub streets behind, I scaled the alley side of a building a block away. From there, it was a symphony of running, leaping, and landing, over and over. At first, the idea of jumping ten feet over an alley was terrifying. Then I realized that at a full sprint, it¡¯s easier than it looks. Before long, I could cross entire neighborhoods without touching the ground. The hub streets were the only ones too wide to conquer, but even Spider-Woman has limits. By night two, my Acrobatics hit Level 2, which led to this little nugget of joy: You have passed level 20 Dexterity. Weapon Throwing Level 1 Unlocked. Weapon Throwing Level 1 Throwing skill with any weapon is now the same level as the weapon¡¯s primary proficiency. Damage dealt with a thrown weapon will vary depending on the Strength attribute. By night ten, another notification popped up: Parkour Level 1 Unlocked Parkour (Strength/Dexterity/Endurance) Level 1 You¡¯ve unlocked the skill that lets you move from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible using the environment. Focus on a goal, and your body will find the path over rocks, roofs, or dance floors. The moment it activated, the movement became a kind of meditation. My body knew what to do. The magic-infused skill wasn¡¯t just about jumping over and around things; it charted a path to wherever I focused as if my own personal GPS had sprung to life. I still needed to know my destination, but with an internal map of the city permanently etched behind my eyelids, getting around Ironstone had never been easier. When exhaustion crept in, I could burn AP to keep going. But I knew better than to rely on it too much. Pushing through fatigue the old-fashioned way was the key to boosting my Endurance. I launched myself toward the Entertainment District. Pushing my endurance to the limit as I moved. If I moved between the hub streets, I could cross everything with only touching the ground two or three times. My goal was always to try to knock down the ground contact as much as possible. The route was mostly north, then west, with a line of tightly packed buildings that were perfect for my purposes. The only snag? A few canals crisscrossed the neighborhoods. These weren¡¯t charming waterways with gondolas and serenades¡ªthey were industrial sewage streams carting trash and waste toward the river. About a dozen of these connected the city¡¯s industrial and commercial districts. After about twenty minutes, I hit the first canal and dropped into an alley. I dashed across the bridge, keeping my momentum up, much to the annoyance of the handful of people inexplicably hanging around a stinking stream. News flash: no one should be enjoying that. I bounced into the next alley and began climbing. Sure, I had a grappling hook, but I was determined to unlock Freeclimbing. Progress through practice, Mrs. Cutsforth, my high school gym teacher, used to say. She got fired for stealing the senior class¡¯s car wash money and ended up selling insurance. Full disclosure: Jinx had suggested sticking to the main streets at night. Something about ¡°safety¡± or ¡°not being an idiot.¡± I did listen. But I¡¯m a half-elf. My night vision was basically a cheat code. I could see every dark corner like it was midday. Nothing could surprise me. This is why I was not prepared for the hand that grabbed my ankle halfway up a four-story building. There was a hard yank, and the meditative calm of my Parkour skill evaporated, replaced by the cold slap of reality. I fell backward, heading straight for the cobblestones below. A two-story height is enough time to think but also enough distance to break something vital. My brain scrambled for options, and I took the first one that popped up. I activated Grappling Hook. The spell fired from my hand like a harpoon gun, latching onto the wall. I swung down, smashing into the side of the building with a thud that knocked the air out of me. Not fatal, but definitely ¡°ruin my evening¡± territory. I slid down about fifteen feet before the rope vanished. It turns out it doesn¡¯t work well when someone else is also hanging off you. The hand was still there, gripping my ankle like a vice. Whoever owned it outweighed me by a lot, and we both plummeted together. I clawed at the masonry, slowing our descent with sheer panic-fueled determination. When we finally hit the ground, I landed on top of someone, or something, large, hot, and heaving. My nostrils were assaulted, and I had to fight the dry heaves as much as the grip holding me. Good news: it broke my fall. Bad news, the hand didn¡¯t let go. I tried to get to my feet, but my new ¡°friend¡± grabbed my arm with the same death grip. I glanced down. He had pasty white skin, grime-covered fingers, and an aura of ¡°thousand-bus-station-bathrooms¡± stench. Lovely. I kicked and flailed, but the guy didn¡¯t flinch. He just grunted, a low, rumbling sound, his hot, rancid breath hitting my back, moistening my top with sticky steam.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Then his friend grabbed my other leg. Panic set in, a cold rush of memories flooding my mind: chains, shackles, a road I barely escaped. My pulse raced, but I couldn¡¯t afford to lose my head. Another pair of arms wrapped around me, locking up my right arm and slapping a filthy hand over my mouth. And then a third one showed up. This one also snaked up from behind, fingers closing around my throat. The grip tightened, cutting off my air. I thrashed, but I was pinned in place, their sweaty, stinking bodies pressing down. I couldn¡¯t even see the bastards. My chest burned as my oxygen ran out, and my odds of survival hit rock bottom. Unless they just wanted to choke me out and then have their way with me, it was hard to say; either way, it was going to be a short, miserable life. Debuff notices scrolled through my head, and I saw little time left. Panic wouldn¡¯t help me now. I shut it down, retreating to the only thing that might¡ªmy inventory. If I were going to die, I wouldn¡¯t be going down without trying. I started counting down in my head. The exercise always helped me focus and steady myself. At ten, I went limp, conserving energy for what was next. At five, I dove into my inventory, summoning Sick Stick. It clattered uselessly to the cobblestones. Great start. I dug deeper, ignoring the pressure on my throat and the thudding pulse in my ears. I needed something. Anything. My brain landed on a scroll. The Scroll of Iron Bands. Could I activate it from my storage just like a potion? No idea. But I was out of options. Activate Spell: Scroll of Iron Bands Target: Nearest Enemy Yes/No YES! I mind-screamed. Three inches wide and half an inch thick, metal bands erupted from the ether before me. They twisted and curled like metallic ribbons caught in a storm, slicing through the air around me before slamming into the nearest creep choking the life out of me. There was a grunt, sharp and breathy, and suddenly, all the hands let go. I dropped to the ground with a graceless thud. Gasping, I clawed at my throat, pulling in gulps of stinking alley air. Not ideal, but I was alive. At this moment, I¡¯d take the W. No time to celebrate, however. The other two bastards would be back any second. I grabbed Sick Stick and spun around, ready for round two. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I croaked. My throat felt like I swallowed a cheese grater. ¡°¡­Me.¡± There weren¡¯t three evil-smelling creeps. There wasn¡¯t even one creep. What I was staring at¡­ wasn¡¯t human. Hells, it wasn¡¯t anything I¡¯d even imagined existed before. The Iron Bands had done their job, pinning a thing to the wall of the building I just fell from. It was¡­ star-shaped, about eight feet across, like a starfish, but cranked up to nightmare mode. Instead of five stubby little legs, it had five human-like, double-jointed arms radiating outward around a massive, circular, tooth-filled sphincter of a mouth. Its pasty, flesh-like skin was crusted with grime, and the way it writhed against the bands made my stomach turn. The arms bent and twisted at impossible angles, their hands clawing at the bricks, each double-jointed finger scuttling like a spider¡¯s legs. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I rasped, staring at it. ¡°You¡¯re not right.¡± I sheathed Sick Stick. The last thing I wanted was for that gaping maw to hurl its insides all over me. Instead, I pulled out my short sword. I didn¡¯t know squat about its anatomy, but the giant mouth seemed like a safe bet. With a grimace, I drove the blade straight into the center through those rows of teeth. It was a good guess. Triple damage for hitting a critical area, plus a sneak attack bonus¡ªbecause, hey, no eyes. Stabby-stabby¡­stabby-stabby¡­done. The thing let out a final, fart-scented wheeze and collapsed, its maw gaping open. All was quiet. I just looked at the thing. It was just the stuff of nightmares, but I beat it. Just as I was congratulating myself, the creature got its revenge. A torrent of revolting orange blood exploded from every pore on its body like some kind of chemical weapon. I¡¯m sure there was now an Elf-shaped silhouette of clean on the grime-covered wall behind me. Lovely. CORPSE: STRANGLER STAR LOOTABLE ITEMS:
  1. STRANGLER STAR TEETH
DO YOU WANT TO LOOT? There was orange blood in my mouth. There was orange blood in my nose, eyes, and hair. I stared at the prompt for a beat, whispered a prayer of thanks to whatever god had decided to help out, and clicked Yes. I wasn¡¯t walking away from this with nothing. I¡¯d make a charm bracelet out of those teeth and fucking sell it on Murder World Etsy if I had to. I started the long walk home. Mental note: thank Jinx for the totally ignored advice. On the way, I downed a healing potion and swapped out my cool, black rogue outfit for the humble tunic-and-pants combo. My face and hair were still a mess. I hadn¡¯t bothered getting any magic soap since moving to the city. My breath still came in and out in rasps. Even with the potion, healing takes its sweet ass time. In the moment of victory, I was awash in a sick kind of jubilation. The lingering pain outlasts the rush, however. Then comes the crash. It was close. I mean, it was always close, but this was a new metric. The fights I been in before? There was usually someone around. I was with my party, and my back was always covered. That thing grabbed me from behind, and I wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight it. I worked so hard, but I still wasn¡¯t strong enough. Those hands. Those could have been anyone¡¯s hands grabbing me. I was reckless. My overconfidence in this city almost got me killed. I thought if Leoleth. Of all people. She¡¯d have come home tonight to an empty set of rooms and would never have known I wasn¡¯t coming back. I¡¯d just be gone¡­Again. ¡°Hi.¡± I was barely holding it together. The last thing I wanted was for the world to see me like this. So, I dodged the pub, avoided the front desk, and did what any rogue worth her salt would do: I climbed the outside wall of The Crying Jester. ¡°Hi,¡± Eric said, standing shirtless at the window, a dagger in his hand. I¡¯d just tapped on the shutter to his room, and he¡¯d thrown it open, ready for a fight. Relief flashed across his face, quickly replaced by concern. The dagger clattered to the floor. He reached through the opening, pulling my limp body into the room. ¡°I¡¯ve had a very bad night,¡± I whimpered. The tears were dangerously close now. gods help the poor guy if he has a problem with crying girls. ¡°Okay then,¡± he said softly, wrapping me in a gentle hug despite the blood, sweat, and gods-know-what else clinging to me. ¡°Anything broken?¡± ¡°No.¡± That was all I managed before the dam broke. It wasn¡¯t a sniffle or a delicate cry. It was the real, gut-wrenching, soul-cleansing kind. I hadn¡¯t cried since my first night here, though I¡¯d come close a few times. But tonight, there was no stopping it. ¡°All right then,¡± he murmured, brushing my blood-matted hair back from my face. ¡°We¡¯re just gonna let that out.¡± He pulled me tighter. My face was pressed against his chest. It was warm, solid, and comfortingly hairy. He smelled good. That earthy, masculine scent that reminded me of how strong his arms were and how tantalizingly cocky his grin could be. When the sobbing finally slowed, I realized I¡¯d left tears, a fair bit of snot, and some of that nasty orange blood tangled in his ginger chest hair. ¡°Sorry,¡± I mumbled, trying to brush it off. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said with a gentle chuckle, not even flinching. ¡°You want to tell me how this happened?¡± ¡°Strangler Star,¡± I muttered. His brow furrowed. ¡°You fall in a canal or something?¡± ¡°No!¡± I cried, the second wave of tears building. ¡°It grabbed me in an alley!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be in an alley at night,¡± he said, a bit of admonishment creeping into his gentle tone. ¡°I know that now!¡± I bawled, the second wave hitting like a tsunami. ¡°Okay¡­ okay¡­¡± He rocked me gently, like I was a child, his patience holding steady against the storm. ¡°It¡¯s all okay now.¡± He whispered. We stayed like that for a while, with me sobbing and him holding me, just inside his open window, the dark room lit only by the moon and the streetlights below. I clung to him because, at that moment, I needed someone, anyone. And Eric was there. Sweet, steady, and strong. When the crying finally stopped, I felt brave enough to hug him back. ¡°Sorry,¡± I sniffled. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Being stupid.¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± He laughed softly. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re stupid.¡± I looked up at him, too tired to be angry but hurt enough to consider starting the tears up again. ¡°What?¡± He smiled down at me, brushing a finger across my tear-and-blood-streaked cheek. ¡°You¡¯re the right kind of stupid.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the kind of stupid that doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s impossible. So, you¡¯re the only one who can pull it off.¡± He lifted me off my feet, carrying me across the room to the bathroom as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Setting me gently down, he turned to the tub, wordlessly filling it and adding a scoop of that bath powder¡ªthe one that gave him that wonderful, earthy scent I¡¯d noticed when he hugged me. The rich, familiar aroma began to fill the room as he turned back to me. He kissed my forehead softly, then reached for my belt, pulling it free with practiced ease. My tunic and pants followed, discarded in a heap on the floor. He bent to unlace my boots, and I placed a hand on his shoulder for balance. One by one, the boots and my stockings slipped off, leaving me standing in front of him in nothing but my underwear. His hands moved with steady, gentle purpose, removing the last of the fabric until I stood completely bare. I didn¡¯t feel awkward or vulnerable¡ªjust¡­ safe. He didn¡¯t say a word. He didn¡¯t need to. He lifted me again, cradling me as though I weighed nothing, and lowered me into the steaming bath. The heat wrapped around me, the scent rising like a soothing embrace. ¡°Regan,¡± he said softly, taking a cloth and beginning to scrub away the blood and grime of the worst night of my life. His movements were slow, methodical, and reverent, as if I might break. ¡°You are the most amazing person I have ever met.¡± He said nothing more, and I didn¡¯t have the energy to respond with the obligatory ¡°Thanks.¡± I let him care for me, too drained to do anything else. When he¡¯d finished, he helped me out of the tub, wrapping a warm towel around me and drying me off with a gentleness I hadn¡¯t known anyone could possess. It felt strange, letting someone take care of me like this. But I didn¡¯t stop him. Honestly, he could¡¯ve done anything in that moment, and I would¡¯ve let him. Once I was dry, he wrapped me snugly in a thick blanket and carried me to bed. He laid me down, tucking the edges of the covers around me before slipping in beside me. ¡°This is the part where you let things go,¡± he whispered, his voice low and soothing. ¡°Let Edite¡¯s blessings in. She¡¯ll help you rest.¡± He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me like a shield against the world. I sank into the warmth of his embrace, the rhythm of his breathing lulling me into a deep sense of peace. I don¡¯t know if it was the god he prayed to or his arms around me, but within moments, I was asleep. I dreamed for the first time since I came to this world. I saw her: Megan. She looked older than I remembered, her hair loose and wild, but her shoulders slumped in a way that made my chest ache. She wasn¡¯t looking at me, even though I stood just a few feet away. Her unusual, radiant smile was there but didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Then her expression shifted. The corners of her mouth fell, the mask slipping away as her face turned solemn. She lowered her head and walked away, her steps slow and deliberate, fading into the horizon like a memory unraveling before my eyes. I reached out, desperate to call her name, but the words caught in my throat, swallowed by the soundless void... The gods watched. They surrounded the world, their features raw and alien, beautiful in their savagery. Eyes, luminous and unblinking, locked onto me, gazing past flesh and bone, straight into the trembling core of my soul¡­ Chapter Seventeen: Venali Craceran Chapter Seventeen: Venali Craceran The dreams were fuzzy. Something about Megan¡­ I woke before dawn, gave sleeping Eric a soft kiss on the cheek, and because, you know, I¡¯m that person now, snuck out of the room. Last night had been¡­ a lot. Not just the almost getting killed part but the whole total emotional collapse thing after. I replayed the events in my head, cringing. I tried to piece together a better outcome, but the options that didn¡¯t involve me getting strangled to death were slim. Maybe ice spikes would¡¯ve worked. At least then, I¡¯d still have that fantastic scroll for whatever nonsense I inevitably got into next. And Eric¡­ gods above. Somebody give that man a million GP and a statue in the town square. I wanted to die all over again. He and the other boys were headed out at noon on a mercenary contract, and there I was, messing up his last quiet night until the Festival. I crept back into the suite, moving carefully in the pre-dawn shadows. My stealth skills were flawless¡ªuntil they weren¡¯t. ¡°Fuck,¡± I hissed as my foot landed on a poorly placed boot just inside the doorway. I stumbled, caught myself, and knocked a vase off the cabinet. How the hells has Leoleth managed to be a slob when she can just keep stuff in her storage necklace? From her half-open door, a groggy voice groaned, ¡°I thought you were supposed to be fucking sneaky.¡± Leoleth emerged from her room, disheveled and half-awake. Her hair was a chaotic mess, sticking out in wild directions, and her blurry, annoyed eyes made her look less like the graceful frost elf she was and more like a grumpy cat. Oh, and she was completely naked. That¡¯s my roomie, Leoleth. Her body was mesmerizing in a way that I¡¯d long stopped finding attractive, but it was still hard to look away. She was all sharp contrasts. She was frightfully thin but somehow strong, with lean, wiry muscles and broad shoulders. Little pockets of softness balanced her out: her hips, her face, her, well, other places. Just enough to tilt her from androgynous to femme fatale. And then there was her skin, as flawless as it was pale, a subtle blue, glowing faintly in the dim light. Not a single hair on her entire body, and her nipples and¡­ other bits¡­ were the same dark blue as her eyes and lips. Modesty? Never heard of it. She just stood there in all her otherworldly, alien beauty, glowing like a goddess while scratching her butt. I couldn¡¯t blame her for the in-room nudity. It was early summer, and Leoleth hated the heat¡ªfrost elf problems. I moved to the small sofa in the sitting room and flopped down, trying to gather enough energy to face whatever fresh hell the day had in store. ¡°You smell like Eric,¡± Leoleth said, her voice sharp and accusing. ¡°Did you fuck him?¡± I looked up, startled. She stood there with her arms folded, glaring at me; it was freaky looking up at an angry, naked frost elf. ¡°You said he was just a friend.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t fuck anybody,¡± I groaned, rubbing my temples. ¡°I had a rough night and took a bath in his room.¡± Then I felt my patience snap. ¡°And even if I did hook up with Eric, what business is it of yours anyway?¡± She huffed, still glaring at me like I¡¯d kicked a puppy. ¡°He¡¯s soft and delicate. You¡¯re not.¡± ¡°I could be delicate,¡± I shot back, craning my neck to meet her icy stare. Her expression turned downright nasty. With a dramatic twirl, she stomped back into her room. Wait¡­ was she¡­angry? Leoleth had a full spectrum of moods, but I couldn¡¯t remember ever seeing actual anger in the mix. ¡°Seriously,¡± I called, getting up and following her. ¡°What is it about Eric?¡± She was standing just inside her doorway, waiting to ambush me. ¡°He¡¯s stupid,¡± she said flatly. I blinked. ¡°He¡¯s not stupid.¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± She sighed, leaning to glare at me, her piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. I leaned back instinctively. ¡°Okay, fine. How¡¯s he stupid?¡± ¡°He¡¯s human,¡± she said as if that explained everything. ¡°I¡¯m half-human. Does that make me, like, half stupid?¡± I asked, suddenly aware of how much mileage the word stupid was getting in this conversation. ¡°He thinks like a human,¡± she said, as if stating an immutable law of the universe. Oh. That hit closer to home than I¡¯d expected. She had a point. I¡¯d had a similar talk with Gem before. I hooked up with him and Gem early on, fooling around. But it was the three of us. Gem was gone now, but Eric had stayed. ¡°Yeah,¡± I admitted. ¡°The human thing.¡± Biology, the differences in races, was hard to grasp. Humans, it was like clich¨¦ in this world. Among my group of friends, Eric and Heather were the only ones. I needed to watch that shit. Leoleth folded her arms, her tone softening. ¡°He¡¯s pretty, and I like having him around.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°For the record, we were firmly in the friend zone last night. I was a wreck when I got to his room.¡± ¡°Did you get naked?¡± ¡°Yes. He helped me undress for the bath.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t do any of the sex stuff?¡± ¡°He kissed my forehead. That¡¯s it. I got snot on his chest hair, but unless that¡¯s a kink I don¡¯t know about, it was probably the least sexy moment of my life.¡± She tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling as though piecing the scene together in her mind. ¡°Good,¡± she finally declared. ¡°How is any of that good?¡± ¡°He took care of you,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Had a chance to make a move, and he didn¡¯t.¡± She smiled at me the same way Mr. Barney in ninth-grade geometry did when I finally figured out congruent proofs. ¡°And neither did I,¡± I added, feeling an odd and entirely unwarranted sense of pride. ¡°I love you,¡± she said flatly, leaving the room. ¡°But you are completely clueless.¡± Then she did the unexpected; she spun around, arcing her back and pushing out her hips. ¡°If you feel you need to fuck somebody, fuck me. I¡¯m not stupid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to fuck you.¡± I sighed. With that, she strutted across the living room into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her usual dramatic flourish. Note to self: Stop saying fuck so much. I sat back on the sofa and watched Leoleth get herself ready for the day. She chatted, bombarding me with a steady monologue of Leoleth thoughts, full of tangents and half-formed musings. But the actual conversation between us had ended. And, annoyingly, it made sense. All that stuff about Eric: she was right. I needed to keep things uncomplicated to maintain a friendship. But that was one thing. The other part she¡¯d said stuck with me in a much more profound way. He¡¯s human. He¡¯s going to think like a human. Gem had said the same thing once. I¡¯d brushed it off at the time, convinced I was still the old Regan. But the truth was, I wasn¡¯t. I keep forgetting that. I wasn¡¯t human. Well, I wasn¡¯t entirely. Something in me had changed when I came out of character creation. I¡¯d thought about it before, trying to piece things together when I felt confused. I embraced life now with a recklessness I had never dared to in the old days. I pushed myself in ways the old me wouldn¡¯t have dreamed possible. These things were new, yes. But some parts of who I was back on Earth didn¡¯t make the trip. The problem was that nobody handed me an itemized list after Character Creation, saying, Here¡¯s what¡¯s different now. I didn¡¯t realize what was missing until I went looking for it. Honestly, I just assumed I was a shorter, cuter version of myself. Take the strange lack of remorse when I killed the bad guys. It reflected something I lost but didn¡¯t know it was missing at first. Was there more? My brain was stuck in full ADHD mode while Leoleth finished getting ready. I set aside my existential horrors for the time being. Compartmentalization wasn¡¯t exactly my forte. And¡­probably not the healthiest approach to trauma or stress, anyways. Still, I¡¯d been thinking a lot about mental health here in Murder World. There¡¯s so much death, so many things that grab you, strangle you and force you to reconsider your life choices. How does anyone deal with it? Back home, we had an entire pharmaceutical empire and an army of real and fake therapists ready to tackle every issue, from Anxiety to Zoophobia. But here? What, do they just zap the bad wiring with magic? Or toss back a potion and call it a day? That would be amazing¡ªchug a potion, and bam, no more psychopathy. Practical and neat. Once Leoleth was finally ready, we headed down to the pub. She, of course, was dressed to the nines in one of her signature blue dresses¡ªjust a bit too fancy for a breakfast, but hey, she owned it. Meanwhile, I stuck to my usual NPC uniform: beige tunic, brown leather pants, and boots. Functional, sure, but meh. I really needed to rethink my wardrobe. I couldn¡¯t help picturing what my action figure would look like on the shelf, and honestly, Mos Espa Padm¨¦? would be outselling me in seconds. ¡°Push it back,¡± Heather¡¯s voice whispered in my mind. Not exactly a TED Talk-worthy piece of advice for handling negative thoughts, but it was what I had. I couldn¡¯t spend the whole day spiraling over my existence, sanity, and questionable fashion sense. Priorities. We settled into a quiet breakfast in the pub: porridge and coffee, the city¡¯s go-to staples. The tension between us? Completely gone. That¡¯s the thing about Leoleth: she says what she feels, gets it out there, and moves on. No drama, no emotional baggage. The girl lives entirely in the moment, and honestly? It¡¯s refreshing. We¡¯d been sharing the suite for¡­ what, a month now? Wow, had it been that long? She wasn¡¯t kidding¡ªit had been fun. Neither of us wanted to be alone, and honestly, we actually enjoyed each other¡¯s company. Turns out, having a shared sense of humor and a murderous streak makes for an unexpectedly solid bestie dynamic. Life goals achieved. I told Leoleth about Aymon¡¯s invite, but she didn¡¯t seem interested. So, after polishing off our hearty breakfast, I set off for The Hanging Judge on my own. It was, as always, another glorious summer day in the city. Birds and Bird-People were chirping, the sun shone valiantly through the smog, and I only got harassed three times by lecherous creeps. As I strolled, I couldn¡¯t help but reflect on the day I first arrived. My fresh little eyes had only seen the good stuff back then. The filth had sparkled, the lowlifes had seemed rakishly intriguing, and the city seemed to be on its best behavior, eager to impress the new guest. But a month in? The shine was fading. The smog seemed thicker, the creeps had lost their charm, and the city¡¯s first-impression energy had worn off like the fleeting resolve of my Uncle Bill¡¯s sobriety. Still, I loved it. I couldn¡¯t help myself. I¡¯d already rolled around in the muck enough to blend in with the rest of them, though whether that was a good thing? The jury¡¯s still out. Gem¡¯s warning about getting too comfortable played on repeat in my head. This city mouse couldn¡¯t stay forever, but the thought of hitting the road with nothing but a bedroll and a Huckleberry Finn¡¯s pluckiness? Terrifying. The Hanging Judge was nestled in a shadowy alley south of the Capital District. I hadn¡¯t ventured up to the Capital yet¡ªthat gleaming hub of government and high society was still on my to-do list. For now, I was more focused on the ladder''s lower rungs. This little elf needed to stay small and keep out of the spotlight. Hopping down the steps into the alley, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sound of my boots echoing off the rough, crumbling stone. When I finally rounded the corner to the pub, I was greeted by the quintessential fantasy world street vendor parked right out front. Dude was selling tentacles. Because why the fuck not. Long tentacles, short tentacles, blue tentacles, spotted tentacles. There was a little something for every tentacle enthusiast with every imaginable texture and shape imaginable. And they were all laid out like some bizarre sea monster buffet. I couldn¡¯t decide if it was impressive or deeply concerning. Many of them were still moving. Good times. The Hanging Judge itself wasn¡¯t much better. By the time I arrived, it was practically deserted. That was never a good look for a pub at noon. I guess the tentacle guy was monopolizing the lunch crowd. Aymon was already there, sitting at a small table by the front window, which, naturally, was obscured by, you guessed it, tentacles. ¡°Thanks for coming.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not gonna try to convince me to join The Union, are you? ¡°We could say that ship has sailed.¡± He shrugged, gesturing to the waitress. He had a plate of half-eaten meat and potatoes and a mug of something in front of him. She came and dropped off two more mugs. He pushed the plate forward a few inches, placing it into the communal space of the table. It took me some time on Nya to realize this was a friendly invitation to share the meal. He was dressed less flashily than I was used to seeing him, with a white shirt and maroon vest. However, all the bling was still there. He gave the waitress a wink and dropped a silver coin on the counter. ¡°I admit,¡± he said after taking another bite of meat. ¡°We don¡¯t do what I advertised, and I am sorry that I floated that in front of you and Leoleth like that.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s not a rogue guild with a heart of gold?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a commercial enterprise with interests around the city.¡± ¡°How long would you have strung a couple of country bumkins like us along?¡± ¡°Until you got sick of us and up and quit.¡± ¡°Charming.¡± I took a sip of my drink and a bite of the greasy meat on the plate. ¡°Now that we have that out of the way, why did you want to see me?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°We are a business like I said. We don¡¯t hire thieves or assassins or anything like that. We are looking for talent, and you fit the bill for something.¡± ¡°What kind of talent.¡± ¡°Someone quick on her feet, wants to learn the city, is willing to put in two to three hours of work a day, and has the discipline not to peek into the box, bag, and or envelope she is delivering.¡± ¡°Delivery girl.¡± ¡°More like a courier.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Like I said, you fit the bill. Plus, this may be a big city, but the community that we operate in is pretty small. It¡¯s good to find outsiders to do this kind of work; that way, you¡¯re not dragging baggage while working.¡± ¡°So, does the Union offer a courier service for bad guys then?¡± ¡°Let me explain what we actually do.¡± Aymon took a sip and paused to gather his thoughts. ¡°We provide logistical support for organizations. We help move goods, arrange transportation, shipping, communication, and even banking services for people marginalized by mainstream society.¡± ¡°Marginalized?¡± ¡°I like using that word. Makes me sound charitable.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just under a hundred and fifty different gangs and other crews operating in the city. They don¡¯t all get along, and there is always conflict over territory and resources. Part of what we do is provide safe communication between allies and rivals by being a neutral third party. We also move goods through hostile territories with assured protection because no one wants to be removed as clients.¡± ¡°And you want to recruit me to help with that part of the business?¡± ¡°Yep. You¡¯re nimble and intelligent, and I know you are working on your skills because we have been watching you since you left the tailor shop.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°It was obvious you were angry. We just wanted to ensure you didn¡¯t come back to bite us.¡± He grinned. ¡°Instead, you hunkered down and started working. Love it.¡± ¡°So, how would all of this work?¡± ¡°You pick up an assignment from one of our fronts, receive the quest, and off you go.¡± ¡°Seems simple enough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not completely safe,¡± Aymon said. ¡°I just have tell you that.¡± ¡°What are the risks?¡± ¡°You are dealing with criminals; not all are top-shelf quality people. Or smart people, or sane people. You get it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the pay?¡± ¡°Varies from job to job. It slides from five to twenty GP, mostly based on distance and urgency. You will be compensated accordingly if you encounter trouble from either the pick-up or drop-off parties. All monies are paid through the quest system, so you get an instant payout.¡± ¡°Will I have access to the Union¡¯s resources if I start working for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the golden question.¡± Aymon held up his cup and toasted to the air. ¡°Yes, I will ensure you have access to the whole catalog of services at cost. Nothing¡¯s free.¡± I smiled while I pondered things over. Aymon was a sleaze, but then again, I was stealing shit, so who was I to judge. I also figured if it were the will of the Union to eliminate me, they would do it. Instead, a practical-minded dude like him sees me as a potential asset. But really, was I buying that he wanted to hire a green wannabe like me to work for him? I did like the idea of being paid to explore the city, and using the quest system would mean that I could move through town using my mapping abilities, which would become increasingly accurate as I took on jobs. ¡°Just moving messages and packages?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He said. ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not even illegal. You¡¯re just walking around town. But discretion is important.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. I have a storage ring; will that be okay to transport goods?¡± ¡°Like I said,¡± Aymon reiterated with a stern look. ¡°It¡¯s in your best interests to not to look in the packages and envelopes. Otherwise, yes, I would recommend you use a device since there are plenty of pickpockets in this city.¡± He nodded at me and winked. He was a creep, but he was a charming creep. We wrapped up lunch, chatting about the city and what the Union did. It turns out they were the third-party logistics provider for the city¡¯s underworld: money laundering, crime scene cleanup, sigil cracking, and all the other niche services people needed but lacked the know-how or stomach to handle themselves. Aymon even gave me a list of three fences I could use to offload my wares. Efficient and thoughtful. The system was simple. A cartographer was operating out of the Hub District, about eight blocks from my room at The Jester. They¡¯d hand me a quest. The best part? Every job came with XP rewards and gold, so I¡¯d level up while learning the city and padding my pockets. Win-win. I bounced back across town, The Rockford Files Theme playing in my head as I went. There was a weird sense of satisfaction in my mind. It was a job. It was a real job. Like, someone was paying me to do something. I wasn¡¯t stealing shit. I was making money from people stealing shit. Always moving forward. The door rang an hour later when I entered Darkdigger¡¯s Cartography and said hello to the almost pleasant dwarf behind the counter. ¡°And who are ye?¡± He asked, glaring at me over his half-moon spectacles. ¡°Regan.¡± I smiled my sweetest, which was damn sweet. ¡°And you must be Mister Darkdigger?¡± ¡°Tha¡¯ I am.¡± He was leaning over a map and carefully drawing lines on it with a quill. ¡°And wha¡¯ brings you in here?¡± ¡°Work,¡± I said. ¡°Aymon just brought me on.¡± ¡°Righ¡¯ then.¡± He said with a grunt, bending behind the counter. ¡°This i¡¯ for you then lass.¡± He handed me a small, folded piece of paper. ¡°Best time ya can make, but be careful.¡± ¡°Careful?¡± I asked, glancing at it. There was an address that I didn¡¯t recognize, of course. ¡°Always be careful.¡± He said, returning to his work. NEW QUEST: DELIVERY GIRL Take a trip to Commerce City, pick up a pouch from Wailkack Shipping Services, and deliver it to Titan Sybo at his office in the Entertainment District. To complete the quest, you must:
  1. Collect the pouch.
  2. Deliver the pouch.
Rewards:
  1. You will receive XP.
  2. You will receive 8GP.
Was it going to be worth it? Didn¡¯t rightly know. My map lined up the location of Wailkack, and it looked like a twenty-five-minute walk down the southernmost boulevard to the office in the southern part of the Hub District. I wouldn¡¯t have the location of Titan Sybo until I retrieved the package that needed to be delivered, so I just started walking. I made my way down Commerce Boulevard, which led, as one might guess, into Commerce City, which was the port and warehouse district. While the boulevard was well-lit and lined with respectable businesses, the side streets seemed to get narrower and darker the further south I went. The makeup of the foot traffic also shifted down a few socioeconomic levels. There were plenty of seedy-looking characters and more than enough people who seemed like they wanted to rob me as I walked by. Most people living in the area were dwarves, but I saw many humans mixed in, though not many elves or other races. Unlike back home, I encountered my very first street children here. These were kids who were either homeless or sent out to beg and steal. Walking by, I spotted clusters on the corners of alleys, with shadowy adults lingering just out of sight, peering between buildings like puppet masters. It seemed like kids were the go-to workforce for everything, from petty theft to lookout duty for the city¡¯s criminal underbelly. I got bumped into more than a few times as I strolled, their tiny hands darting for purses or daggers. Fortunately, I kept my valuables safely stashed in storage, carrying only decoy gear to bait and frustrate would-be thieves. It turned into a jolly little tug-of-war between me and Fagin¡¯s minions, my pickpocket skills keeping my decoys right where they belonged. Honestly, it was almost fun. Almost. I tried not to let my mind go to the dark places when I looked at their faces. ¡°The Union is definitely looking better these days.¡± Wailkack leered at me. He was a gnome who sat on a high thrown-like chair in the middle of an office manned by humans, elves, and dwarves who bustled around as he screeched out orders at them. He wore a brown and green tunic with the extra-large collar I had seen many gnomes wear. Unlike the kindly Kettlebottom that I met a lifetime or so ago, Wailkack molested me with his eyes as soon as I entered the busy office. ¡°Just here to help with your delivery needs.¡± I looked up at him in his elevated seat. ¡°You have a package for me to take to The Entertainment district?¡± ¡°Oh yes,¡± he griped, reaching down into a small cabinet built into the arm of his chair. ¡°Titus Sybo.¡± He muttered the name as he dug through the items inside. ¡°Here.¡± He handed me a small leather pouch weighing about three pounds. ¡°Thank you kindly,¡± I slipped the pouch into my storage space, smiled, and nodded to the gnome. ¡°Don¡¯t lose that.¡± He grumbled miserably. I spun around and left the building. QUEST UPDATE: DELIVERY GIRL You have collected the pouch from Wailkack. To complete the quest, you must:
  1. Deliver the pouch.
Rewards:
  1. You will receive XP.
  2. You will receive 8GP.
The map was updated with a marker almost on the opposite side of the city. I sighed and put one little elf foot in front of the other. The spokes to the north of Central Boulevard radiated through the Entertainment District, comprised of concert halls and large stage venues adjacent to the Capital District, and then further north housed smaller theaters and then finally, amphitheaters, arenas, and a massive one-hundred-thousand-seat coliseum. Supporting businesses and residential buildings dotted the blocks between the venues. It had a mix of middle and lower-class people and more than a smattering of vagabonds and street kids. My feet were aching, and I was sweating in my stupid NPC outfit when I finally reached the office of Sybo Events. Or rather, the manager¡¯s office on top of an enclosed fighting pit called Sybo Arena. It was nestled in a small doorway between a brothel and a pub and occupied the basement of the building. The entire building looked cheap and run down on the outside, but then again, so did half of the buildings in this part of town. I was starting to wonder what these people considered entertainment. The office was quite nice and seemed more like an upscale lounge than a functional business space. There was a bar at one side and about ten or so caf¨¦ tables with chairs stacked neatly for sweeping. The walls were paneled in rich dark wood, and soft lighting gave the room a sophisticated gentleman¡¯s club feel. A small stage was set up along one wall, large enough for a band to set up, and a large open window at the end allowed the occupants an excellent view of the pit. A man sat in a large booth in a corner of the room next to the viewing area. He was accompanied by a burly-looking bodyguard, a cat person who was naked from the waist up, his gray fur radiating out from the top of his torso and around his shoulders. A second man in a simple shirt and jacket stood behind the bar, reading a book. ¡°Mr. Sybo?¡± I asked after gingerly entering the room. The door was open, so yeah, come in. The guard stiffened up at my approach, claws detracting menacingly. The man sitting at the booth held his hand up at the posted guard and smiled. The table was covered in papers, envelopes, and gold pouches, and a large ledger was open in front of him, along with a plate of crumbs pushed off to the side. ¡°Right here.¡± He said, looking up with a grin. He was a handsome guy. I¡¯ll give you that. And my body did the expected vaginal summersaults I had grown to expect since getting into this weird ass world. My first impression was retired pirate, but the hot Johny Dep kind, not the Long John Silver kind. He was in his mid-forties, maybe? His face, which seemed to embody the persona of a retired swashbuckler, was framed in shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair. It seemed hardened by weather or fierceness but now was softened a bit by all the office work. His high cheekbones and prominent nose lend an air of hidden sophistication, like a nobleman on the run. He had a short, trimmed beard that matched his hair''s salt and pepper seasoning. A thin scar ran down his left cheek. That little detail also caused a blip on my loin radar. I had a thing for cocky boys already. Now mix that cocky with a bit of sexy battle damage? Oh, the mistakes a girl can make¡­ He was wearing the Nya equivalent of a business suit: a silk shirt, navy waistcoat, and a narrow, matching ribbon tied neatly at his throat. A rack on the wall beside the booth had a tricorn hat and dark gray coat hanging on the hooks. ¡°My friends call me Titus.¡± He waved me forward, closing the ledger and setting his quill back in the ink well. ¡°From Wailkack,¡± I said as I approached the booth. I pulled the pouch out of my storage and set it gently on the table. ¡°Ah, poor Wailkack,¡± he sighed, looking at the pouch. ¡°The gnome has some habits.¡± He shook his head and smiled. ¡°And those get expensive.¡± QUEST COMPLETE: DELIVERY GIRL You have collected the pouch from Wailkack and delivered it to Titus Sybo. Rewards:
  1. 21 XP.
  2. 8 GP
¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I said, trying not to get sucked into what I believed was going to be a long conversation. ¡°And, um, have a nice day?¡± ¡°You have someplace else you need to fly off to?¡± he asked as he pulled the pouch over to his side of the table. ¡°Well, I just spent the last three hours or so hauling it three-quarters of the way across the city for eight GP and a handful of experience.¡± I gave him a sour expression that I hoped would end the conversation. ¡°And now I need to get back home and try and salvage my day.¡± ¡°Kind of hurts the hourly rate, I guess,¡± Sybo said. ¡°Maltz,¡± he said to the cat guy. ¡°Get the carriage ready, will you?¡± ¡°Of Coursssse, ssssir.¡± The cat dude hissed. I think they mostly hiss; they sound pissed off all the time to me. I don¡¯t know any cat guys, so what the did I know. He turned abruptly and walked out of the room with inhuman grace. ¡°Not necessary,¡± I said, hands up and stepping back. ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t,¡± Sybo said. ¡°But I like to think I can do a nice thing occasionally.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you can,¡± I said. The idea of a ride home seemed nice, but there was no way I would let him know where I lived. I glanced around the room. ¡°But how about we have a drink instead.¡± It seemed like a safe compromise: one drink, smile, leave, and don¡¯t do anything stupid. ¡°Smashing.¡± He clapped his hands. ¡°Ramin!¡± he barked enthusiastically at the man at the bar. ¡°Two¡­¡± He looked at me. ¡°Whiskey¡± ¡°Two Whiskeys!¡± There was a low verbal acknowledgment from the guy named Ramin behind me. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Sybo gestured to the bench across from him. I slipped in, keeping my hands in my lap. ¡°Titus.¡± He said with his hand out across the table. ¡°Luna,¡± I said, taking his. He took it. His hands were soft but large and strong. Most notably, they are scarred, with lots of minor nicks and cuts all over them. He''s a fighter, at least he used to be. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, looking down at his hand as though he had read my mind. ¡°Lots of rough stuff in the old days. The scars pretty much give it away.¡± He held my hand, examining it. It was tiny in his. ¡°Not much on yours, though.¡± He brushed the faint scar from my fight on the road with his thumb and raised his eyebrow. I had the distinct impression that I was in the layer of a predator. His eyes went up from my hand to mine. They were dark, almost black, with a scary intensity. But¡­fuck me, wait, not that. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I half whispered as I pulled my hand away. Just a little too much for this little half-elf. My cheeks started burning. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, a look of self-admonishment on his face. ¡°I tend to get a little too intense. It¡¯s one of my own bad habits that has gotten me into trouble more than once.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± My face was still hot, and my stomach was still churning¡ªnothing like excusing away a man who oversteps by practically apologizing to him. I struggled to find another line of conversation as quickly as I could. ¡°What are Wailkack¡¯s bad habits?¡± ¡°He has a thing for tall blondes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± ¡°Yeah, but if you¡¯re a gnome that likes tall blondes, you need to be either extremely charming or have a sack of gold on hand.¡± ¡°Um, yeah, I met the guy.¡± Sybo picked up the pouch and shook it. ¡°Expensive habit.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re, like, a pimp then?¡± Sybo sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a crude term.¡± ¡°But is it accurate?¡± ¡°Ramin?¡± Sybo plastered a fake hurt look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s two glasses of whiskey. How long does that take?¡± ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± Ramin said as he appeared behind me. He was holding a bottle with a triumphant grin. ¡°Had to find the right bottle for the occasion.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡± I asked as he set two empty shot glasses in front of me and poured. ¡°New friends, of course,¡± Ramin declared cheerfully. He picked up one of the glasses and slid it over to Sybo. ¡°Venali Craceran,¡± he announced proudly. ¡°One of only three elven distilleries in the empire. It¡¯s made from the sap of the Great Olojor tree and is known as the drink of fellowship and goodwill.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Ramin,¡± Sybo said, raising his glass. ¡°To simple friendship.¡± ¡°All the best friendships are,¡± I replied, tapping my glass to his. We drank, and it hit like a plush wrecking ball. It was sweet like maple syrup kissed with sage. The flavors lingered, earthy and bright, while the aroma curled warmly through my nostrils. The alcohol¡¯s effects were instantaneous, leaving me slightly relaxed and just south of buzzed. But there was something else, a subtle undercurrent I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. It made sitting across from Titus feel¡­ good. Like this moment. This connection? It was something worth savoring. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Titus said, setting his glass down with a soft chuckle. ¡°The warm, fuzzy feeling you¡¯ve got for me won¡¯t last more than a few moments. But it¡¯s damn good stuff, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That it is.¡± I realized, almost absently, that I¡¯d started calling him Titus in my head. It felt natural like maybe this new friendship of ours wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all. ¡°Back to what you asked about that crude term: Pimp.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. I did feel bad about calling him that. Or was that the drink? ¡°That¡¯s the drink. You¡¯re not sorry, but I would like to explain briefly.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead then.¡± ¡°I own the brothel, the pub, and all the businesses on this block. Once a week, a tall blonde woman who works for me takes my carriage to Wailkack¡¯s home, and they spend the evening together. No one is forced to do anything. I just own the business and facilitate this transaction.¡± ¡°For a cut?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Titus tilted his head, a look of fake pain on his face. ¡°The thing is, gnomes are miserly as all hells, so he never wants to pay outright for her services.¡± ¡°But you do collect payment for him.¡± ¡°No. I pay for my courtesan to see him. More than the going rate, by the way. And he places a large bet on the longshot in my next apex match.¡± ¡°How often does he win?¡± He shrugged and gave me a nice-looking, scoundrelly look. The scar on his cheek deepened as he did, reminding me that he had things going on that might not be the healthiest for me. ¡°A long shot is a long shot for a reason.¡± I looked out of the open window at the arena. ¡°Anyone die down there?¡± I admit I was curious about the sport. ¡°Yes. But people die all the time.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s sport, not real fighting.¡± ¡°The vast majority of fights are for show.¡± He said, with a bit of a grimace. ¡°But when gold is involved, people will pay to see almost anything.¡± He grabbed the bottle and poured another drink for each of us. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some shit. I¡¯ve done some shit. I¡¯ve ended lives on my sword and lost friends for much less than those people earn down there.¡± ¡°But to fight to the death for coin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a way that some people care for their families.¡± He sipped his glass. ¡°Some fighters just don¡¯t give a shit about anything. We run two nights a week and have a death match about once a month, so it¡¯s not the cornerstone of my business.¡± ¡°What is the cornerstone of your business.¡± ¡°I like to think I¡¯m a banker who dabbles in entertainment.¡± ¡°Explain,¡± I said, taking a sip myself. ¡°My businesses move a lot of coin in and out daily,¡± he said with a shrug and final sip of his glass. ¡°I have investors happy to see moderate returns in exchange for turning their questionable GP into legitimate taxable income.¡± ¡°So, this is all for show then?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s fun. I love running an arena and all my businesses, and I just learned that since all of this runs on tight margins, it¡¯s good to keep a secondary stream coming in.¡± ¡°It sounds like you have a good thing going here,¡± I said, finishing my drink in a final shot. I was getting a definite buzz now and all kinds of questionable feelings about this guy. ¡°You know a lot about me but are not exactly forthcoming.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t asked.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I¡¯m sure you gave me a fake name.¡± ¡°There''s no such thing as a fake name, just the wrong person wearing it.¡± He laughed. ¡°My real name is Titus Sybo, and your real name is?¡± ¡°Regan Moon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also guessing that you are doing okay for yourself.¡± ¡°What do you say that?¡± ¡°Because for a courier, eight GP is a pretty good haul. A frugal person could live for a week on that in the city. You¡¯re complaining about making a week¡¯s pay in three hours.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just lazy.¡± ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just used to making much more money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m new in town. I took the job so I could learn the city.¡± ¡°And an urban elf,¡± he said with a big smile. ¡°Or half-urban elf, excuse me. Can¡¯t help but explore a city when she gets to it.¡± ¡°Urban elf, huh?¡± ¡°Ironstone doesn¡¯t have many of those, even though it¡¯s a large city, so you stand out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the hair, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°So how does a pretty half-urban elf think eight GP is not worth her time?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± I sounded tough, but I couldn¡¯t help but blush. He thinks I¡¯m pretty! ¡°You earn a lot of GP doing something you don¡¯t tell casual company about.¡± ¡°I did some mercenary work. I picked up some gold that way. And yes, I wanted to explore the city, and Aymon had a decent job lined up for me that could help with that.¡± The conversation was going rapid-fire, and I was rolling along with it. What was up with that? The drink. He was interrogating me. I needed to hit the brakes, but I had no idea how I could do that. ¡°I know a cut-purse when I see one.¡± Okay, screeching tires. He hit the brakes for me. I took a deep breath. Maybe it worked both ways, and this is what drinking that stuff does. I took a deep breath. I mean, he¡¯s a criminal. He¡¯s naturally gonna assume that I would be too. The problem is, he could read it all over me. Cute and adorable ain¡¯t cutting it with a guy like Titus Sybo. ¡°And you have a problem with that?¡± I said finally, slowing things down. ¡°Not in the least,¡± he said. ¡°Just don¡¯t steal anything from my patrons.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Here,¡± he tapped his finger on the tabletop. ¡°Fifth Beldrin, when you come visit and see a spectacle of sport as my guest.¡± I had to wrack my brain around what the Fifth Beldrin was. It was, like, the last day of the week. Yay, learning! ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m going to do that?¡± ¡°I have no idea where you come from and what you¡¯ve seen or done,¡± Titus said. ¡°But everybody needs a break. There are no death matches, so have some good food and drinks and enjoy the sports. It¡¯s our last fight night until after the Festival of Renewal. I¡¯ll even arrange for transportation.¡± ¡°You keep trying to learn where I live.¡± ¡°I could find out where you live if I wanted to, so you may as well let my driver take care of you.¡± ¡°Is this like a date?¡± ¡°It can be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Then bring a friend. Just enjoy my hospitality. I seldom meet new people who aren¡¯t neck-deep in it, so let me indulge a new friend.¡± ¡°So, we''re friends now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I let out a sigh and finished my drink. All warm and fuzzy. I wanted to explore the city and see the sights, and at some point, I would have to sit through a pit fight and see what that was about. ¡°Let my carriage take you where you want, and I¡¯ll see you in a few days.¡± Maltz was loitering by the carriage when I stepped onto the street after saying goodbye. He gave me a look. Was it a sneer? A smile? Honestly, with that face, who could tell? I climbed into the carriage and told the driver to take me to one of Aymon''s recommended fences. I picked the last name on the list, but let¡¯s be honest, I was planning to visit all of them. As we rattled along the cobblestones, my mind replayed the last hour. The whole thing felt surreal. I felt as if I¡¯d stumbled into the wrong play and somehow landed the lead role. Titus Sybo was a walking danger zone: smart, sexy, and seasoned. He¡¯d sized me up like a wolf eyeballing a sheep. He had thumbs in a lot of nasty pies, too. He already fessed up to money laundering, but I imagine he did everything that gangsters were famous for. After about a half hour of my mind playing virtual whack-a-mole, the carriage came to a final stop in front of a dingy-looking tool shop. I hopped out and waved at Malz, the scary cat guy. He sneered. Yeah, it was a sneer. He didn¡¯t like me. That¡¯s okay; he¡¯d grow to love me someday. Leoleth and I had been keeping busy. In the last four weeks, she¡¯d leveled up her pickpocketing to Level 2, and I¡¯d managed to push mine to Level 3. We¡¯d raked in a massive haul of random junk. And a lot of coins with a split of six hundred GP each. It was a windfall, sure, but we both agreed it was a risky operation. We''d scale it back once we got her skills on par with mine. There is no need to tempt fate any more than we already have. Sleight of hand was coming along nicely, mainly from playing games in pubs, with the added benefit of many free drinks and meals. Not that Leoleth had ever paid for a drink in her life. Lockpicking? That was just a sheer grind; there was no easy way to get past it. Every day was just practice, practice, practice. I was up to Level 3; she was still lagging at 2. We weren¡¯t using those skills to steal anything just yet, but oh, the plans we had. I hit up all three fences to unload our haul, dumping piles of small items, weapons, potions, and jewelry on their counters. The payouts weren¡¯t spectacular, but I got about one hundred and fifty percent of the cash value in-store credit at each spot. That meant acquiring much of the equipment we needed: tools, health potions, and, for me, that meant daggers, lots of daggers. Let¡¯s face it: a girl can¡¯t have too many stabby things. The highlight of my day was the third fence, Sy¡¯me, an Eagle Kin¡ªfun fact: all the animal races tack ¡°kin¡± onto the end of their species name. Yet, for some reason, I wasn¡¯t an Ape Kin. Sy¡¯me explained it to me in a voice straight out of a Hogwarts lecture. His shop specialized in oddities, rare artifacts, and animal parts. It was a real treasure trove of weirdness. When I asked about the cost of a strangler star tooth, he practically laid an egg right there. It turns out that those things are a nightmare to acquire unless you¡¯re an idiot like me. I sold him an entire mouthful and doubled my personal wealth in one deal. I decided not to share that particular windfall with Leoleth. That catch was all me. With my newfound riches, I bought a diamond storage ring. Primarily, it¡¯d serve as a decoy, but hey, it was shiny. And with a fancy party on the horizon, I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a little bling to show off. I returned to The Crying Jester with a spring in my step. The day had gone my way. Chapter Eighteen: Don鈥檛 forget your shoe! Chapter Eighteen: Don¡¯t forget your shoe! Darkdigger glared at me. We were in the post-honeymoon phase of the relationship. Over the last three days, we¡¯d developed an understanding: he glares, and I respond with the goofiest grin I can muster. It was the way we expressed our love for each other. I picked up another delivery slip from him. The job? Classic Point A to Point B. Point A was in the Green District, just south of the Capital District. Unlike the towering buildings in the city, this area was all sprawling mansions with massive yards separated by impeccably maintained green spaces. It even had a smaller wall, giving off major gated community vibes. It reminded me of the upscale neighborhoods I used to drive by in Denver, where the gates were tall, and the HOA rules were nothing short of draconian, and I don¡¯t mean that sweetheart from the tailor shop. At the back of a stately home, a weary-looking elf in a black robe layered with long, vestment-like drapery handed me the goods: a simple envelope. He then passed me a pouch of gold, a nice tip in advance. The envelope was bound for the Commercial District, just north of the Entertainment District, where I met Titus. This was the last of the city¡¯s significant areas I hadn¡¯t fully explored yet. The Grand Bazaar was a sprawling hub of activity that occupied roughly half the area. Thousands of tiny stalls were arranged into mini neighborhoods, each specializing in something different: household goods, food, domestic and exotic animals, luxury items. You name it, they sold it. Scattered throughout were inns, taverns, brothels, and even sporting venues. Truth be told, the place scared the shit out of me, so I avoided going in until I absolutely had to. Traffic around the Grand Bazaar was a constant mess and bled into the rest of the district. Carts and wagons jammed the streets. During the day, they flowed in; at night, they flowed out. It was chaos, but clearly, someone was keeping it organized. Just south of the Grand Bazaar was Butcher Block Row, one of the city¡¯s many boroughs. These were self-contained, walled-off neighborhoods segregated by race, trade, or class. Each borough had its own rules, and most were self-policed. When I tried to enter, I had to state my business to avoid getting turned away by the neighborhood watch. Butcher Block Row was rough, to say the least. It specialized in meat, and its cutting and processing. While the butchers appeared to be upstanding citizens on the surface, I couldn¡¯t help but suspect that some of the ¡°waste products¡± shipped out of the district each night might include a few dismembered bodies. I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone wanting to investigate too closely. The area was packed with crammed tenements, small courtyards, and narrow alleys hugging a smelly canal system. The canals moved slaughterhouse leftovers and conveniently dumped them into the city¡¯s sewer system. Efficient, if not exactly savory. ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± The dwarven manager of the chop house said as I handed him the envelope. The place was a slaughterhouse filled with all the smells and sounds of dying animals. Not someplace I particularly enjoyed. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure.¡± I turned to leave the stinking office, getting the hells out as quickly as I could and thinking Morrissey might have been on to something. ¡°Inn¡¯s ¡®round the corner,¡± he said matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is,¡± I replied in kind. ¡°Best be settlin¡¯ in fer the night.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve blood, guts, and meat.¡± He said with a grim look on his face. ¡°Attracts all kinds. Best be to stay indoors. An elf girl like yerself may encounter all kinds of trouble if she be out past sundown.¡± ¡°Thanks for the heads up,¡± I said, shutting the door. Not taking good advice was one of my new skills, so I walked a few doors down and then used my grappling hook spell to scale the side of the building. Deep breath, Regan. Taking a deep breath in Butcher Block Row was my first mistake on my way home. I coughed out the vile stench of the canals as I tried to refocus. Given my experience a few nights prior, I checked my map to ensure I had a clear shot out of this neighborhood via the rooftops. There was no way I was going to crash in Motel 8, wedged up to a blood and guts river. I didn¡¯t want to get ripped apart by dagger-wielding pixies, either. Or, worse, ambushed by a swarm of grudge-holding bog sprites wearing spiked helmets or some ridiculous Murder World crap that might ooze out of that thing. I focused on reaching the nearest hub street¡ªsixteen blocks away¡ªand started moving. A scream stopped me in my tracks after I started my running leap across a narrow street to the next block. Screams weren¡¯t exactly rare in the city. I mean, seriously? This place? But this one landed differently. It wasn¡¯t distant or muffled. It was right below me, just three stories down in a small courtyard behind one of the tenements. My parkour instincts fizzled mid-jump, and I rolled awkwardly across the rooftop I¡¯d been aiming to use as a ramp. Sliding to a halt, I peered over the edge. Two men, definitely human, were dragging a small figure toward the alley. She was either an elf or a dwarf; it was hard to tell, but she couldn¡¯t have been more than a child. Dark hair, dark skin, and a simple cotton dress. One of her shoes lay abandoned at the base of the tenement steps, like she had tried to run but didn¡¯t make it. The men weren¡¯t armored, opting for dark tunics, pants, and red scarves tied across their faces beneath their hoods. I¡¯d seen enough gang activity in the city to recognize the markers. Most gangs stuck to their own neighborhoods, wearing colors, patterns, or patches to show allegiance. But bigger, city-wide crews? They kept things more subtle, barely a whisper on the streets. These two seemed like neighborhood thugs, small-time predators who¡¯d decided a rope might¡¯ve been too much effort. ¡°We shoulda brought a rope or somethin¡¯!¡± one of them complained, confirming my theory. I froze, memories surging back to Twin Boulder Pass. The gang that had nearly killed me. The crack of bone and the feeling of my body being beaten to a pulp. I feared waking up in that cage, listening to their plans for me. These men, with their casual cruelty and unchecked violence, were no different. They preyed on the weak because it made them feel powerful. My fists clenched. I wasn¡¯t about to let them add this girl to their tally. The men grunted and swore as they manhandled her. She tried screaming again, but her mouth was muffled, a makeshift cloth gag pressed into it.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I summoned my grappling hook and anchored it around the chimney behind me. For one brief moment, I hesitated, giving myself a countdown from ten. Maybe this wasn¡¯t what it looked like. Perhaps it was some bizarre intervention, or they were rescuing her from a cult. Doubt flickered until I hit three, then I shoved it aside. These men were clearly thugs, and their actions were undeniably nefarious. By two, I¡¯d slipped on a pair of leather gloves, and at one, I leaped off the rooftop, sliding down the rope. My boots smashed into the right thug¡¯s shoulder with an audible crack, his scream tearing through the courtyard. Ninety pounds of force-driven elf isn¡¯t much, but if it¡¯s coming down from three stories up... He crumpled beneath me, but I was already spinning on the rope. Sick Stick materialized in my left hand, and I drove it hard into the back of the other thug¡¯s neck. A flurry of notifications about sneak attacks, multipliers, and debuffs scrolled across the corner of my vision, but I¡¯d long since learned to ignore them. Left Thug was gone, his body collapsing into a heap. Right Thug writhed in the sand, his face buried in the dirt, groaning in pain. I stepped behind him and wrapped my right arm around his neck. I pulled it to my chest with my left; I could hear and feel his trachea collapsing as I choked off the air. He struggled for a moment, but there was no escaping it after a certain point. I just pulled harder and harder until there wasn¡¯t any movement left, just the usual twitching of a failing nervous system. The notification of XP and lootable items confirmed it, and I let the meat bag drop to the ground. I could have stabbed him, but oops. An eerie silence covered the courtyard as the girl looked up at me. I¡¯m unsure if she was more terrified of me or the bad guys. And yes, she was tiny enough to be looking up at me. I was breathing hard, my eyes wide, and I¡¯m sure all crazy and shit. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± I asked her. I whispered without thinking about it, reluctant to break the quiet of the early evening. ¡°No,¡± she said, rising onto shaky feet. She was, in fact, a dwarf, probably in her early teens. ¡°Do you live here?¡± She just nodded, pointing at the building. ¡°How about them,¡± I asked, nodding at the two would-be abductors. The girl shook her head no. So, they came into this neighborhood to steal away a girl. Charming. ¡°You should probably go back inside.¡± The girl turned and ran back to the steps and hurried inside. ¡°Yo!¡± I yelled after her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your shoe!¡± Priorities. I did my own scurrying. I climbed up the side of the building on the rope and then dismissed it back into the magical ether from which it came. I decided not to loot the bodies. I wanted to ensure there was plenty of evidence for CSI: Ironstone. I crossed the roof to the side, where the alley met the street, and there, parked and waiting, was a small carriage and driver. It looked like any cab a person would hire, except the driver had a hood and scarf matching the alley''s assailants. Oh, Mother Lover¡­ I activated Stealth and kneeled, pulling out my bow. From up here, it would be an easy shot: ASSASSIN JOB ADVANCED TO LEVEL 4 +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA Fuck parkour. Fuck avoiding the alleys and dark streets of Murder World. I didn¡¯t even plot a course or pick a destination. I just ran. As I crossed north to the next Hub boulevard, I flew from roof to roof. I moved as quickly as possible, leaping, falling, and even missing the occasional hand or foothold, but I always managed to keep from colliding with the ground. I moved dangerously, throwing myself across the alleys and narrow streets. Notifications rolled down my vision like the end credits of a movie, but I ignored them. When I finally reached the Hub, I slipped down a drainpipe, losing my grip three-quarters of the way down. I landed with a thud on the cobblestones. I looked at my hands. They were bruised and scraped from playing Bat Girl on the city''s rooftops, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of bad guy blood on them. I activated Face in the Crowd and went to work picking pockets as I went. I moved fast, my hands a blur as I scooped up item after item from almost anybody unlucky enough to bump into me. I tried to get my heart rate up, to feel some adrenaline. I jogged and ran, and when my EP was almost exhausted, I stopped stealing and slowed down. I felt nothing. Even when I banged my shins on a window ledge, scraped the skin of my hands on the rough stone building roof, or grabbed a dagger out of the sheath of a wealthy-looking stranger, there was just¡­nothing. The killing didn¡¯t make me feel anything. It was the same as it was all the other times. I squeezed life out of the asshole. Just like I slammed a cultist¡¯s face into the floor of Pridehelm Keep. These weren¡¯t quick, easy kills either; these mother fuckers hurt. They took time, and I didn¡¯t seem to give a shit. And Nya kept just making it easier and easier by advancing my fucking Assassin Job. It seemed like I just ran out of street. I found a pub and staggered in. It had a ridiculous sign, something with a dog holding a toothbrush on it. The place was only about half full, and I found a corner table and planted myself there. I sat and stared ahead, giving the wench a nod when she asked what I wanted. A mug of something appeared a few moments later, and I placed a silver on the table. I didn¡¯t ask for change. I finished my drink and headed to the bar. I quietly inquired about a room and was handed a key. It was small and hot, and the bed looked like it was pulled out of a landfill somewhere, but I collapsed into it all the same. Why was it easy? I mulled over it a bit in my mind. What was it about this world that made me like this? I willed myself to sleep, and for a glorious three seconds, I thought it would happen. But not right now. Peace wasn¡¯t going to come. Not that I felt like I deserved it anyway. I wandered back down to the pub. A young dwarf was sitting at the bar, minding his own business. He looked like a young adult, probably just out on his own, and had just gotten off whatever job he had in this city. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, walking up to him. ¡°Yeah?¡± he replied, looking up at me; his face was fresh, with a short beard that just jutted past his chin. He had dark brown hair and a broad, dwarven chest. He was just about my height but was rocking the ultra-strong dwarf physique. He turned me on. Just enough. ¡°Wanna fuck an elf?¡± ¡°Um, sure?¡± He looked nervous. Maybe my crazy eyes were a turn-off, but if it weren¡¯t him, it would be the next asshole down that bar, which was a human who was certainly paying attention. ¡°Come on then,¡± I said, tossing a copper on the counter. He was just young enough to get excited about any sex, I suppose, and enthusiastically followed me upstairs when he realized this was just gonna happen for him. Back in the room, I didn¡¯t even wait for him to undress before I got on my knees in front of him, yanking his britches down. He fumbled with the rest of his clothes while I took him in my mouth. After he was good and excited, I unequipped my clothes and moved to the bed. It was messy, mostly unsatisfactory, and I just really didn¡¯t give a shit. I forced two orgasms out of him. Ninety minutes later, I pushed him into the hall with his clothes in a bundle. Not my best day. But dirty sex was something that allowed me to release the pressure cooker inside my head. I let sleep in. I thought about the goddess of the night that Eric had told me to pray to. I don¡¯t pray. Not really. I think it¡¯s too hypocritical for a person like me. I wish I had a cell phone. This was yet another night where Leoleth was on her own. I didn¡¯t tell her where I¡¯d gone. She might be worried. Was there something like a phone here? You would think there was. I mean, they have flushing toilets¡­one would think¡­ I had dreams again, but just a rolling blue ocean. It reminded me of the time I took a cruise with my family¡ªlazy, white-capped waves like a screen saver inside my brain. Chapter Nineteen: Uh, this probably won鈥檛 kill you. Chapter Nineteen: Uh, this probably won¡¯t kill you. The night passed, and predawn came¡ªmy time of day. I awoke before the sun again. And left the room for the pub down below. Thankfully, the barkeep from last night and the anonymous dwarf I¡¯d slept with were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, the dude was off bragging to his friends instead of confessing to his priest. I sat at the bar and ordered breakfast, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who might recognize me. This morning, the barkeep was a dwarven woman, built with solid, curvy perfection that seemed standard for dwarven women. Her dark brown hair, large breasts, and cheery demeanor immediately made me feel sleazy for where my wandering eyes went. She smiled as she asked what I wanted, and three minutes later, I had a cup of coffee and a bowl of porridge sprinkled with diced medley of sweetened nuts. ¡°Thanks,¡± I muttered, sliding two coppers across the bar. ¡°Yer welcome, sweetie,¡± she said, her voice warm enough to make me feel a little human again. But it didn¡¯t last. My body ached; my mind felt heavy. It wasn¡¯t real pain, just phantom echoes. I¡¯d killed again. I wanted to feel something. Maybe feel a little shame, guilt, shock. Instead, all I felt was¡­ nothing. Well, nothing except the lingering, ridiculous memory of that poor dwarf¡¯s cock, which had briefly filled the void in more ways than one. Okay, maybe ¡°poor¡± was the wrong word. If anything, the guy was lucky to get a little of this. At least one of us had fun last night. Still, it was dirty, shameful sex. Which, ah fuck, it was starting to feel okay with. ¡°Um...hi.¡± the guy next to me said, his voice smooth and soft, laced with a curious, almost musical cadence¡ªlike a New Yorker with a flair for theater. I pried my eyes away from my porridge to see an old-looking elf sitting beside me. He had unnaturally blue eyes that seemed to ripple like water and wore an outfit that could only be described as aggressively vibrant: a bright yellow shirt paired with a green leather vest and rainbow-striped pants. ¡°Hi,¡± I said cautiously, eyeing him as he radiated the serene confidence you only see in toddlers and sociopaths. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out,¡± he said, leaning ever-so-slightly closer, his voice dipping like he was sharing a secret. ¡°Is there something I should be freaking out about?¡± I asked, summoning Sick Stick into my hand just in case. ¡°Oh, plenty,¡± he replied with a broad, almost mischievous smile, his hands making vague gestures in the air. ¡°But¡ªbut¡ªit wouldn¡¯t, uh, it wouldn¡¯t do you any good, would it?¡± Without waiting for an answer, I swung my blade toward his throat. Before I could blink, a WHOMP echoed through the room, and everything froze. My arm, my breath, the barmaid mid-pour¡ªeverything. Even the ale hung suspended in midair like it had second thoughts. ¡°Ah, yes, a little, uh, trick of the trade,¡± he said with an air of casual brilliance, his fingers fluttering as if he were conducting the frozen chaos. ¡°Only, uh, a handful of us can do it.¡± ¡°A handful of what?¡± I asked, startled to find I could still speak. ¡°Gods,¡± he said, flashing a dazzling smile that somehow managed to be both charming and deeply unnerving. ¡°Shit,¡± I muttered, my hand going limp as Sick Stick clattered onto the bar. ¡°I like you,¡± he said, tilting his head like he was evaluating a fascinating piece of art. ¡°Thanks?¡± I managed, not entirely sure if this was real or if I¡¯d accidentally poisoned myself at breakfast. ¡°I know you¡¯re, uh, new here,¡± he continued, casually reaching into thin air and plucking out a cup that definitely wasn¡¯t there a second ago. He took a sip like he¡¯d just been handed the finest wine. ¡°And, uh, you¡¯re not¡­ how do I put this? Entirely aware of us.¡± He wiggled his fingers vaguely. ¡°There¡¯s Amania,¡± I said, trying to sound knowledgeable. ¡°And Granvl. And Xaldes. Oh yeah, that night goddess Eric told me about it.¡± ¡°Four,¡± he said approvingly, nodding. ¡°Very good, very good. I know the priestess of Amania gave you her pitch, yes? But, ah, it didn¡¯t quite¡­ stick, did it?¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± I asked, trying to hide my discomfort. ¡°Well, uh, gods aren¡¯t, uh, exactly visible where you come from, are they? I mean, they¡¯re around, but they¡¯re, uh, quiet, behind-the-scenes kind of deities. You¡ªyou¡¯re a skeptic¡ªa doubter. A ¡®show me the proof¡¯ kind of girl,¡± he said, his hands framing invisible quotation marks. ¡°You know where I¡¯m from?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°And there are gods there?¡± ¡°Hard to, ah, see what you don¡¯t want to on your old world,¡± he said, waving a hand as if it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Earth. Quiet magic. A playground for skeptics. And now, here you are, plucked from that mundane little bubble into a world where, ah, everything you didn¡¯t believe in is, uh, very right up there.¡± I stared at his eyes¡ªthey were mesmerizing. At first, they seemed ordinary, just blue. But the longer I looked, the more they seemed to shift and ripple like the surface of a restless ocean. ¡°Which god are you?¡± ¡°The Unnamed God,¡± he said dramatically, his voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°Not helpful,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°I do have a name,¡± he said, looking almost offended. ¡°But mortals, ah, they¡¯ve chosen to forget it. Think¡ªthink, uh, that if they don¡¯t know it, I won¡¯t, uh¡­ you know¡­ come for them.¡± ¡°Would you?¡± ¡°Oh, absolutely,¡± he said with a mischievous grin. ¡°But! Uh, I¡¯d come for them anyway. My name¡ªit, uh, doesn¡¯t really change the inevitability of, uh¡­ well¡­ me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the god of time?¡± I guessed. ¡°Oh, no, no, I wish!¡± He laughed, delighted at the idea. ¡°That would be so cool, but no. Gukara¡ªlovely, lovely goddess, big on punctuality¡ªshe handles time. We, uh, work well together. She granted me the, uh, time-stopping trick so I can keep things, you know, on schedule. If I fall behind, well¡­¡± He spread his hands theatrically. ¡°All hells break loose.¡± ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s your actual job?¡± I asked. He wrinkled his nose, giving me a look suggesting I¡¯d insulted his fashion sense. ¡°I¡¯m the God of Death.¡± ¡°Ah, shit,¡± I said reflexively. ¡°Ah, yes, yes, the classic reaction,¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°But, no, no, I don¡¯t, uh, kill people. That would be um, scandalous, yes! No, no, no, you see, my job is, ah, how do I put this¡­ facilitating the, uh, transition from one existence to the next. You know, uh, helping souls¡­ move along.¡± I nodded slowly, not sure if I should be relieved or more terrified. ¡°You,¡± he continued, locking his unnervingly calm gaze on me, ¡°have killed before. Not for pleasure. Not for gain. Out of necessity. You didn¡¯t enjoy it. I mean, you know you didn¡¯t. But you, yeah, you carried the weight of it so no one else had to. And that,¡± he said, pointing at me with a delighted grin, ¡°that is the uh¡­well¡­there you go.¡± He looked at me, his eyebrows raised expectantly. I had no idea how to respond. I played back what he said in my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± I paused; how often do you get to talk to a god? ¡°I¡¯m kind of having a hard time with how easy it was.¡± ¡°Ah, see, see, you did have a choice,¡± he said, gesturing with his hands like he was sculpting the idea midair. ¡°Part of it¡ªyes, yes¡ªwas self-preservation, which, uh, very natural, very mortal. But the other part, ah, was this¡­ this sense of responsibility, you know? A moral compass, a kind of¡­ uh¡­ guiding force. You were raised to, uh, respect and preserve life¡ªadmirable, really, really admirable.¡± ¡°And yet, when the moment came, you, uh, you did what had to be done. And, uh, if you had to? You¡¯d do it again. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the thing, you see.¡± He leaned in, his fingers fluttering like the words were too delicate. ¡°That¡¯s what I like about you.¡± ¡°And killing is kind of your thing?¡± ¡°Ah, no, no, you¡¯ve got me all wrong,¡± he said, his hands waving dismissively as if shooing away the very idea. ¡°I¡¯m not into, uh, killing. No need¡ªno need at all¡ªyou mortals have that, uh, covered quite efficiently, might I add. No, no, what I do is¡­ hmm¡­ more of a, uh, liberation service, yes! I, uh, help spirits transition from their mortal coils when, you know, the time is right.¡± ¡°Think of it as, uh, hmm, a cosmic courtesy,¡± he continued, his tone almost cheerful. ¡°The bad ones? Oh, I, uh, I send them packing¡ªoff they go, good riddance. And the good ones? Well, I ensure they get a, uh, peaceful, dignified exit. It¡¯s not about, uh, death, really¡ªit¡¯s about¡­ the journey onward.¡± He grinned, clearly pleased with his explanation.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Like universal euthanasia?¡± I asked, half-joking. ¡°By the gods, girl, where do you come up with this shit?¡± he said, throwing his hands up, exasperated yet amused. ¡°No, no, no, we don¡¯t live in a world where, uh, death is the end. On Nya, it¡¯s a verifiable fact. On your old rock it¡¯s the same, but, uh, I don¡¯t really, uh, know much about the system they have in place there. Death is just a transition, you see, and me?¡± He gestured to himself dramatically. ¡°The God of Death? I¡¯m just, uh, a working Joe, doing what needs to be done.¡± ¡°Delivering souls to the afterlife,¡± I said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Exactamundo!¡± he declared, pointing a finger at me like I¡¯d just guessed the million-dollar answer on a game show. ¡°But, for me? Oh, it¡¯s not about, uh, quantity. No, no, no¡ªit¡¯s about quality. Always quality.¡± His grin widened, self-satisfied and a little too delighted with himself. ¡°Okay. What¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°Ah, well, let¡¯s just, uh, pretend here, shall we? Pretend that I, uh, get paid the same¡ªyes, yes¡ªthe same either way,¡± he said, swirling an imaginary drink with an exaggerated flourish, as though it contained the very secrets of the cosmos. ¡°One soul, a million souls¡ªmmm¡ªit¡¯s all, you know, it¡¯s all just numbers to me. But, ah, a world full of, uh, war, pestilence, famine¡ªoh, yes¡ªthat?¡± He widened his eyes and gave a little shudder. ¡°That just makes my job a, uh, real nightmare. Truly.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re just trying to make things easier for yourself?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡± he said with a wry smile, his hands making an expansive gesture, as if the weight of existence were a shared cosmic joke. ¡°But, but, it¡¯s not just about me, no. You see, I¡¯ve got, ah, something of a soft spot for you mortals. Really, I do. I hate¡ªhate¡ªseeing people suffer. You think I want a whole planet full of, uh, misery and fear and, oh, oh, pain?¡± He shuddered dramatically. ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ ugh¡­ depressing.¡± He leaned forward, his eyes locking with mine, brimming with sincerity. ¡°No, no, no. Death¡ªdeath should be a release, you see? Not some, uh, desperate escape. It¡¯s supposed to come after a life well-lived, free of regret, free of lingering unhappiness. It¡¯s the next step, not the end.¡± He spread his hands, palms up, like he¡¯d just laid out the universe¡¯s simplest truth, waiting for me to catch up. He paused, leaning forward, his gaze sharp and uncomfortably knowing. ¡°Ah, you see, I, uh, I can, mm, how do I put this? I can see right inside you, yes, yes¡ªlike, uh, peeling back the layers of an onion, or, or opening a particularly juicy novel.¡± He gestured vaguely, fingers fluttering in the air. ¡°I know exactly what you were thinking¡ªoh yes¡ªevery single time you, uh, shoved that little dagger of yours, mm-hmm, right into someone else.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? And what was that?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, yes¡ªthat you had to be the one to do it,¡± he said, a sly, knowing grin creeping across his face. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as though conducting an invisible orchestra. ¡°Not, no, not because you wanted to¡ªoh, heavens no¡ªbut because, oh, you couldn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t stomach the thought of someone else shouldering that, ah, oh, that burden.¡± He paused, tilting his head, his eyes narrowing like he¡¯d just uncovered a rare species of butterfly. ¡°And, let¡¯s be honest here, because you knew, oh yes, you knew, that inaction¡ªuh-huh, oh boy¡ªwould lead to, ah, even more, even greater suffering.¡± He leaned back, his hands spreading wide as if he were presenting a masterpiece. ¡°That¡¯s the shit, mm, right there.¡± He grunted, a small, satisfied sound punctuating the moment. I glared. ¡°So, the fact that it¡¯s tearing me apart inside makes you happy?¡± He looked at me, his eyes narrowing, the corners of his mouth twitching into something that wasn¡¯t quite a smile. ¡°Ah, yes, yes¡ªI did, uh, tell you, didn¡¯t I? That I can, mm, look right inside you. Specifically¡ªoh yes¡ªwhen you¡¯re, uh, ending another¡¯s life.¡± He tilted his head slightly, his hand making vague circular gestures in the air. ¡°You don¡¯t need to, uh, lie to me, no, no. I¡¯m the God of Death¡ªthis is, uh, right in my, uh, wheelhouse, you see. The moment a life ends¡ªpoof¡ªI know it, mm-hmm. You, uh, get that, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Good, good!¡± He clapped his hands together softly, leaning in as if we were sharing a secret. ¡°So, be a good mortal¡ªah, yes¡ªand tell me the truth. To you, it¡¯s like, uh, tying your shoes, brushing your teeth¡ªhmm?¡ªa little chore, something you, uh, don¡¯t put too much thought into. But, but,¡± he added, holding up a finger for emphasis, ¡°I do appreciate the fact that you don¡¯t, uh, enjoy it. Oh, heavens no, a world full of people who, uh, love killing¡ªmmm, chaos! Absolute chaos! That, ah, makes my job... overly complicated, let¡¯s just say. But a, uh, well-intentioned half-elf who can, uh, handle things? Oh, that¡¯s, uh, great. Fantastic.¡± ¡°Killing is wrong,¡± I said, my voice flat. ¡°Yes and no,¡± he replied, smiling with a slow, deliberate bob of his head. ¡°You used to think that, oh yes, but¡ªbut we both know that your, uh, human brain has been, mm, let¡¯s say, rewired a bit, hasn¡¯t it? What you¡¯re feeling now, hmm, it¡¯s just a, uh, memory, an echo, of how you used to feel about it. Complicated for you¡ªyes, yes, I see that¡ªbut for me?¡± He grinned, leaning back with a satisfied sigh. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s, uh, just great. Really.¡± ¡°You want me to feel okay, but not too good?¡± ¡°Eh,¡± he said with a casual shrug, his hands gesturing like he was weighing invisible options. ¡°I want my champion to, uh, appreciate my perspective, yes, yes, and, uh, understand why¡ªwhy I chose her.¡± ¡°Um, okay.¡± I frowned, the last part flipping my stomach like a bad carnival ride. ¡°Champion?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you see, we gods¡ªuh, we can, you know, pick a champion if we, uh, feel so inclined.¡± He waved a hand vaguely, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°Champion of Death?¡± ¡°Yeah, why not,¡± he replied, his tone as casual as if I¡¯d just suggested a quick game of pickleball. ¡°I choose you, Regan Moon¡ªor, uh, Regan Summer, whatever, you know, name you¡¯re going by these days¡ªto be my champion.¡± ¡°What if I decline?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s the god here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s such a great idea,¡± I said, skepticism thick in my voice. ¡°Ah, yes, I see your point,¡± he replied, nodding with exaggerated patience, his hands fluttering like he was defusing a delicate situation. ¡°But here¡¯s the thing. I haven¡¯t had a champion for, oh, let¡¯s call it a thousand years¡ªgive or take a century. And honestly? I¡¯m not asking you to, uh, reinvent the wheel here. Just keep doing what you¡¯re already doing.¡± ¡°Then why even pick a champion?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Because,¡± he said, leaning in like he was about to reveal the universe¡¯s biggest secret, ¡°sometimes I need a little, uh, how do you mortals put it? Ah, yes¡ª¡®boots on the ground.¡¯ And those knuckleheads worshipping me at the temple? Love them, really, really do¡ªbless their fervent little hearts¡ªbut they¡¯re not exactly¡­ uh¡­ field material, you know?¡± He tilted his head, giving me a knowing look. ¡°I need someone with, uh, an outsider¡¯s perspective. Someone like you.¡± I just looked at him and his weird, beautiful eyes. The Unnamed God of Death. He had a dorky grin on his face and managed to find a bowl of dried crunchy vegetables from somewhere and was munching down on them as he looked me in the eyes. ¡°Tell you what,¡± he said, munching on another bite of his mysteriously crunchy snack, crumbs dusting his annoyingly perfect grin. ¡°As my champion, you, uh, may decline any quest I, uh, give you. No penalty. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.¡± He wagged a finger, his tone as if he¡¯d just revealed a particularly generous loophole. I squinted at him. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of picking me?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± He raised a finger, the kind of triumphant gesture that says, Excellent question, glad you asked! ¡°Do you have any idea¡ªany idea at all¡ªhow traumatizing violent death is to a soul?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine,¡± I said flatly, already bracing for something terrible. ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± he said, pointing at me with the half-eaten snack for emphasis. ¡°Because you only died the one time¡ªand, oops, didn¡¯t even realize it. Lucky you! But let me tell you, oh, it can scramble everything up. Just scatter a soul to the winds, cast it into all the wrong places.¡± He waved his hand dramatically, like shooing off imaginary sparks. ¡°And then I¡¯m left chasing it down¡ªme! The God of Death, running after some fragmented soul like it¡¯s a loose balloon at a carnival. Assuming, of course, I even find it, and it hasn¡¯t been scooped up by, uh, one of the circles of Hell.¡± My stomach turned. ¡°Wait, what?¡± He just smiled, crunching another bite. ¡°Yup.¡± My eyes went wide. What the fuck did he just say? My stomach started lurching. I died and didn¡¯t realize it? ¡°What the fuck do you mean I DIED?¡± ¡°Oops,¡± he said, his bit of food vanishing mid-chew as he gestured vaguely. ¡°Ah, yes, well, about that. You, uh, you totally died when you were pulled over here. Mm, sorry, but, uh, it happens to pretty much everyone. The rift¡ªit, uh, it shreds you, yes, yes, shreds, down to your, uh, component molecules. And then¡ªthen¡ªit¡¯s all reassembled in a, uh, magical vortex-y, swirly kind of, uh... thing? Yes. And, uh, voil¨¤! Your soul, it just¡ªjust plops right back into the, uh, newly reformed you. Fascinating, really. Not, uh, not my area of expertise, but, uh, wow, is it something.¡± I just stared at him, trying to process. He crunched away on whatever snack he¡¯d conjured, completely unbothered by the existential bomb he¡¯d just dropped on me. I died. Then came back. In a body that was just like my old body. Then that body had to change, and now here I was¡ªlittle half-elf me. ¡°Mother fucker,¡± I muttered. ¡°We¡¯re, uh, we¡¯re kind of starting to go off the rails here,¡± he said, finishing his bite with a flourish and theatrically dusting off his hands, crumbs scattering like an afterthought. ¡°So, let me, uh, cut to the chase, hmm? I¡¯m gonna make you my champion. That¡¯ll take, oh, I don¡¯t know, just a couple of seconds¡ªsnap¡ªand then I¡¯ll, uh, bestow upon you some divine gifts¡ªoh yes, a whole bunch of them¡ªand bam! Done. Easy peasy. Simple as that.¡± ¡°And you want me to, what? Do stuff for you?¡± I asked, already bracing for the catch. ¡°I already said you don¡¯t have to,¡± he replied, his voice dripping with patience, like a kindergarten teacher explaining the alphabet for the third time. ¡°I¡¯m bestowing gifts. Gifts. You know, as in, no strings attached. I don¡¯t ask much of my followers¡ªhells, most of them don¡¯t even know my name! Use them, don¡¯t use them. Whatever you want. The only perk¡ªor, uh, maybe drawback¡ªis that you¡¯ll be able to talk to me directly. I won¡¯t always respond right away¡ªbusy guy, you understand¡ªbut, uh, I¡¯ll get back to you. Promise.¡± ¡°Champion of Death,¡± I sighed, the words tasting like a punchline I wasn¡¯t in on. If it weren¡¯t for the whole time-stopping, everyone-frozen-in-place thing, I¡¯d have sworn this was some twisted prank. ¡°Is there a downside?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a downside to, uh, well, everything,¡± he said, throwing in a nonchalant shrug, his tone light and breezy. ¡°Other gods, you see, they, uh, tend to notice when there¡¯s a shiny new champion, uh, strutting around town. But!¡± He raised a finger, his grin widening, clearly reveling in the moment. ¡°Luckily for you, I, uh, get along with most of them. Most.¡± His grin turned sly, as if he found the whole thing far more amusing than he probably should. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure of how to even begin responding to this insanity. ¡°Here,¡± he said, cutting me off as he stood up. Before I could protest, he cupped my face in his hands. His touch sent sparks skittering across my skin¡ªnot painful, just electric, alive. ¡°Uh, this probably won¡¯t kill you,¡± he said, his voice so calm it made my stomach flip. ¡°But if it does¡ªuh, not to worry! I¡¯m, uh, right here.¡± He smiled, dazzling and infuriating, and then leaned in to kiss my forehead. The world exploded in a blinding flash of white light, so bright it burned away everything¡ªsight, sound, thought. My body pitched backward off the stool, arms useless, unable to break the fall. I tumbled endlessly, weightless, helpless, disoriented. YOU¡¯VE JUST BEEN KISSED BY A GOD. XP+20,000 Chapter Twenty: And now for the weird stuff. Chapter Twenty: And now for the weird stuff. ¡°Holy shit.¡± I opened my eyes to the site of The Whisperer. I was lying on the spongy floor of my character creation room when I first transformed. The blackness of the infinite ceiling was above me. She stood a few feet back with something in her hand. It looked like¡­ ¡°Are you eating a shrimp cocktail?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°I love these things.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not real.¡± ¡°Neither is the shrimp cocktail.¡± She tossed the glass aside, and it vanished into the grey mist surrounding us. She sucked the sauce off her fingers before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a hurtful thing to say, by the way.¡± ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°You just got bombarded with an ass-ton of divine magic. So much that it almost killed you. So, you bounced back here. The time dilation is still in effect, so you¡¯re not lying on the floor in the tavern¡­Yet¡± ¡°Who?¡± I asked. ¡°Who bounced me back here.¡± ¡°You did,¡± She smiled and offered her hand. ¡°It¡¯s a reflex thing. You just got hammered and will be going through some major changes in the next few seconds, and you need to sort it all out.¡± I took her hand, and she helped me to my feet. She is a part of me, so I guess I can trust her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to have to do Wheel of Races again, am I?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that, just a couple of things.¡± She waved her hand, and my stats appeared. ¡°You got kissed by a god. Quite the event in one¡¯s life. It handed you twenty thousand XP.¡± She seemed to do some mental arithmetic. ¡°Let¡¯s see, that will move you up to level nine.¡± ¡°Level Nine?¡± ¡°Looks like. You will need to sort out the attribute points, plus a new class, and¡­¡± she stopped momentarily. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have been given a new class and job from the Unnamed God.¡± ¡°So, I don¡¯t get to choose then.¡± ¡°Nope. And it¡¯s not the sort of thing you get rid of either.¡± She waved her hand, and the Class portion of my character sheet appeared: Classes: Rogue: Level 3 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 4 Priest: Level 1 Priest Jobs: Cleric, Church of the Unnamed God: Level 1 ¡°I¡¯m a Cleric in the Death Church?¡± ¡°It would seem so.¡± The Whisperer nodded, looking up at the stats. ¡°We¡¯re going to roll this out in an organized way. Attributes first, and then we can start reviewing all the new stuff. You have eighteen new points to distribute.¡± She made every part of my sheet disappear, except for my base attributes: Base Attributes: Strength: 11 Dexterity: 20 Spirit: 7 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 18 Endurance: 7 Luck: 12 I had a look at what I had. I needed to add to my core stuff, but now I also had to deal with magic apparently, and my spirit was sorely lacking, but then, so was my Strength and Endurance. Luckily, I had enough points for an overhaul. I moved points into everything except my Intelligence and Charisma, my two highest attributes. I dumped four into Strength, two into Dexterity, and six into Spirit. After that, I boosted Endurance and threw a couple into Luck. I looked at them and was happy with what I had: Base Attributes: Strength: 15 Dexterity: 22 Spirit: 13 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 18 Endurance: 11 Luck: 14 I wasn¡¯t a powerhouse yet, but all my stats were over ten, so I have no complaints there. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± I asked The Whisper, who was standing by, filing her nails patiently. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at your new Cleric Spells.¡± Black Rain Level 1 From the realm of the dead, Black Rain falls in the form of razor-sharp, obsidian bullets for one second per level of the spell. Each pebble can cause between 6-10 pts damage and will penetrate magical armor and defenses. Activation time: Instant. Range: twelve feet. Cost: 50 EP. Cool Down: 4 minutes. Time Dilation Level 1 A gift to the Unnamed God from the Goddess of Time, and thus, granted to his faithful followers, Time Dilation Stretches 1 second into 3 seconds, plus 1 second per spell level. Caster may move freely and interact with the environment but cannot cast spells during the dilated time. Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 35 EP Cool Down: 1 hour Shield of Draining Level 1 Using the hand of the Unnamed God, the spell will, when activated, drain HP from any attacker and channel it to the shield in the form of magical essence. The draining rate is 5 HP/Second until the shield deactivates or is broken. Activation time: Instant. Range: Self or any target. Cost: 20 EP Plus 5 EP/Sec. Cooldown: 30 seconds. ¡°Holy shit.¡± I just grinned: Obsidian shotgun, bullet time running, and a life-draining shield. Thanks, God of Death. ¡°Okay, Cool,¡± The Whisperer said. ¡°All spells are linked to Intelligence, Spirit, and Luck and will increase those traits as you advance them. Each new spell adds a plus-two boost. Remember that you must stay in The Unnamed God¡¯s favor to recover EP now.¡± She waved a hand, and my Attributes updated: Base Attributes: Strength: 15 Dexterity: 22 Spirit: 19 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 11 Luck: 20 Adrenaline Points: 320/320 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 323/323 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 2946/2949 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. I looked up. Wow, my Vitality just shot up. I can now take real damage and be okay. ¡°And now for the weird stuff.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re The Champion of the Unnamed God now. You have a few gifts to unwrap.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Fear of Death Cast the fear of death. All affected targets in the area will become paralyzed with fear for ten seconds. Higher-level targets can resist and or partially resist and suffer different levels of the effect. Targets may be picked as a group or individuals. Activation time: Instant. Range: twenty yards. Cost: 0 EP. Cool Down: 1 Hour Mark of Death The sigil of the Unnamed God adorns your body and soul. This divine magic shields your character sheet from those who seek your secrets. All gifts of the Unnamed God will be hidden unless you choose to share them. All adherents of the Church of the Unnamed God are required to help the holder of the Mark of Death. Activation time: None. Range: Self. Cost: None. Cool Down: None. Eyes of Death Using the eyes of The Unnamed God, you can see the life of every creature or being in the area. No wall or barrier will block your vision. Activation time: Instant. Range: 30 yards. Cost: 12EP/Sec. Cool Down: 30 Seconds. Kiss of Death Unknown. Activation time: Unknown. Range: Unknown. Cost: 0 EP. Cool Down: Unknown. I winced a bit at a burning on the underside of my right wrist. Actually, it was a shot of extreme burning cold. I flipped my hand over to find a small tattoo of a skull adorned with a masquerade mask. A small notification popped up in my vision as I looked at it. HIDE? YES/NO Yes, I thought. The tattoo faded and vanished, but the notification remained if I focused on the underside of my wrist. Cool. ¡°Okay then,¡± The Whisper said with a grin. ¡°Love the time we spend together.¡± ¡°Um, Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Watch your head.¡± MINOR CONCUSSION. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE 25% SLOWER FOR THE NEXT THREE MINUTES. -25VP You have passed level 10 Strength. Powerful Strike Level 1 Unlocked. Powerful Strike Level 1 Powerful Strike will apply 3x damage to any successful melee attack when activated. Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 79 AP Plus Cooldown: 47 seconds. You have passed level 10 Spirit. Essence Management Level 1 Unlocked. Essence Management All spells will now use 15% less EP to cast. You have passed level 10 Endurance. Holding Breath Level 1 Unlocked. Holding Breath Level 1Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Breath can be extended up to five minutes in exchange for AP Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 150 AP Plus 15 AP/Sec Cooldown: 10 minutes. You have passed level 20 Intelligence. Target Lock Spell Level 1 Unlocked. Target Lock Level 1 Cast a mark on any living target and be able to track that target using your internal navigation. Target will be aware of the lock. Target can be tracked for 40 min/level of spell. Activation time: 5 sec. Range: Single target within line of sight. Cost: 125 EP Plus 5 EP/Sec. Cooldown: 5 minutes. You have passed level 20 Luck. Find Hidden Spell Level 1 Unlocked. Find Hidden Level 1 When cast, all mechanically hidden doors, compartments, objects, or traps within the target range will be revealed to the caster for one minute. Does not function with anything hidden magickly. Activation time: 10 sec. Range: 30 feet. Cost: 93 EP. Cooldown: 1 minute. Stars swirled in my vision like tiny galaxies mocking my pain. At first, the sound in my ears resembled a distant waterfall. Gradually, though, it resolved into chattering voices and bursts of laughter. I was flat on my back, sprawled across the tavern floor. Above me, wooden beams framed the ceiling, and a toothless, bearded face leaned too close for comfort. Seriously, what was this guy''s definition of personal space? Nonexistent. ¡°All righ¡¯ there?¡± he slurred, his breath carrying enough ale fumes to ignite a bonfire. It was what¡ªeight in the morning? And this guy was already half-pickled. ¡°Yep,¡± I croaked, opting not to move. Life was a bit much at the moment. My head throbbed like a war drum, and my vision was still hazy. Notifications flashed in the corner of my sight like an overzealous carnival, and I was pretty sure one of them had mentioned concussion. Sighing, I flicked open my inventory, retrieved a minor health potion, and downed it in one gulp. Groaning, I hauled myself to my feet, wobbling slightly as the floor steadied beneath me. I stooped to pick up the stool I¡¯d sent flying and shoved it back into place. I grabbed Sick Stick and stuffed it into my storage with a wince. I gave the room one last suspicious glance before stumbling toward the exit. No clue where I was. Zero enthusiasm for figuring it out. I dove into the nearest cab. I just wanted to go home to the inn that I called home to. ¡°Crying Jester,¡± I mumbled as I shut the door. ¡°Know it?¡± The driver grumbled something that sounded vaguely affirmative. Good enough for me. I sank into the dimly lit compartment, grateful for the darkness. My brain was rattling in my skull, and I swear, I could feel my teeth as they shifted back into place from the healing potion, and I wasn¡¯t eager to add sensory overload to the mix. As the cab rumbled down the cobblestone streets, I closed my eyes and let the motion soothe me. Well, as much as anything could soothe me at this point. I opened my character sheet, figuring I could get a grip on something I could control. Character Sheet: Regan Summer Half Human, Half Urban Elf Level 9 Height: 4 feet, 10 inches Weight: 97 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 3 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 4 Priest: Level 1 Priest Jobs: Cleric, Church of the Unnamed God: Level 1 Base Attributes: Strength: 15 Dexterity: 22 Spirit: 19 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 11 Luck: 20 Adrenaline Points: 320/320 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Essence Points: 323/323 Recovery: 5 pts/sec Vitality Points: 2946/2949 Recovery: 5 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills/Spells: Acrobatics Level 1 Appraisal Level 1 Black Rain Level 1 Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 3 Disarm Traps Level 1 Face in the Crowd Level 1 Grappling Hook Level 1 Lock Picking Level 1 Little Things Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 2 Nudge Level 1 One and Done Level 1 Parkour Level 1 Pick Pocketing Level 1 Powerful Strike Level 1 Shield of Draining Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 Sleight of Hand Level 1 Sneak Attack Level 3 Stealth Level 2 Time Dilation Level 1 Weapon Throwing Level 1 Racial Skills: Night Vision Hide in Shadows Internal Navigation Gift of Tongues Divine Gifts: Mark of Death Eyes of Death Kiss of Death It looked good on the surface. I was leveled up to nine, which was great. But it was because I got kissed by a God. I was only leveled as a person. My skills, which I would have used to level up, were still down where they were yesterday. I wasn¡¯t sure how to deal with the imbalance except to moderate my expectations. I needed to grind. Grind hard. Then the chat came: Unnamed: Ah, so, uh, how¡¯s the head? Regan: Bell¡¯s still rung. Unnamed: Mm, yes, yes, well¡ªdrink lots of fluids, you know, and, uh, maybe get some protein in there. Very important. Regan: Are you my dad now? Unnamed: Oh, no, no, heavens no! Just, uh, just a little friendly advice, you see¡ªfor my, uh, champion, of course. Regan: Now that I¡¯m your champion, will you be chatting with me all the time? Unnamed: Oh, no, no, I¡¯m, uh, not really a, you know, hands-on type. Very, uh, laissez-faire, let¡¯s say. But I, uh, just wanted to, mm, let you know that I¡¯m here, you know, if you, uh, need me. Regan: Cool. Thanks. Unnamed: Yes, yes, of course. Have a good day, mm, and, uh, make good choices. The carriage was dark, warm, and only gently rocking. I could feel myself getting sleepy. The knock on the head may have been worse than I thought. DEBUFF: DROWSY. YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM EXTREME DROWSINESS. CONSCIOUSNESS CAN ONLY BE MAINTAINED USING AP. AP DRAIN 35pts/sec. Adrenaline Points: 225/260 Adrenaline Points: 190/260 Adrenaline Points: 155/260 Adrenaline Points: 120/260 I blinked at the notification as the carriage ground to a stop. A bar appeared in my vision, draining rapidly. I watched the ominous sight of my dwindling AP. Fantastic. I was now sitting in almost complete darkness, save for the faintest sliver of light filtering through the tiny window. Gotta hand it to them: making someone drowsy was a solid strategy for kidnapping. Less likely to fight back, but in my case, less likely to panic. Thanks, guys, I guess. I needed some time. I jumped into my inventory, grabbed an AP potion, and chugged it down, feeling the bar refill as the haze in my head began to lift. But it was just a little. My hand went to the door handle. It wasn¡¯t locked, but instinct told me trouble awaited on the other side. The drowsy feeling lingered, clouding the edges of my thoughts, but at least my AP pool was back in business. Time for clarity. Time for Eyes of Death. Time to unwrap one of my new gifts: I cast Eyes of Death. The world shifted as the spell took hold. The darkness of the carriage became irrelevant, replaced by ghostly, glowing outlines of every living thing nearby. Two horses in front, shifting uneasily. Rats scuttling in the walls. Insects, both crawling and buzzing. And below me? Something else. Strange, unsettling shapes moving just under the surface¡ªlikely in the sewers. More importantly, the threats. Outside the carriage, six figures surrounded me. I could see three on each side, tense and ready to strike. Behind the carriage, two more. One of them had his hand raised, casting the spell that was keeping me drowsy. A debuff. Great. My AP and EP bars were draining steadily now, ticking away precious seconds I didn¡¯t have. I didn¡¯t keep many AP potions on hand and ran out of options. Grimacing, I downed another one, leaving me with just one more potion and about eight seconds before my lights went out, and these bastards had me at their mercy. Not keen on being the helpless one. I switched off Eyes of Death¡ªa luxury I couldn¡¯t afford¡ªand quickly grabbed an EP potion, guzzling it down before bracing myself. No time to overthink. If they wanted trouble, trouble¡¯s what they were going to get. Time to unwrap present number two: I cast Time Dilation. WHOMP! I cast Time Dilation for the first time. A four-second timer started counting down in the lower right-hand corner of my vision, just above the map. Everything seemed to freeze as the AP points began to trickle rather than pour down, and sound seemed to travel on a delay. I felt like I was underwater. 4 I summoned a steel dagger into my left hand. It shimmered into existence, slower than usual, and nearly slipped from my fingers¡ªnot ideal. With my right hand, I popped the latch on the cab door and darted out, my movements feeling strange and disconnected like I was ahead of my shadow. 3 Three men stood waiting outside, black hoods and red scarves marking them as the gang members from last night. My god did mention this could happen. I was so out of it that I didn¡¯t even notice that an asshole on the other roof followed me. Guess I had this coming. I was outnumbered eight to one. I couldn¡¯t afford to waste my advantage. My foot hit the cobblestones, and I went straight for the leftmost guy. I slashed at his throat, the dagger cutting through cleanly. The world moved so slowly that it felt like slicing water rather than flesh. 2 I switched the dagger to my other hand and struck the middle thug, following through with the third. My movements were deliberate and efficient. No hesitation. Blood hung frozen in the air, suspended like raindrops caught in a still frame. I didn¡¯t stop to look. I was already moving toward the back of the cab. Two more stood there, waiting. 1 I barreled into the left man, my momentum sending him off his feet. His short sword dropped as his body started to rise, a harsh landing awaiting him when time resumed. Pain erupted from my shoulder; it felt like I was ramming into a side of beef. Without pausing, I drove the dagger into the caster behind him, the one responsible for that drowsy debuff clouding my thoughts. I made sure the hit would stick, not messing with a magic user. My brain screamed one command: Get to the street. Ten yards. Just ten more yards. WOOSH! Reality snapped back into full speed. Blood sprayed from the first three as they crumpled. The one I¡¯d sent flying hit the ground with a painful thud. The caster collapsed where he stood, dagger still in his chest. The chaos was instant, jarring. And so was the sudden shift back to normal time. The disorienting crash of sound and motion threw me off balance, and before I could steady myself, I tripped and hit the ground. Hard. Lying there, I sucked in a breath and tried to shake off the lingering dizziness. Clearly, Time Dilation worked. I just needed to stick the landings. DEBUFF ENDED: DROWSY. Pandemonium erupted, which worked in my favor¡ªI needed a second to get back on my feet. The guy I¡¯d body-checked was rolling on the ground, grunting and thudding in an almost satisfying way. The caster? He just crumpled straight down, and a death notification popped up in my vision, flashing a gratifying amount of XP. Over on the right side of the carriage, the three men clutched their bleeding, gurgling throats, weapons forgotten. Good start. The other three on the left side? Still fixated on the unopened door. That wouldn¡¯t last. Pain radiated through my entire body. Slamming into that guy hard enough to send him flying had cost me¡ªmy left shoulder screamed in protest, and my knee was a raw, bloody mess from the tumble onto the alley stones. Grimacing, I forced myself to stand¡ªno time to bother with a healing potion. I still had three-and-a-half bad guys to deal with, and my priority was simple: get out of this alley. I pumped my little elf legs as hard as they¡¯d go, sprinting for the street. I didn¡¯t dare look back; survival was forward, not behind. THUMP! If I didn¡¯t know before, I definitely know now: crossbow bolts make a very different sound from arrows when they hit flesh. Specifically, my flesh. The one that slammed into my right ass cheek had a distinct sound. It was a meaty, awful sound that I¡¯d never forget. The pain that followed? Immediate and all-consuming. It dropped me to the ground like a sack of bricks, my head bouncing off the stones for good measure. I rolled to a stop just a few feet shy of the busy street. So close, and yet so far. I lay there for a moment, stunned, my entire body on fire. I could no longer ignore the injuries; my body was making sure of that. Through blurry vision and tears, I spotted the remaining three thugs charging down the alley toward me. Dying didn¡¯t cross my mind. Fear and pain were doing a fine job of monopolizing my thoughts. Desperately, I reached for the bolt sticking out of me. It was slick with blood, and my shaking hand couldn¡¯t get a grip. The men were getting closer. I wasted precious seconds fumbling for a health potion, finally activating it. The liquid splashed into my mouth. I gagged, almost throwing it up as it went down. Things were hurting, and I was already considering getting a new pair of pants. But I had more significant problems. Like the angry guys were barreling toward me, and the crossbow bolt still lodged in my ass. ¡°Just kill her!¡± The man on the ground yelled through his own pain. ¡°Shoot the fucking bitch again!¡± The men stopped about fifteen feet back and fanned out, and the one with the crossbow had already reloaded and was taking aim. I inhaled deeply, trying my best to focus through pain and healing. My mind was foggy, possibly the effects of time dilation, getting shot in the ass or bouncing my cranium around on the cobblestones. I locked my eyes on the crossbow just as the guy pulled the lever and cast Nudge. I couldn¡¯t exactly say how or why I picked the spell, but the effect was good enough: the bolt shattered against the cobblestone just to the left behind me. ¡°Fuck!¡± He yelled and started to reload. The others looked at him with just enough hesitation for me to roll over and get up. I started hobbling away down the street, plenty of blood leaking out of me after using what I guessed was the world¡¯s slowest-acting healing potion. The pain was next level. A new world of chaos came into being on the street as I scrambled like a Hollywood zombie, complete with moaning and groaning. People scattered, knowing the kind of trouble from getting involved in fights that weren¡¯t theirs. I gave the bolt another yank and, this time was rewarded with an all-new kind of pain as it tore away, yanking newly healed flesh with it. I hit the ground again as my right leg lost all strength. To my credit, I did manage to stay on one knee. My body was still healing, but fuck me and fuck the world, that was a motherfucker. I pivoted, facing the alley. I pulled out my bow, but my hands shook so badly that I dropped it. So, I pulled out another cheap dagger¡ªI had about ten of them¡ªand just squatted there, clenching it in my hand as tightly as I could. ¡°You think you can just walk away?¡± The leader said, coming around the corner. His hood and scarf were pulled away from his face. He was human, dark-skinned, with long braided hair wrapped around the top of his head. His forehead had what looked like a scar pattern, dots and lines connected, reminding me of a constellation or something like that. Oh, and he was furious. ¡°You rob us. You kill our people.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I muttered through the pain as I looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of pussies.¡± I don¡¯t think anything that stupid had come out of my mouth before. He could tell I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. The others emerged from the alley and took up positions behind him, and he held his hand back at them, having them stand down. The street was pretty much cleared. Even the carriages and wagons were abandoned as people made for the indoors. ¡°You owe us a body.¡± He said, coming closer. He moved confidently but cautiously, his sword out. ¡°And it¡¯ll be yours.¡± He grinned at me menacingly. ¡°Take Her!¡± he shouted, and his three men rushed forward. Time to unwrap present number three: I raised my right hand and cast Black Rain. The description described it as a rain of sharp obsidian bullets. That¡¯s not entirely accurate. The image of rain in one¡¯s mind is something that falls from above. The spell is more like a spray, but the name Black Spray sounds like a case of explosive diarrhea, so I have to hand it to the Unnamed God for a better name. A cone of obsidian bullets sprayed from my open hand at the three men charging at me, and the effect was one of the most disturbing things I had ever seen. The closest guy¡¯s head was gone. It was not chopped off, just gone, like red mist gone. The two dudes behind him were pelted with bullets the size of peas, like a shotgun blast. Yeah, they were dead too. Or at least it would be soon since they were on the ground, bleeding out. The ground was showered in blood. Like it was Dancing in the Rain, but with blood. The leader guy was shielded mainly, but he was head to toe in it and just stared at me, mouth wide open. ¡°So,¡± I said, mustering all the strength and snarkiness I could. ¡°Still want my body?¡± Yeah, he fucking ran. He split back into the alley and was gone like The Road Runner in a cartoon. I was still hunched on one knee, struggling to breathe. The healing potion was doing its job, but I was beyond drained. AP points or not, this was a morning. And it wasn¡¯t even over yet. ¡°Don¡¯t Move!¡± Ah, shit. I turned my head just enough to see them: city guards. Two had crossbows trained on me, another two were advancing with spears, and one¡ªprobably the leader¡ªwas charging up the street with her sword drawn. ¡°Token!¡± the swordswoman shouted, her voice sharp enough to cut stone. ¡°Now!¡± I sighed, pulled the silver token from my inventory, and let it clatter to the ground. Raising both hands in surrender, I stayed crouched on one knee, too tired to care about the dramatic display of compliance. ¡°What the hells?¡± one of the spear guys muttered. His wide-eyed stare swept over the carnage around me. The bleeding bodies. The alley was painted in various shades of ¡°oh no.¡± Yeah, buddy. Welcome to my world. ¡°You¡¯re under arrest!¡± The swordswoman barked when she got up to me. Her boots slipped a little on the blood. ¡°For what?¡± I asked, still in snark mode. There was no answer. Not a verbal one, anyway. There was, however, a brief moment of pain as the sword lady brought the hilt of her signature weapon down on my head. The world went blank. Again. Chapter Twenty-One: I鈥檓 already sad just knowing you. Chapter Twenty-One: I¡¯m already sad just knowing you. N W# U T: &S#C E&F M T*E J A L CE&#L %%%%%%%%%%@@@@@ *********FI&&&&24&&&&## This is definitely a world of hard surfaces. For what I can only imagine is the third or fourth time today, I found myself lying on stone. This time, I was in a cool, damp place. Oh yeah, totally naked. I allowed my body to endure the agony of a hard reboot. My hands were shackled in front by the same kind of magical suppression cuffs that I had in the slave camp. They were connected to a heavy metal collar around my neck by chains. I rattled as I sat up. It was an old-school dungeon-style cell, but there was a small window with light coming in, so I wasn¡¯t underground. The space was about six by four feet, not too bad for a little elf girl like me, but the old me would have been way more claustrophobic. The outside wall and cell door took up the narrow sides. It was a full-on bar door like you see in a prison, not a metal door with a slot. I don¡¯t know much about prison doors. There was absolutely nothing in the cell except naked me and a small puddle of drool I left behind when I woke up. ¡°Heh,¡± a gruff voice said, walking up. The guard was obviously waiting for me to come to. He rattled a little, keys, chains, and whatnot. ¡°Awake?¡± He was burly. I mean, just imagine the word burly and project it onto a middle age medieval human in rusty armor and a crappy chin beard. He must have been something in the day, but a lifetime of mutton burgers and cheap booze definitely took its toll. Thank the gods for a cushy civil service job. ¡°Unless I¡¯m dreaming of you,¡± I said, gritting my teeth through the throbbing of my head. ¡°Man of my dreams in the flesh just seems too good.¡± ¡°Be a good elf,¡± he said. ¡°And I¡¯ll visit you after my shift ends.¡± ¡°The rapey guard thing is a bit played out,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s somewhere you¡¯re supposed to take me?¡± ¡°It just so happens I do.¡± He said. He had a yellow rag-like thing in his hand that I hadn¡¯t noticed until he tossed it between the bars. ¡°Get dressed.¡± The rag-like thing turned out to be the Nya version of prison wear. It seems they were happy to strip me naked while I was unconscious, but for some reason, slipping a smelly rag poncho over my head was taking things too far. I wrestled the thing over my head (no small feat considering the shackles) and poked my face through the slit at the top. It hung down around my knees; I was thankful for my short stature, as I¡¯m sure it would have left Leoleth¡¯s ass hanging out for all to see. ¡°Maybe a healing potion?¡± I asked as he pulled the door open. ¡°Maybe I smack you in the head.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re gonna be best friends before this is over, and you will be so sad about all the mean things you said to me.¡± I winked and smiled at him, looking as cute as my blood and mud-smeared face could be. ¡°I¡¯m already sad just knowing you.¡± He grumbled, yanking me by the arm and shoving me ahead of him. I looked at the other cells as we moved down the block. They were filled with blank-faced prisoners, either naked or wearing the poncho. It wasn¡¯t like in the movies where there were hoots and catcalls; it was just quiet, the scary kind of quiet. I didn¡¯t think I had to worry about getting shanked or becoming someone¡¯s bitch. I knew the deal; there were no long-term prisons in the Empire. These people were only going to three different places¡ªthe block, slavery, or home. I¡¯m guessing most don¡¯t go home. I knew I should be scared. I wasn¡¯t even sure if it was noon yet, and I just had the longest day of my existence. But fear didn¡¯t really settle in. I knew I was in the middle of the street brawling, but it was in self-defense, and I could make a good case for it. Eight against one. Still, my particular brand of badassery was scary to behold, but I was hopeful there was a way out. Hells, I was scared of it. We marched along. Guard McGruff managed to stave off my attempts at conversation, which was no surprise there. It turns out we were in a tower. We moved down circles and circles of metal stairs to ground level. We paused briefly at a last security door, where McGruff scribbled something on a clipboard and passed it through to his buddy on the other side. There was a small verbal exchange, and the door creaked open. From there, we moved outside. The dingy, creepy, scary, oppressive, evil, smelly Hellhole of the prison tower gave way to a lovely grass courtyard. We were surrounded by ivy-covered red stone buildings with a lovely fountain of a fat naked guy in the middle. People walked through on the stone paths, paying little attention to us. He led me into one of the buildings on the far side, and we started climbing what seemed to be a stuffy service stairwell. It was so narrow that we had to go single file. ¡°Watch the hands.¡± I murmured as he pushed me forward. He responded by grunting but kept his meat hooks off. I didn¡¯t get a great look at the building we entered from the outside, but it reminded me of the hall back in Wood Cut. We passed from the flat, square part to the taller octagonal section with the upper floors before he unceremoniously tossed me through a door to an office flanked by Imperial Guards. No words were exchanged. I landed on a reasonably soft rug with a little thump and a spark of static electricity. I appreciated it since it was the only non-stone thing I¡¯d been tossed onto lately. I was crouched over, on my knees, appreciating the expertise of the work. Beautiful, swirling metallic threads were woven into the red and black fibers. ¡°Get up.¡± Came a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Who,¡± I asked, looking up. ¡°Me?¡± She was sitting behind a large, polished wooden desk, the crest of the imperial eagle emblazoned on the front. Two chairs were set up before it; the right one was occupied by a well-dressed older dwarf, whose glare was challenging to see behind all the beard and eyebrows. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I don¡¯t want my rug to get stained.¡± ¡°I was just admiring it,¡± I said, getting to my feet. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about rugs for the most part, but I can spot nice craftsmanship.¡± She sighed and adjusted the pin on her lapel. I¡¯d seen one like it back in Woodcut on the Magistrate there. The dwarf grumbled under his breath. The goofy thing was not a hit with this crowd, but it was all I had to work with. I mean, pink hair and all. I wearily got to my feet and stood, swaying a little for effect. The woman exuded an air of regality. Her middle-aged hair was a striking blend of gold and white, pulled back and tied in an impeccably tight bun that highlighted the delicate, sophisticated lines of her beautiful face. She looked at me with piercing brown eyes that made me feel like a little mouse caught out in the open by a sexy as fuck house cat. A slight, narrow smile was on her full, natural lips, reminiscent of the kind that could have made her an Instagram sensation in my old world. I swear to gods, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if she licked them while staring me down. I would have loved to have seen that. She was wearing a dark green dress that clung to her form. The stiff fabric mimicked the structured elegance of a pantsuit but in medieval style. Like a tailored suit jacket, the bodice dipped just low enough to reveal a tantalizing hint of cleavage. That gods damn pin, denoting her status as an Imperial Magistrate, gleamed on her right lapel with an almost supernatural brilliance, adding to her commanding presence. I wanted so much to see her stand so that I could have a look at the rest of her. ¡°Sit.¡± She spoke, but I swear to the gods that no muscle in her body moved apart from her magnificent lips. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I obeyed, moving around the chair and sitting as quickly as possible. She was sexy and commanding. Without a conscious thought, I just did as I was told. I felt more than a little twinge of pleasure in doing it, too. I sat on the edge of the seat, my back as straight as I could, and my hands folded in my lap like an obedient student. Oh, my gods! I think this might be a thing. My mind just kept screaming at me as my body went into a complete jelly meltdown. Baby likes a strict mama! Part of me wanted not to follow directions so she could punish me a little. The rest just screamed at me for also wanting to crawl under her desk and kneel in front of her with my chin on her knee. There was a quiet moment where the three of us just sat there. I know it was an intimidation tactic, but I didn¡¯t know what I was supposed to be doing when the two of them stared at me. I just cycled through expressions on my face and glanced around the room. Of course, all this stillness and silence would have been a million times better if I hadn¡¯t been screaming inside my head with visions of her standing over me in a much more revealing version of her outfit. It was like I just unlocked some epic world-changing achievement in a video game, but I had to be quiet about it because I was playing on my laptop in class. ¡°Regan Summer.¡± She said finally. ¡°AKA Regan Moon.¡± She reached into her drawer, pulled out my silver token, and set it on the desktop. ¡°You came into this world as a level one nothing less than six weeks ago.¡± ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± She held up a piece of paper. ¡°I¡¯ve been hit in the head about three times today,¡± I said, still channeling my inner naughty schoolgirl. ¡°So rather than try to say something clever or funny, I¡¯m just going to let you tell me.¡± ¡°This is the assessment we did this morning while you were lying on the floor of your cell.¡± ¡°Um, K?¡± ¡°Regan Summer. Level Nine. Rogue level three, Assassin level four.¡± She flopped the paper down on the desk. ¡°And a level one Cleric. But for some reason, we can¡¯t determine which church you are a cleric of.¡± ¡°I like to think of myself as an overall spiritual person.¡± ¡°The only skills you seem to have involve theft and murder.¡± ¡°Well, I can cook spaghetti in a pinch.¡± ¡°You have a whole bunch of levels but not nearly enough skills to support them.¡± She glared, ignoring my spaghetti comment. ¡°I have life experience.¡± ¡°In a month? I doubt that.¡± ¡°Maybe I just go around kissing gods.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop right there.¡± The woman said. She pointed at the pin on her lapel. ¡°You know what this is?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the magistrate in these here parts.¡± ¡°Calvisia Eumenia. And yes, I am the Imperial Magistrate for this city. It also means that I have power over you.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± I said. ¡°Regan.¡± I offered my shackled hand up to shake with her. ¡°The thing is, I don¡¯t need some kind of rogue element running around in my city.¡± ¡°Our city.¡± The dwarf chimed in crossly. She gave him a steely look before moving on. ¡°Since you came into this world, you have done nothing but train up thievery and murder, as far as I can tell.¡± ¡°I know it looks that way, but I¡¯m also working on some other things.¡± ¡°And there is no place for you here. You up and killed seven people in the street less than two hours ago.¡± ¡°It was self-defense.¡± ¡°You used a magical spell, which our ritualists can¡¯t even identify, that managed to vaporize a man¡¯s head and kill his two companions.¡± ¡°You sure that was me?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even take into account the other four you killed in the alley.¡± ¡°They were all members of the Red Hook Gang!¡± The dwarf bellowed at Eumenia. ¡°All known kidnappers and slavers. The lass here did the city a service out on that street!¡± ¡°You are here as a courtesy.¡± She hissed at the dwarf. ¡°I¡¯m here because I have right to be.¡± He huffed back. ¡°City security is my jurisdiction.¡± ¡°Under Imperial authority, Chainbeard.¡± She snapped. ¡°And I think my courtesy has been exhausted. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think we will be executing Miss Summer today. If things change, I¡¯ll keep you informed.¡± ¡°No need to call yer dogs.¡± He growled at her, standing. He turned and gave me the slightest of smiles, at least I think it was; I mean, the beard and all. He then stormed out of the room, throwing the doors open. ¡°Dwongreck Chainbeard,¡± Eumenia said. ¡°Captain of the City Guard.¡± ¡°I like him.¡± ¡°As I was saying,¡± Eumenia continued. ¡°There is no place for you in my city. You have done nothing but train up your criminal skills, which means you have been committing crimes. You have found a way to close off part of your Character Sheet to us. You, little elf, are hiding things.¡± She locked eyes on me and tilted her head slightly. Like a schoolmarm, disappointed in me, the beautiful, intelligent, yet rebellious student. My mind kept going back to the sexy and wildly inappropriate schoolgirl fantasies when I should have been scared shitless. ¡°You will be taken from this office to the East Gate. You will start walking away from Ironstone. You will be executed on the spot if you turn around before sundown.¡± There was a record scratch in the soundtrack of my life. I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it again as the rush of dread came over me. Words entered my head: things to say, deals to make. I mean, this place became a home for me. I did do some stuff, but being forced out of the city for this was unimaginable. I was defending myself. I could feel a rise of panic for the first time since I came here. I thought it would be more like having a nasty talk with the assistant principal.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Um, what about my property?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Your suite at The Crying Jester. Under Imperial law, if a domicile is used for criminal activity, all contents will be seized by the Empire and sold.¡± She looked at me coldly. ¡°That includes your illegal girlfriend, the frost elf.¡± ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± I bellowed, standing. Rage filled me as I struggled to find essence through the manacles that kept it suppressed. I wanted so much to see her head transformed into red mist. I was about to throw myself at her when a rustling and clinking of armor came behind me as the guards ran in. She leaned back in her seat casually and held her hand to the men, making them stop behind me. ¡°No need to come storming in.¡± She said sweetly over my shoulder. ¡°Back to your stations and close the door.¡± They muttered a ¡°Yes, Magistrate¡± and rattled as they exited the room and the door shut. She kept the same smile on her face that she used with the guards as she looked up at me. She held me with her gaze, and then her eyes hardened. ¡°Sit down. And the next words out of your filthy little whore mouth had better be I¡¯m sorry, Magistrate Eumenia.¡± Her words were so venomous that I almost felt my VP going down. ¡°You will be learning your place today. Starting with how you speak to me.¡± I sat. The fantasy of this sexy older woman having power over me, bending me to her will, was gone. I wanted to kill her. I never really wanted to kill anyone before, certainly no one that hadn¡¯t hit me on the head or tried to murder/rape me. I had never really sat across from someone that incensed me to the point that I could fucking do it. What a waste. Damn this shit to hells. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Magistrate Eumenia.¡± It came out barely more than a whisper. It took all my energy and all my will to speak it. I kept my body as still as I could because I was afraid that if I even moved one inch, I would attack her. But as the words left my mouth, I was going to strangle her, rip out her hair, beat her face into a pile of mush. ¡°Good.¡± The smile shifted on her face. It hardened into something cruel. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not as stupid as you look.¡± She stood slowly and then sauntered around from behind her desk. Her form was striking, and I did get the view of her smooth, long legs from under her thigh-length skirt. I was keeping my gaze down and tried to pretend those beautiful legs weren¡¯t wired up to a nasty-ass ugly brain. She stopped right in front of my chair. She pivoted, placing her weight on her back leg, and swung around, slapping me across the face. She hit me hard enough to make my teeth rattle and almost knocked me out of the chair. I was bent over to the side, trying hard to keep from vomiting from the supernaturally strong slap. The world spun for a moment before I managed to shake the stars from my vision and sit up. My face was burning. ¡°Look at me when I speak to you.¡± I did as I was told. I was so angry that the tears flowed; I could feel my face getting hot and puffy. ¡°And when I tell you to do something, you say Yes, Mistress.¡± I was about to mouth off again when the next slap came¡ªthis time from the opposite direction. The reaction was the same; it wasn¡¯t as forceful, but it was equally painful and disorienting as I felt my body get smacked to the side. I righted myself and sat briefly, eyes closed, catching my breath. ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± I muttered. I said the words, but I made sure there was a dose of poison in my voice. I didn¡¯t know why. I¡¯m stronger than this! I screamed in my head. She can¡¯t make me say those words! I wanted to shout. I did what I was told and could feel the knots in my stomach. I said the words she told me to say. Knowing she had power over me made me rage. But I knew that even if I let her destroy me, she would go after Leoleth. Maybe even my other friends. Fucking bitch. ¡°You might just survive this, you filthy whore.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°That is what you are, but I happen to have a soft spot for nasty little sluts like you.¡± ¡°Sluts like me?¡± My voice was cracking, and my throat was dry. I was ready to unleash a torrent of obscenities her way, but she looked at me with a sideways glance, which was enough warning to stop. ¡°Sorry, Mistress.¡± It came out angry, but I felt she liked it that way. Fuck me. I felt more and more helpless. ¡°You may not be as worthless as I first thought.¡± She leered. ¡°But you can¡¯t keep acting like a spoiled little brat. You will never speak back to me again. You will do what I tell you and not act without permission. I¡¯m sure you have something you would like to say.¡± ¡°Plenty,¡± I growled. She swung her hand at me again, stopping as I flinched away. ¡°I think maybe I¡¯ve been too harsh with you. I like little girls like you, so perhaps we can try to be more friendly with each other.¡± She bent over and kissed me gently on the lips. My whole being exploded inside, and my body shivered. ¡°I know you like girls too. We can be friends, be nice to each other, or we can fight. You don¡¯t want to fight me, pretty elf.¡± She stroked my swollen cheek. ¡°Because I don¡¯t lose,¡± she whispered, kissing me again. And my inner self screamed. My body was so tense that my muscles were hurting. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡± I gasped for air. Trying to keep myself steady, hold back the trembling, and the sense of panic setting in. ¡°You will call me Mistress.¡± She said sternly. And¡­¡± she whispered in my ear, this time, so quiet, I almost couldn¡¯t hear her. ¡°¡­since we are going to be such good friends, when I kiss you, you kiss me back.¡± She kissed me a third time. It was deep and sensuous, and I returned in kind. Her tongue went deep into my mouth, and she bit down on my lower lip before she pulled away. She gently stroked my cheek when she pulled back. My insides churned. I was being violated worse than I had in my entire life. ¡°Such a good girl. I want to think of banishment from the city as scenario number two.¡± She took a seat in the chair opposite me. ¡°You get exiled from the city, and your girlfriend is sold on the open market as an illegal immigrant.¡± ¡°Is there something you would like to say?¡± It was a loaded question. I mean fuck yeah, Die bitch die! Please don¡¯t exile me and sell my friend into slavery! I was sure neither of those would be what she was looking for, so I tried my best to follow the conversation despite my brain rapidly fogging up. ¡°Do you like scenario number two?¡± ¡°No,¡± I paused, the words getting caught in my throat. ¡°Mistress. I don¡¯t like scenario number two.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like scenario number three, then, most certainly.¡± ¡°May I ask you what that would be, Mistress? ¡°Almost the same,¡± she smiled. ¡°Except you lose your head.¡± She nodded back and forth. ¡°Maybe your whore of a girlfriend too, I don¡¯t know. Maybe I¡¯ll keep her in the tower for the guards to enjoy?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know her that well. She¡¯d probably like that.¡± It prompted a chuckle from The Magistrate. I sighed in relief. ¡°The icy bitch is a whore like you then. Is there anything you would like to ask me?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I panted, trying so hard to focus on the topic of conversation through my rage-filled brain. ¡°Will you please tell me about scenario number one?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± She sat for a long moment. She looked me up and down. I was painfully aware of the poncho that barely covered my naked body. ¡°You are a beautiful little mess. I can¡¯t wait to see you all cleaned up.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± I clenched my jaw as I spoke. I was angry and scared. She had complete control over me, and I knew things were going to get worse. ¡°There is a former member of the Imperial Guard.¡± She started. ¡°She¡¯s a thief like you and an oath breaker. I want her and what she has stolen delivered to me in this office.¡± ¡°You have all the resources of the Empire and the City Guard. Why would you need me?¡± She leaned forward and rested her right hand on my bare thigh. ¡°Because,¡± she whispered, tracing little circles on my skin with her index finger. ¡°There is corruption in the Empire and Ironstone. It needs to be handled delicately.¡± My body shuddered at her touch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mistress, but I¡¯m new here.¡± I inhaled, trying to catch my breath enough to speak. ¡°I don¡¯t even know my way around the city yet, and you want me to go hunting for a fugitive?¡± ¡°You are so precious.¡± She slipped out of the chair and knelt beside me, her mouth at my ear. She licked my ear lobe, making me shiver. She whispered, almost too quietly to hear. ¡°But still so fucking stupid. Do you think I would be relying entirely on you? A little whore?¡± She kissed my cheek and straightened up. ¡°I just want to give you a chance. I would like to see if you can be useful to me. You will do this if you have any hope for you and your precious little frost elf.¡± ¡°And so¡­¡± Deep breath. ¡°¡­What happens if I get her for you?¡± Deep breath. ¡°You can continue your miserable little existence in my city.¡± She bent and kissed me. I had to kiss her back, but at least it wasn¡¯t a deep and sexy one. I wanted to bite her in the face when she got that close. ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± She stood again, moving around her desk. ¡°And Leoleth?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look the other way for now.¡± she was at her desk, looking at me intently. She sat up straight in her chair, looking down at me while I shivered in my seat. I felt broken. I felt filthy. I was beaten, and I had no idea why it was so damn easy for her to do this to me. ¡°You have questions.¡± She brushed her jacket and straightened her pin. A feeling of ease came over me. ¡°You may ask them.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± The words just came automatically to me at this point. ¡°What if we just decide to leave the city?¡± She sighed and looked at me like a disappointed mother about to scold a child who had accidentally broken a plate. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to think you can just defy me because you want to.¡± She then smiled. ¡°But I¡¯ll humor you.¡± She held up my token. ¡°I¡¯ll be holding on to this for a while. Regan Summer¡¯s last known location is here in Ironstone. If you hop the wall and get picked up by a press gang, you cannot verify your identity. And I¡¯ll make sure any inquiries end with me. I¡¯ll ensure you are sold off into the darkest, most depressing place imaginable. You¡¯re new to this world, so you have no idea how far down you can find yourself buried.¡± ¡°I understand, Mistress.¡± A chill ran down my spine. ¡°What¡¯s the timeframe involved.¡± ¡°You have until sunrise on the last day of the Festival of Renewal.¡± I knew enough about the Imperial calendar that this was the last day of the year. This meant that I would be conducting a manhunt during the five-day Festival of Renewal, which was like Mardi Gras on cocaine. ¡°You don¡¯t want to miss the deadline.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Mistress.¡± ¡°But,¡± She leaned forward. ¡°If one of my other agents beats you to it, then I¡¯ll be forced to return to scenarios two or three.¡± She smiled. ¡°Unless I can think of something worse than those.¡± ¡°I understand, Mistress.¡± ¡°Verrona Faedan.¡± She looked at me, expecting some response. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Mistress.¡± ¡°Her name, you dumb cunt. Verrona Faedan was a guard down in the treasury.¡± ¡°And then¡­She stole something?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± She stiffened in her chair. ¡°A ruby necklace, an extremely valuable one.¡± Her demeanor shifted. I could sense her unease for the first time since I came into this room. This was a touchy topic, and she seemed to be a little frightened. ¡°If she just stole something expensive, why all the fuss? Something like that will turn up eventually. Right?¡± ¡°The Empress has asked that it be delivered to her for the Festival Gala, which she will be attending here.¡± ¡°Oh shit.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The Magistrate said. ¡°That¡¯s another reason I want outside help. You¡¯ve met Chainbeard. He¡¯s not exactly an ally.¡± ¡°You think Faedan stole the rock to hurt you? Or does she think she can fence this thing somewhere?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know her motivations. I do know this; the city¡¯s exits are locked down. Chainbeard would rather bring her in and take credit for the capture. The City Guard is effective but lacks the resources to both secure the exits and sweep the city. Faedan has all but vanished. I want her, and I want my necklace back.¡± ¡°How do you know she hasn¡¯t already left?¡± ¡°All of us who serve the Empire have the Imperial Mark. She pushed up her right sleeve, and the Imperial Eagle faded into view on her forearm. The enchantments will alert the guards if she approaches the city wall.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to circumvent it?¡± ¡°Even if she chopped off her arm, she would still carry the Mark.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t use that to track her?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s only used to identify her as a member of the Imperial Government.¡± ¡°Is there any other way she could escape the city?¡± I asked, searching for ways in my head. ¡°The sewers, the old mining system, anything like that?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t track her, but we can verify that her Mark is within the city limits. If she does find a way to slip out, we will be alerted.¡± ¡°So, she¡¯s trapped in Ironstone, but really, all she has to do is lay low until after The Festival to ruin your life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart for a little slut,¡± She sneered at me. ¡°That¡¯s why I like you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I paused, really hating this shit. ¡°Mistress.¡± I hissed out the last part of the word. She stood up from the desk again, straightening her dress and adjusting her pin. She opened a drawer and pulled out a red cotton cloth about the size of a handkerchief. She gave her pin a little polish before tossing it back in the drawer. She stepped to the right of the chair but stayed behind the desk. ¡°You¡¯re only going to remember the details of the quest that I¡¯m going to send you when we¡¯re done here and what will happen if you fail me.¡± She looked down at me like I was an insect. ¡°I¡¯ll even let you believe that you have a choice as to whether or not you do it.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Do not address me that way. Do you understand? I will fucking break you.¡± She pointed to the floor next to her. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I stood. ¡°Hands and knees, bitch.¡± It was a dispassionate order. ¡°No.¡± In a flash, she was on me. Her hand flew as she belted me good and hard on the chin. The force knocked me back onto the chair. She grabbed me by the hair and yanked me down to my knees. ¡°That,¡± she panted. ¡°Will be the last time you defy me.¡± Her fist came down on me, connecting with the side of my face, and I could feel teeth loosening under her blow. ¡°It makes me sad knowing that you won¡¯t remember this.¡± She gripped me by the hair again, pulling my head forward. ¡°The most important moment in your life.¡± Her words came out between hard breaths but were steady and forceful. She gave me a knee to the chin, knocking me backward onto the floor. ¡°This is the moment when you finally find the place you belong, little weakling.¡± The world started to turn dark around the edges as I tried to move. I had been clocked pretty hard, but I could still get up. I rolled to my side and started to push off the floor with my shackled hands. Make for the door, I thought as I tried to get my knees under me. A kick to the side of my head made reality spin and wobble as I tried to get my body and brain to function. ¡°You are the frail¡­¡± Her voice trickled through the haze of delirium. My head throbbed, and my stomach was twisted up in knots. I¡¯m pretty sure I fell backward, but now I was lying on my stomach. What was she doing? I started to get up, but a boot kicked me hard between the shoulders, knocking me back down. She spoke sweetly, like a mother to a child. ¡°¡­just a little girl who is nothing if she doesn¡¯t serve.¡± She pushed the fabric of the poncho off my back and ran her hand across my ass. ¡°Just a little plaything for the strong.¡± She had something in her hand. She ran it down the back of my leg, something cold and metallic. It might have been a knife or dagger, but it was too dull. She teased the back of my thigh with it. ¡°He brought you to me. A gift for loyal service.¡± She tapped the object on my butt. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid to say, nothing from him is free. Ironically, you¡¯re the one that pays the price.¡± ¡°Strength without will is but the shadow of weakness .¡± .¡± She spoke the words confidently with a reverent tone to her voice. ¡°Power is the right of those who dare to wield it, while the frail, too feeble to resist, are fated to serve.¡± She straddled me, facing backward. I kicked and tried to roll out from under her, but she pinned my arms with her knees. She was running her hands on the back of my thighs. ¡°Such is the law that governs this realm and all realms beyond.¡± A searing pain exploded from the back of my right thigh. I screamed. My skin was on fire. The scent of my burning flesh permeated my nostrils, overwhelming the taste and smell of the dirt and dust on the rug. I collapsed from the pain as all my strength zapped away. The screaming stopped, at least I thought it did, but the echoes of my voice bounced around in my head. The sound of my skin cooking under the brand sounded like someone had stuck my head in an air fryer with a week''s worth of cheap bacon. I collapsed from the pain as all my strength zapped away. The screaming stopped, and I couldn¡¯t breathe. She held my body in place, burning me for what seemed like an eternity. The pain spread from the back of my leg to my entire body. It felt like my skin was on fire, and then it moved inside me. I swear to the gods, something was burning away inside me. ¡°He has been paid¡­¡± She pulled my head up off the floor by the hair. She was gripping a control rod right in front of my face that stunk like burnt flesh. It was the width of a pencil with a flat edge on the end about three inches wide. I could barely focus on the pattern in the middle: three connected chain links. It was still smoking, and my skin was seared to it. ¡°¡­and you are his gift to me.¡± She hissed with pleasure and licked at the tears on my cheek. ¡°In this realm, and all the realms beyond.¡± My body just gave out, and my mind, not too long after that. I don¡¯t think it was for very long, but it could have been days as far as my messed-up brain could tell. When I returned to the land of the living, she was standing at her desk. ¡°Hands and knees.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I pushed myself to my hands and knees. Not easy since the shackles made it almost impossible. I was covered in sweat, with my face and legs burning from being ground into the carpet. ¡°Over here.¡± My stomach muscles clenched as a wave of nausea washed over me. And I could feel tears welling in my eyes. I didn''t want to do it. But I had to crawl over to her, and my mind was fighting it. It would have been so easy to let go and follow her instructions. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I lowered down to my hands and knees. Again, shackles didn¡¯t make it easy. My face was barely above the floor since I couldn¡¯t move my hands more than a few inches, and I slinked slash wiggled to her position next to the desk. The stone scraped my bare skin. I reached the spot on the floor that she had indicated. She reached down and gripped me by my hair. ¡°Kneel.¡± ¡°Yes Mistress,¡± I cried painfully as she yanked hard. She let go when I was kneeling in front of her. ¡°I have broken so many little creatures like you.¡± She eased out of her dress, letting it drop into a small heap beside me. Chapter Twenty-Two: Mind those impure thoughts, especially about one of my daughters. Chapter Twenty-Two: Mind those impure thoughts, especially about one of my daughters. NEW QUEST: RUBY MADNESS Former Imperial Guard, Verrona Faedan, has stolen an extremely valuable ruby necklace from the Imperial Treasury. Find Faedan and the necklace and deliver both to the Magistrate¡¯s office. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE DECLINED. To complete the quest, you must: Capture Verrona Faedan. Secure the Ruby Necklace Deliver both to the office of Calvisia Eumenia Rewards: If you don¡¯t think you need your head, then nothing. The return of your Residence Token XP, lots of XP You will receive 27GP. The quest hung in space, while the rest of the world was spinning. I tried to remember the details of my meeting with Magistrate Eumenia, but I¡¯m pretty sure I had too many hits to the head to keep it all clear. The guards weren¡¯t being gentle, and I already took a couple of falls as they pushed me down the stairs, which made my recollection of our meeting even harder. I remember she was sexy as all hells, scary as fuck, and pretty much had the power to destroy me. I was also being blackmailed into this Quest, so I had to deliver, or Leoleth and I were both dead and or wishing we were. But man, oh man, the fantasies that were bouncing around my head that involved her were tasty, to say the least. I need to figure this shit out. For what I hoped was the last time today, my body was dumped onto a hard something. This time the something was a loading dock behind the Imperial Magistrate office in the Capital District. They took the prison poncho away and dumped my naked ass right on the filthy stone. A sack of my stuff was unceremoniously tossed on the ground by Guard McGruff. I scrambled into the bag and pulled on my decoy storage ring before equipping some clothes. Keeping personal storage a secret was important when people keep capturing you. The Capital District housed the Magistrate office, a prison tower, it seems, and a royal palace. There were also a few dozen civil and administrative buildings around a circular government campus. The campus was surrounded by a circular parkway, named, you guessed it, Circle Parkway. Outside of that was a ring of expensive homes, occupied by well-to-dos and high-ranking government types. Outside of that was some green space and then all the local businesses that supported everyone in the community. I dragged myself out of the alley in the general direction of home for the second time today. It was really just about noon, and I had taken a beating more than once. Time, it seemed, wanted just to crawl along, keeping me aware of all the shit on my body that hurt and the weirdness of my new power set. ¡°Stan¡¯ richt there, miss. Dinnae be giein¡¯ us ony trouble.¡± It was a dwarven city guard in their blue and red uniform. He and three others had moved from a rather ornate carriage onto the sidewalk to block my path. I had just left the campus building and was about to cross Circle Parkway. ¡°Can I just sit?¡± I blinked at him and his support buddies. ¡°I swear, I¡¯m all out of trouble for the day.¡± ¡°Come oan then,¡± he said, taking my arm. ¡°Ye can sit inside. The Captain wid like a word.¡± He spoke flatly and didn¡¯t even try to hold eye contact. He ushered me to the carriage. I didn¡¯t resist. Not that I felt I had a choice, but that I was pretty sure if I did, they would just up and kill me, not exactly what I considered the worst-case scenario for the day. The door flung open, and he hoisted me up by the armpits and tossed me in. Chainbeard was sitting in the rear-facing seat as I tumbled onto the floor. An elf sat beside him in the same uniform as the other guards but much cleaner, his bright green hair tied up in a cool little man bun. ¡°Dwongreck Chainbeard,¡± The Captain said. ¡°I¡¯m Captain o¡¯ the City Guard.¡± He offered his hand. ¡°Regan Summer,¡± I said, taking his hand and pulling myself up into the seat across from him. ¡°Public menace.¡± He grunted at that, which was as close to laughing as the guy could get. The elf did not react at all. I settled back into the cushy seat and shrugged at him. He banged his fist against the wall behind him, and the carriage started rolling. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m no¡¯ sure whit I think aboot ye.¡± He said, giving me an appraising eye. ¡°We cannae tolerate lawlessness in our streets, and ye¡¯re aboot as wild as they come.¡± ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t have to come and try to kidnap and or kill me.¡± ¡°Aye, but ye did draw first blood. I ken what happened last night in Butcher Block Row.¡± He leaned forward, looking me in the eye with all his dwarven intensity. ¡°I dinnae think for them, it¡¯s considered settled just yet.¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± I sighed. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll try to keep the mayhem off the streets.¡± ¡°See that you do.¡± He leaned back. ¡° Doteada Lightheart.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Doteada Lightheart, the lass ye saved last night. I doot our great Magistrate is even aware o¡¯ the incident, or cares.¡± This prompted a snort from the elf next to him. ¡°I thocht that maybe ye should ken her name, and that she and her family are grateful for whit ye did. Bein¡¯ as how it will be a whole mess o¡¯ trouble for ye for a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the enemy I know any day,¡± I said, trying to sound tough. They both chuckled. ¡°The Magistrate sent ye efter the guard, didnae she?¡± ¡°Yeah, she did,¡± I said gloomily. ¡°She can squash me like a bug, so¡­yeah.¡± ¡°And you, new to the city. New to the world, actually. She¡¯s a righ¡¯ piece o¡¯ work.¡± ¡°It would seem.¡± ¡°The Guard will help ye.¡± He said. ¡°Not much, but we¡¯ll gie ye a free pass and look the ither way while ye¡¯re chasin¡¯ doon yer villain.¡± ¡°Thanks for the support.¡± ¡°But the fact that she¡¯s bringin¡¯ in outside help tae dae this is whit I¡¯m concerned aboot. We hae our ain investigators and hunters that are mair than capable o¡¯ sweepin¡¯ the city, but she¡¯s kept us oot o¡¯ it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m charged with bringing Faedan and the Necklace directly to her office by the last day of The Festival. The whole thing is a little jinky, I guess.¡± ¡°Jinky?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Weird. Suspicious.¡± ¡°¡¯Tis, tha¡¯s what we think also.¡± He leaned in with a conspiratorial look about him. ¡°The problem is, they dinnae think of it as their city. They think of it as their property. Somethin¡¯ that belongs tae the Empire that needs tae be administered. But this city is ours. Tis yours too.¡± He pointed his thick index finger at me. ¡°It belongs to anyone that calls it home.¡± ¡°Well, home or not,¡± I said glumly. ¡°If I don¡¯t deliver by the deadline, she¡¯ll send me packing with one less head to carry.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say chin up,¡± he smiled. ¡°But so would the axeman.¡± That gave us all a little dark laugh. We came to a final stop. The elf next to him passed him a sizeable leather-bound folder. ¡°This¡¯ll give ye a place to star¡¯.¡± He handed it over to me. ¡°Everythin¡¯ we have on Faedan including pictures and home address.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been all over it by now?¡± ¡°No¡¯ really, I told ye she¡¯s keepin¡¯ us oot.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯d suggest the windae at the alley after dark. So nae one sees ye comin¡¯ an¡¯ goin¡¯.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m a thief.¡± One of the guards outside opened the door of the carriage. Flooding the dark room with light. I groaned and shifted outside into the bright sunny fucking day. I had to hand it to them; They delivered me right to the front of The Crying Jester. Officially, every asshole in the city knew where I was living. I ignored the looks of the concerned and somewhat disgusted patrons as I marched through the tavern to the back. I could have gone around, but that would have delayed my bath by precious seconds. ¡°Regan!¡± It was Nyvorlas, looking at me annoyingly at the bar. I diverted from my trek to hygiene and came over to him. ¡°This came for you.¡± He slapped a paper-wrapped package with the string still tied neatly around it. ¡°Not a mail service.¡± ¡°But you are the best,¡± I said, sliding the package under my arm with a tired grin. I fished out a silver coin and placed it on the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep the deliveries to a minimum.¡± Nyvorlas grunted, unimpressed, as I turned to leave. The weight of exhaustion bore down on me with every step. I almost opened my notifications to check for active debuffs. It felt like I had one, but no, this was just plain, old-fashioned exhaustion. It was barely past lunchtime, and I was already ready to keel over. Somehow, I dragged myself up the stairs, through my door, and into the sanctuary of the suite. Leoleth was there, of course, because why wouldn¡¯t she be? I managed a faint smile, kissed her on the cheek, and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± before heading straight for the bathtub. Water? Good. Soap? Even better. But even as I scrubbed the grime off my body, the sense of unease in my head lingered. It was like a thick fog clouding something important, something I should have been able to grasp but couldn¡¯t quite pin down. Every time I tried to focus on it, the feeling shifted, slipping further away. Eventually, it was just gone. After a few moments of trying to chase it down, it faded entirely, leaving me no closer to an answer. It was just me, the bathwater, and a growing frustration. When I finally emerged, clean but still drained, Leoleth sat on her bed, her foot tapping a rapid rhythm against the floor. Her expression was sharp, her gaze demanding answers I wasn¡¯t ready to give. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I repeated, brushing past her unspoken questions. She didn¡¯t look convinced, and honestly? Neither was I. But I wasn¡¯t about to admit that. Not now. Probably not ever. ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°Not fine.¡± ¡°I knew it,¡± she hissed. ¡°Besties don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s been a day.¡± ¡°Where were you last night?¡± ¡°Would it help to tell you that at one point, I had sex?¡± ¡°I could smell your funk from down the hall. But yes, you were getting a little cranky, you needed an ¡®O.¡¯¡± I recounted the events of last night and some of what went down this morning, making sure to give her a detailed account with all the emblsihments that I knew she would appriciate. I was espaccially explicit with the description of my tryst with the dwarf. She nodded approvingly at that part, her expression a mix of amusement and smug satisfaction. The God kiss? Yeah, that stayed firmly off the table. There¡¯s no way I was bringing that up. I was still trying to process that. I did tell her about the fight in the street, though I strategically left out the magic and trimmed the number of bad guys to something more manageable for storytelling purposes. Then I moved on to the ¡°meeting¡± with the Magistrate, laying out the mess we were now tangled in. By the time I finished, Leoleth was sitting back, arms crossed, her head tilted slightly as if processing the weight of it all. Her nod this time wasn¡¯t approval. It was the kind of nod that said, Oh, we¡¯re in it now. ¡°Where¡¯s your token?¡± I asked her. We never really talked about it before. ¡°I¡¯m not from here. I came over a mountain pass with the rest of the sisters from the church.¡± ¡°One hundred percent illegal then?¡± ¡°I might have been okay if I stayed with the church.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Of course, the church was illegal. So, they would probably execute me anyway.¡± ¡°How would you have been okay?¡± ¡°A church can sponsor residency.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re a member?¡± ¡°Only if.¡± She said. ¡°The only church I can potentially join would be the Heather Church, that wouldn¡¯t end well.¡± We tried to come up with some ideas for her. Since neither of us had any idea what the law was, we concluded that we needed to bring in some expert help. I suddenly remembered the package I¡¯d brought up from the bar. It was still on my bed, unopened. Curiosity sparked, and Leoleth followed me in as I grabbed it. Summoning a dagger, I sliced through the string and unwrapped it. ¡°Hells yeah,¡± Leoleth said appreciatively as I pulled a tiny black silk dress out of the paper. It was sleek, elegant, and meant to make an impression. A card fluttered to the floor, and Leoleth scooped it up. ¡°¡®Just in case¡­¡¯¡± she read aloud. ¡°¡®T.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± I said, forgetting my meeting with Titus. ¡°We¡¯re going to a party tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Leoleth squealed, spinning in a little circle and tossing the card. ¡°Finally, some fun! We work too hard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like, two o¡¯clock, and you barely got out of bed.¡± ¡°Work is exhausting.¡± The whole church conversation had been rattling around in my brain, and it finally clicked. I needed guidance. Not the spiritual kind, however. There are no prayers, just practical solutions. I told Leoleth to go buy herself a dress, then decided to take a trip to the Temple District. I dragged myself down the stairs and out onto the street. I headed toward Central Boulevard. The Temple District lay past the Capital District, which made sense since the administrative types liked to keep cozy with the government buildings. Churches were scattered all over town, but the nerve center? All in one place, and of course, it meant yet another trek across the city. No way was I taking a carriage this time. As I walked, I snagged a skewer of some meat and onion from a street vendor. Whatever it was, it was delicious. I habitually did not think about the source of my proteins in the city. Ignorance is bliss, and bliss is mighty tasty when pulled sizzling off a grill. The day turned out better than expected. It was warm, bright, and breezy. I stuck to the shady side of the street, keeping a decent pace while avoiding the early afternoon sun. For the first time since landing in this chaotic city, I kept an eye out for tails. You know, survival instincts and all that. I mean, hells, people were really trying to kill me. It was probably time to start acting like it. Better paranoid than dead, right? The Temple District covered about five square blocks, and honestly? It was like a theme park. Weird as all hells. Temples for every imaginable god lined the streets, making it look like Main Street Fever Dream, USA. There were temples made of stone, metal, wood¡ª and there was even a massive five-story treehouse for Dryphine, the Goddess of Nature. And the statues? Let¡¯s just say anatomically correct was the design memo of the century. Every temple flaunted one, and the details ranged from impressive to godly. The main street, a pedestrian-only zone, was a chaotic bazaar of food vendors, trinket sellers, books, art, little god icons, and every kind of paraphernalia imaginable. And if that wasn¡¯t surreal enough, there were character meet-and-greets. Yeah, people dressed as the gods wandered around, handing out candy to kids and generally adding to the circus vibe. It was bizarre. I half-expected to find a ¡°Pirates of the Caribbean¡± ride somewhere. But in Murder World, though, let¡¯s be honest, the pirates here would probably just kill the passengers.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Eventually, I spotted the Temple of Amania. It was hard to miss: a round building with grand pillars out front and a massive statue of the tall, robed goddess. Her hands extended as if lifting the masses. Inspiring stuff. Uplifting, Noble, Truly Celestial. Inside, however? It was a DMV. Straight-up ropes and stanchions funneled visitors toward a central desk. Behind that, rows of miserable-looking wooden chairs stretched out, filled with people waiting for their turn. At the back, about half a dozen windows were manned by priests, consulting with visitors like overworked clerks processing license renewals. Divine bureaucracy at its finest. ¡°How may I help you,¡± the priest behind the desk asked as my turn came up. He was a teenager with acne and greasy brown hair. He had the male version of the silver robe that Heather always wore, but the poor doofus could not make it rock. Not exactly the model of purity, but who was I to judge? His nametag read Tyler. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Priestess Heather.¡± ¡°There¡¯s, like, three Heathers.¡± ¡°Heather number one.¡± I handed him the token she gave me. His eyes lit up at that. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± he said brightly, getting to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll go get her.¡± He abandoned his post and rushed back to a door on the side that was marked Private. His big bare feet moved just as fast as they could. I¡¯m pretty sure he was committing a breach of office protocol, but I know I¡¯d jump at a chance to ogle Heather all I could, so go get ¡®er tiger. ¡°Regan!¡± He was gone for about five minutes before Heather burst through the private door and glided across the lobby. Tyler followed at a distance just far enough behind to admire her discreetly. We hugged. It felt good. It was hard to shake the crush I had on her. Fucking straight girls. We released and kissed lightly. I loved the feel of her ample bosom against me, and her hair smelled amazeballs. She was the complete package that would have kept me squarely on the girl side of the fence if she promised to be mine forever. ¡°Thank you, Tyler,¡± I said, leaning around her and smiling at the teenage priest. He sat back at the desk but kept his roaming eyes on us. He smiled with goofy angled teeth and beamed. ¡°My pleasure.¡± His face was beat red. She placed her hand around my waist and led me toward the private door. I let her guide me since this was her territory. Inside was a hallway with doors to the left and a spiral metal staircase to the right. She took me by the hand and silently led me up the stairs to the second floor. We got off there, but the stairs kept going beyond that. We walked around the curved outer hallway lined with left and right doors and finally reached a door on the left-hand side. She opened it and led me in. We were in a small, windowless sitting room lit by a couple of mage lights. It was painted white and was bright and cheery despite the lack of exterior light. The furnishings were just a couple of cushioned chairs and a small table between them with a pitcher and two glasses. A small statue of the goddess was in the corner. There was a pleasant lilac aroma, which was nice. ¡°Have a seat.¡± She said cheerily. ¡°This isn¡¯t your office.¡± ¡°No. This is a counseling room. It¡¯s a place we sit with congregants to listen and offer guidance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hoping that it has privacy protections.¡± ¡°Of course it does.¡± She said with a grin. ¡°But¡­¡± She pointed to the statue. ¡°The Goddess sees and hears all,¡± I said with a grin and a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sure nothing I have to say will be much of a surprise to her.¡± I sat in one of the chairs and poured a glass of water. ¡°You have me intrigued.¡± ¡°First, it¡¯s been a few weeks. How are you doing?¡± ¡°A little hurt that you haven¡¯t come to see me until now.¡± She grinned and settled in the chair across from me. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy. How¡¯s the Priestess business?¡± ¡°I spend my days doing this.¡± She said, gesturing around the room. ¡°It¡¯s nice. I¡¯ll probably be sent out into the field in a few months. We tend to get hired out two to three times a year.¡± ¡°Sitting in a room helping people is more your thing then?¡± ¡°I like it. I get to meet people actively seeking help and offering the Goddess¡¯ wisdom. But there were some opportunities when we were out together that I feel we connected, and I hope that I planted some seeds in you that will someday lead to you coming to us.¡± ¡°Ah, shit,¡± I said quietly. ¡°We did connect. And I love you, and I have nothing but admiration for The Goddess.¡± I squirmed a little in my seat and took a sip of water. ¡°Can you do an assessment?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I looked down at the underside of my right wrist. HIDE? YES/NO No. I thought. I quickly turned my wrist over and placed it on my lap. Heather just tilted her head at me. She reached her hands out. I put mine in hers, and she closed her eyes. Assessments are reasonably painless, just a little weird. There is a flood of information downloading through the hands and whatnot, and then it¡¯s done. The words of my character sheet hung in the air in front of us. Heather blinked at it, her expression completely frozen in a look of concentration. ¡°By the Goddess,¡± she finally whispered. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s only half of it.¡± I showed her the quest. She opened her mouth to speak. GONG! A bell began to chime, its deep tones echoing through the room and, from its sound, the entire building. The noise was quickly followed by the frantic scuffle of footsteps in the hallway and the sharp sounds of doors opening and closing. Heather went pale. ¡°What?¡± I asked, suddenly on edge. ¡°The Goddess,¡± she whispered, standing abruptly and moving toward the door. I stayed seated, my mind racing but my body frozen. What was I supposed to do? Bow? Hide? Pretend this wasn¡¯t happening? Heather reached for the handle, but before her hand made contact, the door opened on its own. Standing in the doorway was a figure straight out of legend. Seven feet tall, every inch of her exuding power and grace was the woman from the statues that adorned the temple. She wore a white gown that glowed like liquid moonlight. The long black hair framed her a face with a dark, smooth complexion and striking Asiatic features. Her eyes, however. They were what truly held me. They reminded me of the Unnamed God¡¯s, but the irises were silver ocean waves, impossibly deep and unyielding. She was stunning and yet, utterly terrifying. Behind her, the hallway went quiet. The kind of silence that presses on your ears, making every tiny sound feel deafening by comparison. She stepped into the room on bare feet, the door swinging shut behind her without a sound. Heather was already on her hands and knees, head pressed to the floor in reverence. And me? I just sat there, frozen. My instincts screamed at me to do something, but I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t even blink. The truth? I was beyond shitless, looking for another metaphor to describe just how my little meeting with Heather turned into one of the most terrifying things I could think of. ¡°Rise my faithful.¡± The Goddess said in a quiet voice. It was kind, like a mother speaking to a child. I, for one, felt reassured. Heather rose to her feet, trembling. The Goddess placed her hands on her shoulders. ¡°All is well.¡± The Goddess said. ¡°How¡­¡± Heather began, her voice trembling and breathless. She paused, taking a deep breath before trying again. ¡°How may I serve you, My Goddess?¡± ¡°You already serve me very well,¡± Amania replied, her voice warm but commanding. ¡°And I must say, you keep some interesting company.¡± Her gaze shifted to me, sharp and probing, with a hint of sternness. I gave her a weak little smile. Please don¡¯t smite me. ¡°I have learned to look for the grace in others, even if they don¡¯t follow the path,¡± Heather said softly, her head still bowed. ¡°Yes,¡± Amania replied, her expression softening into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you have. Not everyone is suited to follow me, but those who do must seek the goodness in others and nurture it, encouraging them to grow. There are many gods and many paths, after all.¡± Her gaze returned to Heather, a flicker of pride in her eyes. ¡°I know this understanding is new to you, and I am overjoyed at how much your heart has grown.¡± ¡°Thank you for your grace and wisdom,¡± Heather said, her head still bowed in reverence. The Goddess sighed, a sound both serene and weighty, as her gaze shifted back to me. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I froze under the intensity of her stare. It was more than just eye contact. It felt like she could see into me. Not just on the surface but all the way to my core. My soul, my thoughts, everything. The silence stretched, her gaze holding mine far longer than I was comfortable with. I didn¡¯t dare look away, but gods, I wanted to. It felt like being pinned under a mountain. It was not painful but immovable, inevitable. Finally, she looked away, and I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding. ¡°My being here is disrupting the business of the temple.¡± She said after a moment. Turning her gaze to Heather. ¡°So, we need to make this quick. Look at me, child.¡± Heather hesitated but slowly lifted her gaze to meet the Goddess¡¯s face. Amania looked down at her with a mix of concern and authority. ¡°I have a quest for you.¡± ¡°I will do whatever you wish, my Goddess.¡± ¡°You will assist the Champion of The Unnamed God on her quest to find the thief and the necklace,¡± Amania said, her tone leaving no room for question. ¡°Of course,¡± Heather bowed her head. ¡°Up here, please.¡± The Goddess¡¯s voice softened, a gentle, bell-like giggle escaping her lips as she placed a hand under Heather¡¯s chin, gently lifting it until their eyes met again. ¡°Before she completes her quest, you will bring the necklace to the temple.¡± ¡°I will do all that you wish me to.¡± Amania¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°I cannot tell you why this must be done, but it is vital. I suspect it is important not only to me but to the Unnamed God as well. More than two gods are involved in this.¡± She threw a pointed glance my way. ¡°You must not fail.¡± ¡°You owe me no explanations,¡± Heather said quietly. ¡°I will do as you command.¡± ¡°Ensure your friend does the same,¡± Amania continued. ¡°I know she has a good heart and will likely try to do the right thing, but she is not mine to command.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Heather replied with conviction. ¡°Um, Okay.¡± I instantly regretted the words as they left my mouth. ¡°Champion,¡± There was power behind her words as she spoke, the flattening mountains kind. ¡°I tolerate you in my temple. But you belong to another god. And while The Unnamed God and I are aligned for the most part, I will not have you address me directly again.¡± I just lowered my eyes and turned my head, focusing on the water pitcher. ¡°I do see your soul, Champion,¡± Amania said, her voice steady and unnervingly calm. ¡°Bearing the Unnamed God¡¯s Mark does not bring you joy. But there is something else. There is a taint hidden even from me.¡± Her gaze bore into me, but I could only manage a shrug. I wasn¡¯t gonna say a fucking word. The air in the room shifted, static building like a storm about to break. A soft breeze swelled like someone flipping on a ceiling fan. ¡°Priestess Heather Elding,¡± Amania declared, her voice ringing with authority, ¡°I bestow upon you the rank of Cleric. You will serve me afield and deliver justice to the world in my name.¡± Heather¡¯s last name? News to me. But, uh, congrats, I guess. ¡°Thank you, Goddess,¡± Heather said, her voice trembling with reverence. ¡°One last thing,¡± Amania said, stepping closer. Before Heather could react, Amania leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead. The instant their skin made contact, a spark of electricity flashed between them. Heather started folding in half as she sank to the floor. ¡°Whoa!¡± I leaped out of the chair and dove to catch her, barely keeping her head from smacking against the floor. Between the shocks, spells, and fainting, I was starting to develop a complex. At least this time, I¡¯d been fast enough to intervene. Small victories. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± the Goddess said, her tone reassuring but firm. ¡°It¡¯s just a little boon. Nothing like your encounter with the Unnamed God.¡± She straightened, gesturing to her chest with an almost casual grace. ¡°This is just an avatar.¡± I was sitting on the floor, cradling Heather¡¯s head in my lap. She¡¯s so fucking pretty. I thought, the words slipping through my mind unbidden. ¡°Mind those impure thoughts,¡± Amania said, her silver eyes locking onto mine with a knowing glint. ¡°Especially about one of my daughters.¡± Her sternness softened for the first time, and she smiled¡ªlike a mother lightly scolding a child. She tilted her head, chuckling quietly before continuing. ¡°All right, you may speak.¡± ¡°What do you mean by a taint?¡± I asked, my voice uncertain but steady enough. ¡°Your soul is damaged,¡± she said, her tone taking on a measured seriousness. ¡°A piece has been chipped away, and you carry a scar.¡± ¡°How does something like that even happen?¡± I asked, the knot of unease tightening in my chest. ¡°What does it mean, exactly?¡± ¡°I wish I knew,¡± Amania said, her voice tinged with regret. ¡°But it can be healed.¡± ¡°Can you help heal it?¡± I asked quickly, hoping for some divine intervention. ¡°No,¡± she replied, her expression darkening. ¡°Not until I understand how it happened.¡± ¡°Should I be worried?¡± I asked, my breath catching. ¡°I¡¯m worried,¡± Amania said, her gaze piercing. ¡°What does that tell you?¡± The weight of her words settled heavily in the room, and before I could respond, her form began to fade. Amania, the Goddess of Purity, disappeared, leaving behind the faint resonance of her presence. And then, the temple¡¯s bells rang out once more, their echoes carrying a chilling finality. NEW QUEST: RUBY MADNESS, SIDE QUEST Amania, The Goddess of Purity, has ordered Heather Elding to assist you in your Ruby Madness Quest but has ordered the stolen necklace to be brought to the Temple of Purity before completing the quest. She indicates that there is a very good reason to do so but hasn¡¯t said what it is. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE DECLINED. To complete the quest, you must: Capture Verrona Faedan. Secure the Ruby Necklace Deliver the Ruby Necklace to the Temple of Purity. Rewards: Unknown, maybe nothing. ¡°Oh shit,¡± Heather said, opening her eyes. ¡°That was amazing.¡± She looked at me, her eyes practically rolling out of her head. She breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. ¡°You¡¯re a cleric now. What does that mean?¡± ¡°Got some new spells.¡± She shook her head and sat up. I reluctantly let her go. Oh, she smelled good. ¡°I only had Heal Other and Assessment before.¡± ¡°What did you pick up?¡± ¡°Divine Smite,¡± she said. ¡°Just a smack on the head really. Divine Blessing, which adds speed and strength boosts, and¡­¡± she paused. ¡°Sword of Justice.¡± ¡°Sword of Justice?¡± She stood, and a massive broadsword of radiant light erupted from her hand. She looked at it awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s a sword of divine light, kind of thing. It comes with level three energy sword skill.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re part of the Church of Purity¡¯s militant branch now?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no militant branch. We¡¯re literally all healers.¡± She dismissed the sword and looked confused. ¡°I mean, we can¡¯t even heal ourselves.¡± ¡°The goddess decided I needed some help to get through this quest, so here we go then.¡± I sent a party invitation to Heather. She accepted it instantly. ¡°You¡¯re the Champion of The Unnamed God then?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I said. ¡°Didn¡¯t ask for it, not sure I want it, but he seems pretty chill for a god.¡± ¡°Chill for a god?¡± ¡°I only met two today, so I don¡¯t know. But he said he doesn¡¯t ask anything of his followers, so I can keep doing what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°Which is what?¡± ¡°Up ¡®till now, mostly just stealing shit.¡± ¡°And killing people.¡± I looked at her gloomily. ¡°Not that many.¡± We headed towards the door since it seemed like she was supposed to leave. The crowd around the temple was all in a fuss, and really, not much attention was paid to us. We stopped by the front desk, and Heather said something to Tyler. He smiled at us and gave me a little wave. ¡°I told him I was on a mission from our Goddess.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s part of it,¡± I said. ¡°There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.¡± We left the temple¡¯s chaos and entered the street¡¯s chaos. Well, this neighborhood seemed crazy to me, so how would I know? ¡°I have a problem with Leoleth,¡± I said. We turned the corner and found a bench that wasn¡¯t occupied with people pushing religious crap on us. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s here illegally,¡± I said. ¡°I was threatened with her being seized by the local Imperial Magistrate and sold into slavery.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Heather said. ¡°If she joins the church, then she can have immunity from that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but she doesn¡¯t think Purity is a great idea.¡± ¡°I mean, I could sponsor her.¡± Heather looked ahead in space like she was performing the calculations of such a move in her head. ¡°But there¡¯s a probationary period that she would have to go through, and she wouldn¡¯t be protected fully until she took the oath.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured it wasn¡¯t gonna be a great idea.¡± ¡°It is a great idea,¡± Heather said. ¡°Just not with The Church of Purity.¡± ¡°Honestly, I think we just need to squirrel her away someplace no one can find her.¡± ¡°Hang on,¡± Heather said. ¡°What does your Mark of Death say?¡± I looked back at my sheet, reading through the boon: Mark of Death The symbol of the Unnamed God adorns your body and soul. This divine magic shields your character sheet from those who seek your secrets. All gifts of the Unnamed God will be hidden unless you choose to share them. All adherents of the Church of the Unnamed God are required to help the holder of the Mark of Death. ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°All adherents must render me assistance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they can easily bring her on and sponsor her.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I guess you just lost her forever.¡± ¡°To be honest,¡± Heather said with a smile. ¡°Her soul¡¯s kind of crappy anyway.¡± We walked out of the Temple District, and I rolled the dice on hiring a cab this time. We hopped in and rode it back to The Jester. I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with Heather, but it was getting on, and I wanted to settle in and maybe take a nap before I did my night stuff. She settled in and leaned against me on the ride back. I could tell she was tired, fucking exhausted from getting her boon from the goddess. I was still reeling from the day¡¯s events and just wanted to hang myself. She dozed a little, her body against mine. The Jester was packed for dinner. It was still a bit early, but I was starving. Heather had no energy, so she just sat there. I ended up paying the wench an extra copper to go upstairs to our room and have Leoleth join us. She skipped over to the table, all bubbles and giggles, excited about tomorrow¡¯s party. ¡°Besties!¡± She cried, sitting next to Heather and kissing her on the cheek. Heather smiled and gave her a weak hug. ¡°Are we all going out to party tomorrow?¡± ¡°Party?¡± Heather asked. ¡°Um, yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I have an invite from a guy over in the entertainment district. Fancy drinks, dresses, some maybe illegal sports? It should be fun.¡± ¡°Is this a good use of our time?¡± ¡°I think he maybe knows people? I hope I can get a lead or two from him.¡± ¡°You should see my dress,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°It is almost as sexy as the one the guy gave to Regan.¡± ¡°He gave you a dress?¡± ¡°I think he wanted to make sure I was dressed appropriately for the party,¡± I said, holding up three fingers to the wench. ¡°It might be fun,¡± Heather said. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to do anything like that.¡± ¡°Welcome to the Rogue life,¡± I said. ¡°We have all kinds of fun,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Regan had sex last night.¡± ¡°LEOLETH!¡± ¡°Well, you did.¡± She shrugged as the wench dropped three mugs at our table. Chapter Twenty-Three: We can make it a special occasion thing, like a birthday or something Chapter Twenty-Three: We can make it a special occasion thing, like a birthday or something We all had dinner, and I had a nap. We hadn¡¯t planned on setting up accommodations for Heather, so I left her crashed on my bunk as I exited the suite. I yanked Leoleth out of bed, much to her irritation, and dragged her with me. She was excited to get going once she knew we would do some second-story work. It was a beautiful summer night. It rained for an hour or so after sunset, so the entire city was cool, and the air was clean. We headed toward Verrona Faedan¡¯s apartment, which was way up in the commercial district near the Grand Bazaar. I filled her in on what had happened with The God of Death. She was surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. Kissing gods? Why not if you¡¯re cute enough? I let her in on my plan to have the church shield her. She was on board. Truthfully, she was the only one who didn¡¯t seem worried about the whole thing. Since it was late, I knew it was only safe to walk the Hub Boulevards, so we had to take to the rooftops when I finally got to the area and cross the city Batman style. Which, fuck yeah, I¡¯m Batman, and Leoleth is, I don¡¯t know. Like the Riddler and Robin kind of mixed together. She had been training with me most nights, so she had the physical skills to keep up as we vaulted and bounced around, but she lacked the stealth skill for legitimate second-story work. I would make sure the place was clear before bringing her in. I may be good at sneaking around, but Leoleth was a damn genius when it came to magic shit. We traded in our street clothes for stealthy outfits. I wore my black padded armor and cloak, tucking my absurd hair away, and opted for the soft-soled shoes. Leoleth put on a black cowl with a black shirt and pants. After about an hour and a half, we reached the apartment building and stationed ourselves discreetly on the roof. The former guard lived on the fourth floor of a big six-story building. I tied the Rope of Obedience around one of the dozens of chimneys that poked out of the roof. After ensuring no one was watching me, I slid down two stories to Faedan¡¯s place. I unlocked the window with a dagger and rolled discretely into the apartment in full stealth mode, officially adding breaking and entering to my resume as a Rogue. She lived in a large studio apartment. And it was, thankfully, immaculate for the most part. There was a sleeping area with a large double bed, a living area with a couch, a cocktail table, two chairs, and a kitchen slash dining area. Off to the right of the bed was an attached bathroom. I noticed that not all units had these. It was a nice place. One thing I did find interesting was a large, well-worn Imperial banner that adorned the wall over the bed. I swept the room, keeping out of the sizeable, unoccupied center. I¡¯m not exactly Sherlock Holmes or anything. I just figured I¡¯d look for anything abnormal. Of course, this is a world of magic and shit, so what the hells is abnormal anyway. Regardless, the signs were clear that she had left quickly. The dresser¡¯s drawers and the closet were left open with clothes hanging out. There was an empty piece of pried-up floorboard under the bed. The cabinet under the sink was left open, and one of the drawers from the kitchen was pulled out, revealing a hidden compartment in the back that was also empty. Lastly, peeking behind the banner, I saw a hole in the plaster where something else was hidden away. She had time to pull out her go gear and take off. Other than the signs of leaving, the place was tidy. I signaled Leoleth with a tug on the rope, and she climbed down quickly. As she folded her long ass legs through the window, I couldn¡¯t help but think of the giant spider we¡¯d killed back in the keep. We had already agreed: no talking. She¡¯d go straight into investigative mode as soon as she was inside, so I moved to the wall to the right of the window and kept watch. One eye was on the room, and one was scanning the outside. She pulled a small control rod from her storage necklace. It looked like a dainty crochet needle, but it had a tiny power crystal on the end instead of a hook. Holding it steady in her right hand at eye level, she murmured an incantation to activate it. The rod began to glow faintly, casting a soft light as she moved slowly around the room. With deliberate precision, she traced tiny circles in the air with the glowing crystal. A faint sigil appeared before her, shimmering faintly as she peered through it. Her voice stayed low and steady as she repeated the incantation, keeping the spell active while she scanned every corner of the space. She methodically worked along the perimeter, step by step, the sigil floating like a magnifying glass in front of her. Once she¡¯d covered the outer edges, she moved inward, spiraling closer and closer to the open space in the center. When she finished, she stopped in the center of the room and deactivated the spell. The glow faded, leaving the space dim and eerily quiet once more. ¡°Magical residue,¡± Leoleth murmured, almost to herself. ¡°Residue?¡± I asked. She sighed, the kind of exasperated sound that screamed amateur hour. ¡°Recent spell work,¡± she clarified, her tone clipped. ¡°Just traces.¡± From her storage, she pulled out a small pouch, shook out some white powder, and began drawing a circle around the center of the room. Then she grabbed a piece of chalk and started sketching arcane glyphs inside the powder circle with practiced precision. ¡°Is that salt?¡± I asked, curiosity overriding my sense of self-preservation. She sighed again, more dramatically this time. ¡°You keep asking stupid questions.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered. ¡°I just wanted to know.¡± ¡°You suck at magic,¡± she said flatly, not even pausing in her work. ¡°You said you wanted to know it, but every time I try to teach you, you keep whining about how you¡¯re no ¡®Hermanie¡¯ person from your world.¡± ¡°Yeah, so?¡± I replied, crossing my arms with a pout. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean about it.¡± She didn¡¯t even look up, but I swore I saw the tiniest twitch of a smirk. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s salt,¡± She said impatiently. ¡°It keeps residual magic from seeping into the circle so I can figure out what she did here.¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± She stopped and just looked at me. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, putting my hands up. Leoleth continued inscribing symbols inside the circle, her movements precise and deliberate. She worked methodically, filling the space with intricate designs until the entire chalk ring was complete. Once finished, she stepped outside the salt circle and pulled out another control rod. This one was larger, with a bigger stone at the end that seemed to hum faintly with power. Her voice dropped as she began a new incantation, the words slower and more complex. Holding the rod steady, she started drawing in the air, the tip leaving a trail of glowing red symbols that floated in place. She moved around the circle, adding more symbols in layers and creating concentric rings of glowing red light. The rod carved them into the air as if etching them into reality. As she completed the final ring, the chalk circle on the ground began to glow softly, resonating with the energy in the air. The red symbols pulsed in time with the circle¡¯s light, and then, as if responding to her presence, the rings and symbols began to spin, interlocking and rotating around each other in mesmerizing patterns. She stepped back, letting her arms fall to her sides, watching the glowing shapes spinning faster, filling the room with eerie, otherworldly energy. ¡°She can enchant items. But she was sloppy. Didn¡¯t cleanse the ritual space when she was finished.¡± She snorted, a sour look on her face. ¡°Maybe she was in a hurry,¡± I said. ¡°What does it mean for us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Leoleth tilted her head. ¡°Maybe something, maybe nothing. It needs to cook for a bit, then we¡¯ll see.¡± She started pulling at the fabric on her butt. ¡°These pants are too tight.¡± She said, looking at me. ¡°I¡¯m too skinny for tight pants.¡± ¡°I think you look pretty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re horny all the time, you don¡¯t know what you like.¡± ¡°Gods damn.¡± I pouted. ¡°Wounding.¡± ¡°I love you, so I say the hard things. No, I think the tight dresses and skirts are okay, but I definitely need looser pants.¡± She glanced down at her waistline, ¡°Definitely with a lower waist, I have a sexy stomach, but my ass is too flat.¡± ¡°The pants look good, but you would look so cute with a lower waist.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re just being sweet.¡± She looked me up and down. ¡°You have a little body." She sounded like she was giving me an appraisal. "But you can wear everything and look pretty.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d kill for your legs.¡± ¡°Yes. But I¡¯d die for half the breasts you have.¡± She stood, pushing her chest out. ¡°No girls to bring out to play. Really?¡± ¡°You are beautiful and sexy; you don¡¯t even have to try.¡± ¡°You know, we should have sex at least.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t even like girls.¡± ¡°I like you.¡± She smiled at me, fluttering her eyelashes. ¡°And I know you want to fuck me, so I¡¯m down for it. We can make it a special occasion thing, like a birthday or something.¡± ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know.¡± I just shrugged my shoulders; I wasn¡¯t sure how to word this without being too cringe. ¡°I have, or had, a sister back on Earth. Her name is Megan.¡± My feelings toward Leoleth were complicated, to say the least. She was this beautiful, exotic creature. I was drawn to her, that was for sure. But I knew how to place her emotionally, even if I never said it out loud. ¡°Megan and Regan?¡± She looked at me with a quizzical look. ¡°We¡¯re twins. It¡¯s what they do back there.¡± ¡°Weird, but okay.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot about you that reminds me of her. She had an easy, over-the-top beauty: tall, blonde, and extremely outgoing. I see those things in you and can¡¯t help loving them.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said. She had a curious ¡®not sure where this is going¡¯ look. I felt myself getting emotional. I missed Megan so much. It was so easy to get caught up in the world here that I felt guilty whenever I thought of her and realized I wasn¡¯t thinking about her as much as I should be. ¡°But you are also so different; you say anything that pops into your head, and you have shown immense friendship to me when I know I haven¡¯t always been that nice. You also embrace everything and want to experience as much as you can, and It¡¯s so fun to be around you.¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m your do-or-die girl.¡± She smiled. I¡¯m pretty sure she was blushing. ¡°You¡¯re,¡± I said, my eyes getting teary. ¡°You¡¯re like the sister I didn¡¯t know I had.¡± I started crying as I fought to finish what I was saying. ¡°And I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too!¡± She cried out and walked over, wrapping her chilly arms around me. We hugged tightly as I cried out the rest of my feelings. ¡°Frost Elves don¡¯t have big families, so I never had a sister. I never really had a family.¡± She caught her breath. ¡°After living with you, I feel like I do. I worry about losing you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t lose me,¡± I said, my head still buried in her shoulder. We were still hugging tightly. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I promise.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she whispered. And we were mostly through it. We pulled back, both slightly embarrassed about all the tears in the room we were currently trespassing in. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything to keep me around.¡± I wiped my eyes and smiled up at her, all red and puffy, and she was blue and puffy. ¡°I¡¯m do-or-die for you too.¡± She smiled at me, radiant in the glow of the ritual running next to her. She was an image of lean, statuesque beauty, that was for sure. ¡°I still think we should have sex.¡± ¡°Oh, my gods,¡± I said. All the tension and Breakfast Clubby feelings were now gone. I did like the way she felt up against me, in any case. Her body was so cool to the touch that it was practically electric. Multiple plink sounds were coming from the ritual spell in the center of the room. We separated, and Leoleth started circling the space. Each red glowing circle disappeared with a puff of smoke until only one was left. Leoleth looked over at it, beaming. ¡°That is how you do that,¡± she said proudly. ¡°I knew it would work.¡± ¡°What worked?¡± ¡°Give me a copper coin.¡± ¡°You have your own coins.¡± ¡°I only have gold.¡± ¡°For the gods,¡± I muttered, pulling out a purse of copper coins. ¡°Got all the coppers you need in there.¡± She pulled a copper coin out and dropped it in the circle¡¯s center. It clanked on the floor and sat there, glowing slightly. ¡°And the point is?¡± I asked. ¡°She enchanted something, a garment or piece of jewelry,¡± Leoleth said, looking at the floating red circle. ¡°The enchantment has a magical resonance. I¡¯m going to soak the coin in this thing, and when we get close enough to the object, it will make it vibrate. The more close, the more vibration.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the range?¡± ¡°About half a mile or so?¡± She stepped back, her hand on her chin. ¡°Maybe more. Maybe less.¡± ¡°Can you do more than one?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Put the whole bag in,¡± I said. ¡°We are going to need a shit load of coins.¡± She carefully poured the bag into the circle, and about thirty coins clinked down against the wood. They all started glowing. ¡°This¡¯ll take a while.¡± She handed the empty bag back to me. ¡°Like, the rest of the night.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just gonna need to figure out how to get these out around the city so we can pick up her location.¡± ¡°How do we do that?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Leoleth walked over to the bed and lay down on it, tapping the space beside her with a smile. I supposed we would be here for the night, but no. ¡°I¡¯ll sit watch,¡± I said. I crawled into the large bed and leaned against the banner on the wall behind me. She lay down, her head in my lap. I swear she purred like a cat. I sat there, stroking her hair and keeping an eye on the door and window. I was reasonably sure there wouldn¡¯t be any trouble; we¡¯d been here for an hour or so, and I imagined no one would wait much longer to attack us. I suck at sitting watch. We just ended up snuggling, and I can¡¯t even remember when I fell asleep. Leoleth actually snuck out and got us breakfast at first light, and I had no idea she had gone. It was the latest I¡¯d slept in this crazy world. She came into the apartment humming to herself with two cups of coffee and a plate of bacon, bread, and cheese from a vendor on the street. For a brief time, I thought that if someone were watching the place, they would definitely know we were here. But then, who would suspect two chicks would just move into the apartment for the night and sleep? We sat, crisscross applesauce, on the bed, eating mostly in silence, and then she got up and walked around the ritual circle, muttering. It was interesting to see her work. I wasn¡¯t savvy enough to know if she knew what she was doing, but she sold it well to a know-nothing like me. When she seemed satisfied, she pulled out a different control rod than she used the night before and started deconstructing the ritual. She pulled each thread of light that made up the red ring, the golden circle and brushed away every trace of the chalk and salt. Everything whisked away into a magical void that closed with a final twist of her wrist and a chant. ¡°That is how you properly cleanse a ritual.¡± She said, striking a pose and crossing her arms. We changed into non-break-in clothes, gathered the coins in a bag, and headed out the front door. There was little point in trying to sneak out. I doubted if anyone was even seriously staking out the place. Since Faedan made it clear she was going underground, the idea of her sneaking back into her apartment seemed unlikely. The outer reaches of the Grand Bazaar were already bustling. It scared the hells out of me, and I put off exploring it simply because I feared it would just swallow me up.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I steered us away south, toward the Temple District¡ªstill one big piece of business to take care of. We trudged through the Entertainment District and along the western edge of the Capital District before finding my new home away from home. We walked among the streets and temples and statues with no luck. For a brief moment of hope, we thought we had found it, but the magnificent temple with sharp black and red spires and domineering hooded statutes was the Temple of Granvul, God of Domination. The dude rocked the Heavy Metal Death God look, and I could feel a lurch in my stomach as I gazed up at his menacing appearance. Eventually, we moved west of the district, where it started transforming into a dingy-looking semi-industrial neighborhood filled with multi-use buildings. Most seemed to be storefronts for tradespeople. On the very edge of the district, we finally found it. The Temple of the Unnamed God was less than impressive. It seemed that people weren¡¯t donating to the one god that just wanted to end their lives. But then I got it that he was a little misunderstood. But it was just sad. Rather than a grand building with pillars and statues, the temple was wedged into a disused storefront next to a stone cutter specializing in kitchen counters and a closed-down catering company. The door was adorned with a single brass plaque, black-painted windows, and a skull-shaped knocker. A couple of minutes after knocking, an old human man opened the door and barked, ¡°Not interested!¡± before slamming it shut with a level of commitment I could almost admire. Undeterred, I knocked again, this time waiting patiently. When he returned to the door, I was ready. I had my right hand already raised, displaying the Mark of Death. ¡°By the gods!¡± he whisper-shouted, looking at me with wide eyes, ¡°Come in, please!¡± He was bald with slight grey and brown eyebrows, a crooked nose, grey stubble, and oddly perfect teeth like he¡¯d invested all his energy into his dental hygiene while letting the rest of himself go. He wore a black tunic, pants, and an old leather cowl with the hood down. His brown eyes bugged out of his head, and he was barely taller than me. He shuffled aside, half bowing and scrambling as he gave me room to enter. I quickly grabbed Leoleth by the hand and pulled her in with me. We tumbled through a dusty vestibule and passed through a set of double doors into the temple proper. The transformation was startling. Gone was the shabby storefront vibe¡ªthis place was the real deal. Past the facade, the area expanded into an immense lobby made from black and white polished marble. In the middle stood a twelve-foot representation of the Unnamed God cast in bronze. A row of unmanned service windows ran along the back wall like the ones in the Purity Temple. Several doors led off to each side, along with twin spiraling staircases that led down below to gods know where below the floor. ¡°Unexpected,¡± Leoleth said, her voice echoing in the cavernous space as she took it all in. She gave a slight, approving nod, clearly impressed. The old man, meanwhile, huffed and shuffled nervously in circles around us, looking like he couldn¡¯t decide whether to grovel or bolt. ¡°You grace us, Champion,¡± he finally managed, bowing so deeply I thought he might topple over. ¡°Welcome to Aelindor Innominas, our Temple of the Unnamed God.¡± Leoleth gave me a sideways glance. ¡°Subtle,¡± she muttered, barely hiding her smirk. ¡°Hey there:¡± I said it as chipper as I could. I offered my hand. ¡°I¡¯m Regan. This is Leoleth.¡± ¡°Greetings.¡± He was still bowing when he took my hand delicately. ¡°I¡¯m Peter Gallois, Head Cleric of this Temple.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Peter.¡± Then I added. ¡°Please stop bowing.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry.¡± He straightened up. ¡°It¡¯s all good.¡± ¡°GRETCHEN!¡± He bellowed over his shoulder. ¡°Visitors!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Gretchen?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my wife and head Priestess.¡± Gretchen came bustling out of one of the side rooms, tying a black bonnet onto her head. She was tall, with a soft, grandma-like build about her, and long grey hair tied up under the cap. She wore a simple black cotton dress and black ankle boots. A large Crystal hung on a chain around her neck. She was the cool hippie grandma type. ¡°The Champion!¡± Peter hissed, bowing again. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Gretchen yelped. She then slapped her hand around her mouth and bowed. Leoleth and I just stood there, with the other two starting the bowing thing again. The hard part was that no one was saying anything. It had been about a thousand years, give or take, since there was a Champion of the Unnamed God, so I¡¯m pretty sure there was no established protocol for anyone who meets said Champion for the first time. So, it seemed like Peter and Gretchen had only one move. And bowing was pretty much it. ¡°I like them,¡± Leoleth whispered to me, which was deafening in the silence. ¡°I like the dress the Gretchen lady is wearing.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, clapping my hands together lightly. ¡°I think we are past bowing now.¡± The Cleric and Priestess stood straight and looked at me expectantly. ¡°Maybe we can get some tea or coffee?¡± I said after a shrug. ¡°Maybe sit so we can talk a bit.¡± They looked at each other like they had never heard of hot beverages before. ¡°And something sweet,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Like biscuits? Or some bread or jam. I''m crashing and need some sugar.¡± ¡°Um,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Sure.¡± She scurried off toward the door she came out through. Peter smiled and gestured for us to follow him. We went through a door in the opposite direction and into a lamp lit hallway with a series of doors leading off to the right. He led us into the last one, a comfortable lounge with two facing leather couches, warm wood walls with shelves, and various old-looking trinkets around the room. It was not at all death churchy in the least. ¡°We don¡¯t do this a lot.¡± He said after we sat down. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mean sitting,¡± I said jokingly. It made him smile but not laugh. It was a stupid joke, so I was lucky to get that. ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°Been a few centuries.¡± ¡°Why he chose a champion after all these years is beyond me. Did he tell you why?¡± ¡°Something about boots on the ground.¡± ¡°And you can commune with him.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it communing.¡± I smiled. I knew I wasn¡¯t what he thought a death champion would look like. ¡°We can chat, but he said he¡¯s pretty busy.¡± ¡°Remarkable.¡± Peter just shook his head at this. ¡°To live in such times.¡± Gretchen, Thank the gods, came into the room with a tea cart and, to Leoleth¡¯s delight, a big pile of yellow cookies. I was thankful for her arrival and for putting this conversation out of its misery. ¡°I gotta ask,¡± I said while Gretchen silently poured. ¡°Are there others here?¡± ¡°Not right now,¡± Gretchen answered. ¡°We have thirty disciples locally,¡± Peter said. ¡°But most of them have jobs outside the temple.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Makes sense. Not a lot of donation money is flowing into the Temple, I guess.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t get the same interest other religions do.¡± Gretchen passed me a cup and saucer. ¡°Milk and sugar?¡± ¡°One each, please.¡± She plopped a cube in my drink and tipped a couple of splashes of milk before handing me a small spoon. ¡°It¡¯s better that way,¡± Peter said. ¡°The Unnamed God is very misunderstood, as you would know.¡± After Leoleth took three sugars in her tiny cup and two yellow cookies, Gretchen finished the service. The tea was delicious, and the cookies were lemon and mint, which was very nice. We took a moment to sip and appreciate the tea and snack before business. ¡°So, what brings you to us?¡± Peter asked. He was finally relaxed enough that I felt I could talk to him. ¡°I have a particular problem that I wanted help from the church with.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°My friend.¡± I pointed at Leoleth; she smiled with a mouth full of lemon cookie. ¡°Okay,¡± Peter said warily. ¡°What kind of help.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the Empire illegally, and I need to get her a church sponsorship so she can¡¯t be enslaved and deported.¡± ¡°Does she swear to serve The Church of the Unnamed God?¡± Peter asked, turning to her. ¡°Mmmph, I ¡®oo,¡± she said, her mouth still full. ¡°Done,¡± Peter said with a smile. He set his cup on the table between us and approached her. Without a single word, he placed his hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Leoleth quickly tried to swallow her bite with a gulp and looked at him, eyes wide. A red glow emanated from his hand, slowly enveloping both bodies in a second, and they froze. I felt a rush of panic. I had no idea what was going on. Did they have to kill her or something? ¡°What the hells?¡± I said, standing up. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Gretchen said reassuringly. ¡°He¡¯s got a lot of pent-up energy in his body; he hasn¡¯t done this in a little while.¡± ¡°Done what?¡± ¡°Give a person a Class and Job.¡± She beamed at her husband. ¡°He¡¯s a Head Cleric. He can gift a follower of The Unnamed God the Priest Class and Cleric Job in the name of our lord.¡± ¡°I thought you were just going to induct her into the church, not make her a full Cleric.¡± ¡°This is how it¡¯s done. He gives all who serve the rank of cleric. Then lets us choose what to do with those gifts.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t ask much. He pretty much just told me to keep doing what I was doing.¡± ¡°He asks very little for all that he gives us,¡± she said reverently. ¡°Word.¡± I nodded and sipped my tea. The glowing faded after a couple more moments, and Peter stepped back, looking drained. I stood and took his arm, helping him to his seat. Leoleth kind of flopped down, her eyes closed. ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t choke on her biscuit,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°That¡¯d be ironic.¡± I mused. ¡°Thank you,¡± Peter said after recovering. He gave me a weak smile. ¡°That was interesting. Your friend has the oddest set of skills and spells.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a bit of a mixed bag.¡± I sat down next to him. ¡°By the gods, This is a very exciting time. And now, a champion.¡± ¡°What do you mean exciting?¡± ¡°Whispers,¡± Gretchen said. Sitting next to her husband. ¡°We¡¯ve heard stories of potential upheaval in the Empire.¡± ¡°The church has more followers than you think,¡± Peter said. ¡°We have many eyes and ears around the Empire. There are whispers that many don¡¯t care for our Empress.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s an empire, always gonna be haters.¡± ¡°But strange things are happening. It¡¯s hard to place it exactly, but there are rumors. The last emperor expanded the lands and pushed hard against our enemies.¡± ¡°The Empress,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Is more moderate.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, ¡°I can see how that can be an issue for some people.¡± ¡°Many profit from war and conflict,¡± Peter said. ¡°She has been acting more diplomatically to solve issues with our neighbors and has all but put a stop to expansion.¡± ¡°So, with peace being bad for business, I guess someone might want to pressure the Empress, force her to take a more militant approach to things like her predecessor?¡± ¡°Or to depose her altogether.¡± ¡°Kind of hard to remove a popular figure,¡± I said, acting like I knew anything about anything. ¡°But if the population loses confidence, the work is halfway done.¡± ¡°The Unnamed God isn¡¯t big on mass conflict and death,¡± I said, looking grim. ¡°He told me it makes his job harder.¡± ¡°I envy you.¡± Gretchen had a little laugh. ¡°I would give almost anything to have just a minute in the room with him.¡± ¡°Her burden is heavy,¡± Peter said to his wife. ¡°If The Unnamed God decides he needs a champion for the first time in centuries, then we need to see that as a sign of things to come.¡± ¡°My friend from the Church of Purity just got gifted offensive spells from her god.¡± ¡°Amania¡¯s Church?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Yeah, I was there when she gave them to her.¡± ¡°You met Amania, the Goddess of Purity?¡± ¡°Yeah, she showed up yesterday as an avatar at the temple when I was there.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve personally met two gods then?¡± ¡°Yeah, but Amania almost made me pee a little.¡± ¡°If there is something on the horizon,¡± Peter said, sitting up. ¡°We need to think about mobilization.¡± ¡°Most of our followers here are in the Mercenary Guild,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to pull them in until after The Festival.¡± ¡°Amania was interested in this quest I must do for the Magistrate,¡± I said. ¡°She has my friend helping me with it.¡± I didn¡¯t want to talk about Heather with them just yet. I wasn¡¯t sure how they felt about me being close to a cleric from another church. ¡°What is your quest?¡± Peter asked. I explained the events from Butcher Block row, meeting The Unnamed God, and the altercation the next day. The blackmail from the Magistrate that was forcing me to help her find Faedan and the ruby necklace. And finally, how I learned about Amania¡¯s interest in my quest. ¡°Your story is ridiculous,¡± Peter said flatly to me. ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°The part where she tasks you to get the fugitive and necklace.¡± ¡°Does seem weird.¡± ¡°She probably has her own agents working on it,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°But right now, it seems strange that she would employ you to do it.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯m limited to my choices. She has my coin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a member of the church,¡± Peter said. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°But the Mark of Death is either all or nothing. I can¡¯t reveal my church affiliation without revealing that I¡¯m the Champion of the Unnamed God. I don¡¯t need that kind of heat.¡± ¡°The quest,¡± Peter said. ¡°Let me see it.¡± I offered the quest screen for him to read. He read it, his lips moving in some internal dialog. ¡°Ah,¡± he said. ¡°Okay. Stick to the exact terms of the quest, and the token will appear in your inventory. The Magistrate will have no power over you, and you can leave the city if necessary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t really want to leave.¡± ¡°No bitch is gonna tell us where to live.¡± Leoleth was awake but just looking off into the space before her. She was leaning back on the couch; cookie crumbs were spilled all over the front of her dress. I wasn¡¯t sure how long she was listening in. She rolled her head over and looked at Peter. ¡°That was fucking amazing, by the way.¡± ¡°So, if you want to stay,¡± Peter said, deliberately ignoring her. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to do something more than just finish this quest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a gods damn necklace. Is it?¡± I said ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know what it is,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I seriously doubt the Empress would come here and want to wear a specific ruby necklace.¡± ¡°I guess Amania probably knows.¡± ¡°So be careful in that Temple.¡± ¡°Is Amania as easygoing as The Unnamed God?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the Goddess of Purity,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Like most gods, she expects obedience. She can deny the soul entry into the next life.¡± ¡°But she preaches forgiveness and rehabilitation.¡± ¡°She does, but that¡¯s forgiveness for mistakes and following temptation. I wouldn¡¯t expect her to forgive someone who directly disobeys her. I don¡¯t know anything about your friend, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend placing her in a situation where she has to choose.¡± ¡°Well, shit.¡± I sighed. ¡°There was something else she said.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She said my soul was chipped.¡± ¡°Chipped?¡± Peter looked at Gretchen. ¡°You mean like a piece taken away? Did she elaborate?¡± ¡°Just that something was done to it. She said she could probably heal it, but she needed more information. I asked if I should be worried, and she said yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with that,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Me neither.¡± Said Peter. ¡°You should commune with The Unnamed God,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°He might be able to provide you with the insight you need.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°We will offer as much help and support as you need,¡± Peter said. ¡°I¡¯m a very capable cleric; Gretchen is very powerful, too.¡± ¡°We will also start pulling the followers in,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We have a couple here in the city, but they aren¡¯t capable fighters.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, standing. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Peter shot up, almost falling over. ¡°The Relics!¡± ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Gretchen smiled, getting to her feet. ¡°You get those, and I¡¯ll get the robes.¡± Both of them raced out of the room. Leoleth leaned up, brushing the crumbs off her. She smiled at me, looking tipsy. ¡°Are we fucked?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± It was the fakest answer I ever gave in my life. Gretchen entered the room first. Holding two bundles of black silk fabric. She stood between us since we were on opposite couches. ¡°These,¡± she said, handing one bundle to each of us. ¡°Are two of our finest sets of robes.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, taking my bundle. NEW ITEM: CLERICAL ROBES OF THE UNNAMED GOD, HOLY RELICS Spun from the black silk of the dreaded Shadow Arachne, The Robes worn by the Clerics of The Church of the Unnamed God are among the most sought-after magical garments for thieves and assassins. The silk is strong enough to protect the wearer from stabbing and slashing attacks at the same level as scale armor and will self-heal after twenty-four hours. Each garment possesses a different magical ability from the Shadow Arachne. While all parts of the garment are worn, 5pts Dexterity Boost. 10pts Luck boost. Shadow Invisibility: Casts spell to render the wearer invisible in low light. Activation time: Instant. Range: Self. Cost: None. Duration: 10 Minutes. Cool Down: 1 Hour. 35% increase in EP Pool. ¡°Good Merch.¡± I smiled at Gretchen. ¡°The church doesn¡¯t have many of these left,¡± she said. ¡°Since it takes a sacrificial summoning to get a Shadow Arachne.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way The Unnamed God would allow that.¡± I placed them in my inventory and equipped them. ¡°Years ago, they found one that was summoned already and kept it for a time, harvesting the silk.¡± ¡°Ah yeah.¡± I stood from the couch and walked around, getting a feeling for the robes. The inner robes were belted and went down to my ankles; it was very Sith lords. The outer robe would have seemed to inhibit mobility, but it flowed naturally and helped focus my hand and arm movements as I tested out some kicks and jabs. The magic and buffs required both robes to be worn, but I could use the inner robes and enjoy the armor effects. Leoleth was wearing hers, doing karate-style kicks, and making swoop noises as she moved around the room. ¡°I can shoot webs.¡± She said with a grin. ¡°Not inside, please,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°No fun.¡± Peter arrived a moment later, two wooden cases under his arm. He was nearly out of breath. He placed them on the tea cart, almost knocking everything off. ¡°These,¡± he said after coughing. ¡°Are two of the last relics we have.¡± He steadied himself on the cart. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to run all the way down there to get them,¡± I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. ¡°You certainly did not!¡± Gretchen barked sternly. ¡°I don¡¯t think The Unnamed God is ready to claim you yet. But you need to remember your age.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, one last gulp of air, and he was recovered. ¡°I was just excited; we¡¯ve been holding on to these for too long.¡± He opened the first case. It contained a cruciform dagger almost eighteen inches long. The blade was a white shining metal I didn¡¯t know, and the handle was black with a ruby gem embedded in the hilt. It had a matching scabbard next to it in the box. ¡°It¡¯s called Silent Passage,¡± Peter said reverently. ¡°The blade is cythian-enriched steel. It maintains a perfect edge, will self-sharpen and repair, and is moderately effective against magical protection.¡± He raised his finger, ¡°But, when you wear or wield it, you can activate the enchantment, which will render you completely silent for five minutes once per hour.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± I held off touching it since he was in the middle of his presentation. ¡°This,¡± he opened the other case. ¡°Is its sister, Silent Night.¡± It looked identical to Silent Passage but had an emerald stone in the hilt instead. ¡°Same metal with different enchantment.¡± He held it up. ¡°A successful attack with this, and the target will be completely silent for two minutes. There are no screams, no sound of blood pouring out, and no sound of the body hitting the floor or any object they drop or touch. There is also no cool down.¡± ¡°Oh boy,¡± I said, letting out a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding. ¡°The Unnamed God is really leaning into me being an assassin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an assassin?¡± Peter looked at me sideways for a moment. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the first job I picked up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem like an assassin to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the hair.¡± Chapter Twenty-Four: Don鈥檛 slut shame me. Chapter Twenty-Four: Don¡¯t slut shame me. We exited The Temple of the Unnamed God with two magical daggers, two magical robes, and a basket of lemon cookies. It was all I could do to keep them from stripping out the pipes from the place so I could sell it for scrap metal. Peter and Gretchen would start bringing the followers in, which meant some support if needed, but I was mostly on my own with the quest. It was midmorning, and I splurged for a carriage back to The Jester. We skirted south of the Temple District and up Central Boulevard. After what happened the other day, I was still a bit jittery about riding in the back of these things. Fuck me, that was Yester-fucking-day? I rage thought. It was getting to be about five weeks since I came to this world. And this shit is starting to seem like, I don¡¯t know, fucking normal. Gods, superpowers, outfits made of the webs of giant killer demon spiders. And this was just a fucking Tuesday here. I thought of Megan. I thought of my stupid little room with my unmade bed, my computer, and a half a week¡¯s worth of dirty dishes piled over every surface. I felt angry. Why was I in that room all the time? I mean, all the fucking time when I wasn¡¯t working. It felt like a jail cell to me now. For some reason, it didn¡¯t feel that way at the time, though. I liked my room. I looked at Leoleth, who gazed dreamily out the window. ¡°What can a Cleric of the Church of the Unnamed God do?¡± I asked. ¡°Lots of sexy stuff,¡± she looked at me, batting her lashes. ¡°I need to practice a bit.¡± She waved her hand, displaying her new spells. Spells: Grip of Death: Freezes the target in the icy grip of death that feeds on the EP and AP of the target until the target is depleted. Activation time: Instant. Range: 10 yards. Cost: 35 EP. Duration: Indefinite. Cool Down: 10 minutes. Death¡¯s Door: Restores target to full health instantly, but only if the target is below 5 VP. Activation time: Instant. Range: Touch. Cost: 27EP. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: None Death¡¯s Shadow: Cast a shadow across a target area and drain 75 VP per second from all targets in the area until all targets leave the area or the spell is terminated. The total HP drained is spread evenly across all targets. Requires a light source in the target area. Activation time: Instant. Range: 100 yards Line of site. Cost: 62 EP Plus 16 EP/Sec. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: 4 hours Wings of Death: Summoned wings of black obsidian feathers. Allows the caster to glide through the air. Wings also offer protection from magical weapons and attacks until depleted. Activation time: Instant. Range: Self. Cost: 12 EP Plus 8 EP/Sec. Duration: Indefinite. Cool Down: 30 minutes. ¡°Yowzer,¡± I said. ¡°I know, right?¡± She said, smiling broadly. ¡°I need to change up my look.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go all gothy on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± ¡°Stay your pretty self, don¡¯t get all kinds of dark makeup and shit.¡± ¡°You still wouldn¡¯t be able to resist me.¡± ¡°I resist you plenty now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an act, you know, and I know it.¡± We finished the trip comparing spells and skills and developing a few basic strategies. She was at level six, getting an experience boost from Peter¡¯s magic touch. She moved as many points into dexterity and spirit as possible to boost her combat capabilities. She was a full-on ranged attacker and already had a massive pool of EP to keep going in a fight. I, on the other hand, was relegated to up close and personal if we got into it. I could use Time Dilation to get into a group and deal with as much damage as possible, and she could help lock down the more problematic players while I did the stabby-stabby thing. If I got my ass kicked, she could fly in and heal me. Heather was eating lunch down in the tavern of The Jester when we got in. Leoleth bounded over to her all gleefully, ready to share her cookies. I was about to sit when Nyvorlas waved me over to the bar. I sighed quietly to myself and came over. ¡°I met the cleric this morning.¡± He looked at me expectantly. ¡°And, what?¡± ¡°You have three people staying in your suite.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a two-bedroom suite.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that two girls can¡¯t share the same bed?¡± ¡°What?¡± He looked at me, flustered for a moment. ¡°No. You¡¯re only paying for two guests.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here for how long? Like, a month or so.¡± I pulled out a pouch of gold out of my storage. And shook several in my hand. ¡°I eat at least two meals a day here and have paid you on time every week.¡± ¡°Now, look.¡± He started to say. ¡°I tip well and have been just as pleasant as the dawn.¡± I slapped three gold coins on the counter with a loud crack. ¡°If that¡¯s not the kind of customer you want, consider our business concluded. This should cover a third person for the rest of the week!¡± ¡°NY-VOR-LAS!¡± Yarnorra, his dwarven wife, stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a look of rage that scared me more than the giant frost spider. She had an apron on, stained with today¡¯s dinner preparations. ¡°A word.¡± She said through gritted teeth at him. He froze momentarily, apparently going through a thousand or so responses, looking for something to get him out of trouble. When he ran out of ideas, he stood facing her at the bar. ¡°In, tha, back.¡± She said, tapping her foot with each word. He huffed and slinked into the kitchen. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, coming to the bar. She had curly red hair, a cacophony of spirals and twists that defied every attempt she could fully control. It gave her a look of wild beauty. It was paired with a sexy walk and fiery spirit. And girlfriend, I was all in. ¡°He okay?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± She bit her lip as if she was not sure of what to say. ¡°Don¡¯t be movin¡¯ out just yet.¡± She locked her eyes on me, and I was immediately terrified of what I was capable of. They were large, deep green, and would not let go of my little half-elf soul. ¡°I like havin¡¯ ya ¡®round.¡± She sighed slightly when she slid the gold back to me at the bar. ¡°This is not a long-term thing,¡± I trailed off as the butterflies in my stomach started doing the electric slide. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± I stammered. ¡°I mean, Heather¡¯s just going through some stuff? She¡¯ll be out after the festival for sure.¡± ¡°¡¯tis fine,¡± She smiled. The dwarves have broad, expressive faces, and her smile radiated enough to light a room for days. Do not fuck the man¡¯s wife! I screamed in my head. ¡°And don¡¯t be payin¡¯ any mind to poor Nyvorlas. He doesn¡¯t handle stress very well.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Livin¡¯ in the city is hard for him, bein¡¯ from the mountains and all.¡± ¡°Alrighty then.¡± I tried to shake the spell out of my head. Poor Nyvorlas? ¡°If Heather still hasn¡¯t sorted things out, I will happily book another room for her.¡± ¡°We have lots o¡¯ beds,¡± she said with a wink. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find a use for some o¡¯ them.¡± She placed two cups of ale and a plate of bread and cheese on the bar. ¡°On the house, sweetie.¡± She then sauntered into the back room. Her outrageous curls bounced with every step. Oh shit. What the hells the matter with me? I balanced the plate on my arms and carried the two cups to the table. ¡°What the fuck just happened?¡± I asked, setting the dishes down. ¡°Dwarves are very lusty,¡± Leoleth said with a grin when I plopped down across from her and Heather. ¡°Mountain Elves, not so much.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything wrong,¡± Heather said, placing her hand on mine. ¡°She¡¯s just a little¡­frustrated.¡± ¡°And he hates me because he thinks I¡¯ll¡­bonk his wife?¡± ¡°He can see you¡¯re attracted to her.¡± ¡°Of course she is.¡± Leoleth chimed in. ¡°And his wife might just be down for trying new things.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Heather said, shooting a look at Leoleth. ¡°There¡¯s the thing about half-elves.¡± ¡°What thing?¡± ¡°They are¡­¡± Heather paused, searching for the right words. ¡°Imagine, like a human,¡± Leoleth said, trying to help. ¡°And like, an elf.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t crossbreed much,¡± Heather said. ¡°Elves have such a long lifespan that they don¡¯t have many children.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, trying to get on board the track they were heading down. ¡°So, I¡¯m a bit of a rare bird?¡± ¡°Elves have a low libido in general. And humans are, like, average? I guess?¡± Heather continued. ¡°So where does that put me?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Half-elves, pretty much,¡± Heather started again. ¡°Have a lot of sex drive.¡± ¡°That puts it mildly,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°If dwarves are lusty? Then half-elves? Ten times as much.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Oh shit. That makes¡­¡± I trailed off. It was like a kick to the gut. I was never a sexual person before I came here. I knew what I was attracted to, but I had no drive at all. I didn¡¯t even like getting touched all that much. I was completely inexperienced with sex, and now I was acting like a fucking hypersexual fiend when I was around anyone that I found remotely attractive. All of this is because my body has a sex drive that I had no idea how to control. Fuck! I fucking knew it! ¡°And a bisexual half-elf is very rare,¡± Heather said. ¡°People see you as an exotic creature.¡± ¡°The thing is,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Everyone knows about half-elves. So, everyone pretty much expects you want to do everyone you meet.¡± ¡°Which is mostly true,¡± Heather said, this time she had a smile. ¡°Based on what I know about you.¡± ¡°Not fair,¡± I said to Heather. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we have this conversation earlier?¡± I mean, it started to click with me. I was attracted to almost everyone I met who was slightly good-looking. And if they were pretty or handsome, then it was all I could do to not throw myself at them then and there. Shit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, putting her hand on mine. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re doomed to a fate of vice and self-degradation or anything. Now that you understand your body, you can control it.¡± ¡°A little self-degradation from time to time is a good thing,¡± Leoleth added. ¡°Okay, so this now makes sense. A sexually frustrated female dwarf may want to experiment with a girl that would be all into her.¡± I said, nodding to myself. I remembered meeting Aelia Longhorn and the weird, fetishy way she acted toward me. ¡°I¡¯m a fucking unicorn.¡± ¡°What do unicorns have to do with it?¡± asked Leoleth. ¡°It¡¯s an expression from where I come from. Meaning I¡¯m a single girl that is available to anybody.¡± ¡°Pretty much you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t slut shame me. You banged Eric how many times? And why don¡¯t you have a low libido like the rest of the elves?¡± ¡°I like anything that feels good. Fucking feels good.¡± ¡°So, you really are just slutty then?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the one shaming now?¡± Leoleth turned to Heather. ¡°You know, she keeps trying to have sex with me.¡± ¡°Oh, my gods! You are so full of shit.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°You know, I may have this supernatural sex drive thing, but I¡¯ve only been with like, I don¡¯t know what, three people since I got here?¡± I counted on my fingers. ¡°Gem and the half dwarf guy, and the other dwarf guy. Oh yeah, Gem and I hooked up with Eric, too. So, like four then.¡± But was there someone else? It felt like there was, making me uneasy for a second. ¡°Hard to count him,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°He¡¯s all flashy with the moves but lacks upper body strength.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you guys were starving him,¡± I replied, not thinking. ¡°There are exceptions.¡± Heather interrupted, shooting a look at Leoleth. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is my life.¡± I sighed. ¡°Sorry, I kept hitting on you before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± They both said simultaneously. I glared at the frost elf. She smiled at me and took a bite of cheese. Heather just lazily waved her hand and ate her lunch without saying anything. She had a stupid grin on her face. It was all she could do to keep from busting out laughing. Oh, Gods, this whole place was so weird. I just felt embarrassed. Not because I was acting like a teenager on her first trip to camp but because I was not controlling myself. But I didn¡¯t understand it until it was spelled out for me. Even though I¡¯m twenty-six-years-old, my body is jam-packed with high-end adolescent hormones. I hadn¡¯t taken the adult effort of even trying to keep that shit under control. We finished lunch, and it was now officially girl time. We had a party to get ready for, and that meant a trip to the salon. I¡¯m glad Leoleth had her shit together enough to make an appointment for us because I was just too distracted to plan this kind of stuff out. It did seem stupid, going off to Sybo¡¯s just when I needed to be looking for a fugitive. The thing is, I had no idea what to do next. So rather than stressing out about it, spending an evening as a guest at a fancy dress party seemed like a way to clear my head and seek out some fresh ideas. Also, Sybo may know someone who could provide me with some assistance. We had all these coins to help us track her, but we needed to be close. If we had church followers, we could party up with them and then use them to sweep the city, looking for a hit. The Union had people, but I didn¡¯t trust Aymon, and I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t do it for free, regardless. I was doing okay for gold, but I doubt I could bankroll a city-wide operation that could last almost five days during Murder World Mardi Gras. Jinx and Kev should be back in town in the next day or two; I knew I could count on them to help; that was something, but way too few for what I needed. ¡°Ye have the maist amazin¡¯ hair, love.¡± Nefaebella, the hairdresser, said when I sat down in her chair. She gently started brushing it, getting my tangles out. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ve kind of been roughing it for a couple of days and not taking good care of it.¡± ¡°It shows,¡± she said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Whit would ye have me dae wi¡¯ it today? I looked at the large salon mirror. I looked like a clown. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed to me. I had large green eyes, a face full of freckles, and frizzy cotton candy pink hair that went down past my shoulders. I imagine that with a little bit of magic, Nefaebella could pretty much do anything she wanted to it. I was looking at a girl that I couldn¡¯t take seriously. ¡°Give me a minute,¡± I said to the dwarven hairdresser. ¡°It¡¯s a lot tae think aboot, isnae it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Where was I in this world? Right here, right now. I¡¯d thought survival would mean fighting every day, so I chose a class that let me be sneaky. I figured I was weak, then sneaky seemed safer. I came to the city expecting constant battles, and while I don¡¯t have to fight every day, I¡¯ve still been living on the edge. Every skill I¡¯ve trained is the kind you¡¯d expect from a criminal. And yet, here I was. I¡¯d already survived three lethal encounters. I didn¡¯t just run or hide. I faced my attackers head-on and took them down. Now I was tasked with capturing a fugitive and turning her in. I was a bounty hunter. A fucking bounty hunter. I thought about bounty hunters from pop culture back on Earth. They were all badasses and larger than life. And sure, I was something like an assassin, except I hadn¡¯t actually assassinated anyone. Not yet. I just killed¡­ a lot. Oh, and let¡¯s not forget: I was a Cleric now. I was The Champion for the Unnamed God. The God of Death. The God of mother fucking Death. Then there was the girl in the mirror. Goofy hair. Goofy smile. Freckles. Who in the hells was I? I thought about Earth. I still called it ¡°home¡± in my head. Back there, I¡¯d just sat at my computer playing games¡ªWorld of Warcraft, Nancy Drew, Minecraft. They weren¡¯t even hobbies. These are just things to fill the time because I didn¡¯t know what else to do. I ate whatever Mom and Dad made for dinner, then repeated the routine the next day. I was sad, but I hadn¡¯t realized it back then. And then I came here. When I landed, I was scared out of my mind, running on adrenaline for the first one hour and forty-seven minutes. The Whisperer showed me options, and I made a choice. I chose to be sneaky. To be smart. I wanted to be someone the world underestimated, someone who could hit hard when no one saw it coming. So, I became a girl with silly freckles, stupid hair, and a face so innocent you¡¯d never think I had two daggers forged by the forces of darkness hidden behind my back. ¡°Just trim it up,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°My girlfriends and I are going to a fancy dress thing tonight? So maybe we can put it up? Do something elegant? And if you get me something to help remove body hair, that would be great too.¡± ¡°Nae a problem sweety.¡± She sighed a bit. ¡°Such bonnie hair. I¡¯m glad ye didnae want tae dae anything tae it.¡± Nefaebella had her work cut out for her. However, like the Champion of the God of Hairdressers, she did brilliantly. I never was into this kind of girly stuff, but it was fun, and my besties and I chatted and giggled with each other as the women in the shop worked hard to make us feel beautiful. I was looking at myself in the mirror in the suite. A series of complex interlocking pins and supernatural hair spray contained the frizz on the top of my head. My bangs and sides trickled down the side of my head like little strings of bells. She wove a gold ribbon through the top with little black butterflies that matched my silk dress. I got a small potion, too, that went into the bathtub. After five minutes of soaking, all the hair was gone south of the neck. I got an odd look when I asked for it, but I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what women did in the southern regions regarding landscaping. I had never gone that route before, and it felt like a bit of exploration. Titus Sybo wanted to dress me up in his version of ¡°pretty.¡± The outfit was a halter dress that wrapped around and crisscrossed my chest, with a low-slung waist and a mermaid skirt. My midriff was almost entirely bare, except for two slim panels in the back that connected to the waist. It was slutty with a touch of elegance. Pretty much me. Thank the gods for the autofit enchantment. At four foot six, the dress shrank by nearly two-thirds the moment I equipped it. I was also braless, which was an entirely new experience for me, but the bare silk was surprisingly comfortable. And, well, I had to admit my enhanced breasts looked cute, even if the fabric was a little on the thin side. I slipped on fancy black sandals and added a simple, unenchanted gold chain around my neck. My weapons and potions stayed tucked away in my inventory, ready to go. On my finger, I wore my second storage ring with less impressive items¡ªjust in case someone decided to rip it off or make me check it at the door. The outfit left plenty of bare tummy for the Chain of Desire to do its thing if needed. After all, a girl doesn¡¯t go to a party without a bit of bling. Who am I kidding? The last time I wore a dress was back at Longhorn¡¯s, and then it was just to not look like some pink-haired hobo. I had no idea what I was doing or going to do at a fancy party, even if there was a bloodsport spectacle below to watch. I was equally inexperienced in knowing what to do at sporting events, although I knew yelling and whooping were expected. Who knows why Titus invited me? I mean, the whole half-elf thing makes sense. He was the kind of sexy that I would be attracted to, even without the hyper-sex drive. Come to think of it, I needed to start categorizing people in my head. There¡¯s hot because I¡¯m a horny ass bitch, and there¡¯s hot because they can be generally accepted as hot. My talk at lunch with the girls made me think about my choices and how I need to control my impulses. For the briefest moment, the idea of just seeing how many people I could nail, or get nailed by, would satisfy my cravings, and images of some Eyes Wide Shut shit went through my head like that was going to happen tonight. I mean, if it did, it would be cool. For fuck¡¯s Sake! My head was a sack of drunk monkeys sometimes. ¡°You¡¯re hogging the mirror.¡± Leoleth griped while I just stood there with my cement mixer of a brain. ¡°Sorry.¡± I stepped aside and let her over. She was wearing a reasonably simple backless blue silk dress. It was long-sleeved and high in front but swung low, I mean dangerously low, in the back. The long skirt bunched a little at the extremely low waistline and was held in place by a silver snowflake-shaped pin on the left. There was a high slit on the right, and her whole thigh was pretty much all out there. She made some adjustments to her hair, which was slicked back. She wore a pair of silver sandals. Heather ignored the mirror altogether. Her long blond hair was wrapped in an elegant crown braid. She wore what I assume was a church-issued gown. It was strapless, with a tight bodice and a flowing skirt made from the same type of fabric as her robe. She had a white metal broach with her emblem of Armenia over her left breast and a silver shawl that kept her look modest. She was, of course, barefoot. It was almost sundown, and we headed down to the tavern. We just walked three abreast, holding hands. ¡°Party up,¡± I said. We wordlessly formed a party of three. There was an option to name the party, so I went ahead and gave it as appropriate a name as I could think of¡ªThe Squad. ¡°Squad Rules,¡± I said with as serious of a look as possible at them while we stood at the window, waiting for the carriage. ¡°What are Squad Rules?¡± Heather asked. ¡°No one goes home alone. We arrive together and leave together.¡± ¡°Sounds simple enough,¡± Leoleth said to the group. And then she turned to me. ¡°When you go and fuck somebody, do it in a closet or something.¡± ¡°As if.¡± I glared at her. ¡°This is the new me. No fucking anybody tonight.¡± Sybo¡¯s carriage rolled up a moment later. Maltz, the cat-kin, was up next to the driver. He was shirtless as usual. He sneered down at us when it stopped. Or was it a smile? Gods the guy was just hard to read. ¡°The bosss sssaid a guessst.¡± He hissed. So that was how he talked. I wondered if he could purr like a house cat. ¡°There are two.¡± Definitely a sneer. ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°First of all, great counting there. I lost track after one myself. Second, my girls and I are a party, and we can go to many fun activities tonight. So give the boss my warmest regards, and I hope to see him on my next delivery.¡± I stood there, holding eye contact with my arms crossed. ¡°Fine.¡± He growled. ¡°You can come.¡± Now, it was a new standoff. He sat up next to the driver, looking down at us. We didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t move. After a few moments, Heather stepped up to the front of the cab and huffed. ¡°The door.¡± She said sternly, arms crossed. If she were wearing little last season Prada shoes, I¡¯m sure she would be stomping them at him. Maltz hopped down and opened the door, be it the power of the Goddess of Purity or the power of a pissed-off smoking hot blond bombshell. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as Leoleth and I piled in. ¡°May the Goddess bless you.¡± Chapter Twenty-Five: I thought I was the dangerous one. Chapter Twenty-Five: I thought I was the dangerous one. The ride to the Entertainment District was slow going. It was around sunset, which meant the city was transitioning between hunkering down for the night or getting ready to rip it up. The streets were packed, and we had come to a complete stop several times as we moved along the congested streets. When we started getting close, the traffic began to change its movement. Carriages were starting to flow in rather than out. I wasn¡¯t sure how many theaters, arenas, or clubs there were, but it seemed like a general rush of people headed into the district to look for a good time. It took about an hour and a half or so, but we finally arrived at Sybo Arena. Again, it was not the splashiest of venues. Maltz opened the door for us and offered a hand to the first girl to come out, which was Heather. ¡°Is this a Pit fight arena?¡± Heather asked as we got out. She looked up at the small sign illuminated by enchanted paint. ¡°Um,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah.¡± I realized I had just told her about sports. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of activities passed for sports in this murder world, so I assumed she knew what I was talking about. ¡°Oh,¡± She said, looking up at the sign. ¡°Hells yeah! I always wanted to see one of these.¡± She gripped onto my left arm. ¡°Thank the Goddess.¡± Leoleth slid in on my right when she emerged. She didn¡¯t say much, but the sparkle in her wide eyes told me she was just as excited as I was. Patrons and party guests surrounded us, the latter far more extravagantly dressed. Women wore gowns, dresses, and robes of every imaginable style. Men sported suits, robes, and hybrid outfits¡ªsome formal, some fantastical. Skin was on full display from both genders, the clothing bold and unapologetic, and the eye candy was aplenty. The crowd was a melting pot of races, primarily humans, followed closely by dwarves. The rest included elves, gnomes, lizard-kin, cat-kin, and even orcs. A winged fairy strolled past, clutching the arm of a human. She was a head taller than him and supernaturally thin, making Leoleth look like she might need a Fantasy World Weight Watchers subscription. The fairy wore a sheer silken robe that left little to the imagination, her insect-like wings lazily waving as she moved. She caught my eye, her golden gaze locking onto mine as she smiled. Tiny freckles appeared on her face, glowing faintly with magic. I felt a sudden jolt and had to remind myself to breathe. Ahead, the double doors to the arena stood open. The left side led down to the arena floor; the right ascended to the office-slash-lounge where I¡¯d met Sybo just a few days ago. A burly minotaur stood at the base of the stairs, easily seven feet tall and nearly as wide. He was possibly the most enormous living being I¡¯d ever seen. His bronze breastplate and armored skirt gleamed in the torchlight, and his hooved, hairy haunches reminded me of Gem¡¯s. His massive, muscular arms¡ªeach as thick as my torso¡ªwere bare, and he held a clipboard in one hand, checking names on a list. ¡°Hi,¡± I said, looking up at him. He was at least a full yard taller than me. I tried to imagine what he looked like under that armor, and I almost couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°Name?¡± His voice was low and rich, and he rumbled with seismic vibration. ¡°Regan Moon.¡± He looked down at the list of names, shaking his head. His horns had about a three-foot span, making the rejection visible to the entire neighborhood. I just sighed. ¡°Luna,¡± I said. ¡°Just one name.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± He snorted. ¡°Here it is.¡± He looked at me up and down. But then, with the height difference, it was more like down and further down. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Plus, two.¡± ¡°It says plus one, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Titus will be okay if I brought both my friends in with me.¡± I gave him the cutest smile I could. ¡°Feel free to ask him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°Then let me and my friend in,¡± I said, holding up Leoleth¡¯s hand. ¡°And let the Cleric from the Church of Purity in on her own. And if you don¡¯t want to let her in, I¡¯ll check in with Titus when I get inside.¡± The minotaur looked at Heather. Some mental gymnastics was going on behind his black eyes. He snorted and nodded. We walked by, and it was all I could do not to turn around and admire his massive physique from behind. ¡°Oh wow,¡± Leoleth said. She didn¡¯t resist. ¡°Might just break Squad Rules for that.¡± The lounge was about half full or so when we arrived. There was a small stand set up just inside the door. I watched as people put their belongings on the counter and then placed their hands on a polished circular stone. Then it was my turn. ¡°Weapons and storage devices, please.¡± The attendant said pleasantly. She was a pretty brunette dwarf girl. She smiled when I put my ring on the counter. ¡°You may access any items in your device from here or at the bar. As long as they are not prohibited.¡± I pulled my ring off and placed my hand on the stone. And a notification appeared: CHECKED: PERSONAL NULL SPACE STORAGE RING, GOLD BAND, DIAMOND. A silk ribbon fed out of a slot on the surface, and the girl tied it on the ring before pulling it out of sight under the counter. The lounge was the same one I met Sybo in earlier but was now set up for entertainment. The tables and chairs were arranged more thoughtfully around the room, allowing for a mingling space in the middle. A trio of Elvin musicians played the same kind of jazzy stuff that seemed popular here on the tiny stage. The room was strategically lit, highlighting the stage, the mingling area, eating surfaces, and the bar, but not putting so much light out that it would inhibit people attending from seeing the fights in the pit below. A board was mounted to the wall to the right of the window with another attractive female dwarf attendant. It looked like a dozen or so fights were going on tonight. I had a look at it. There was a small, single-elimination tournament set up with eight fighters. In between the ladder fights were some single one-off exhibitions featuring different matchups and a couple towards the end that just said TBD. ¡°There¡¯s action!¡± Heather said, wide-eyed, looking at the board. ¡°Give me some gold!¡± ¡°Get your own gold,¡± I grumbled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t have any. I¡¯ve been with the church since I was ten. We don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°You never seemed short when we were on the road.¡± ¡°I get a per diem when we travel.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m supposed to support you while you hang around with me?¡± ¡°You support Leoleth!¡± She looked at me expectantly. She didn¡¯t hold her hand out, but she practically vibrated excitedly. ¡°Okay,¡± I sighed, heading to the bar. Ramin was tending, along with two others. He smiled at me when I walked up. Heather was right at my heels. Leoleth was already gone, having practically dived into the center of the crowd. ¡°Nice to see you.¡± He said. ¡°The boss wasn¡¯t sure you were going to come. He¡¯ll be happy.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I leaned in. ¡°Can you please give the Cleric from the Church of Purity here a two hundred GP line out of my gold?¡± Ramin looked at Heather with an appraising look. ¡°Is this...¡± he tilted his head, looking for the right words. ¡°Some kind of costume thing?¡± ¡°No, I said,¡± shaking my head. ¡°She¡¯s the real deal, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s your best friend,¡± he said, looking sternly. ¡°There¡¯s no way the boss will take money from one of Amania¡¯s clergies.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Heather folded her arms. She looked pissed off enough to try out that smite spell. Ramin stood his ground. ¡°Madam Cleric¡­¡± he started. ¡°Maybe we can work something out.¡± I interrupted. ¡°Think about Wailkack.¡± He looked up at the ceiling, searching for a solution before his eyes lit up. ¡°Let me extend a credit of three hundred GP to you for the night¡¯s entertainment.¡± He said to her, bowing slightly. ¡°Complements of Titus Sybo.¡± He offered his hand to her, and she gripped it with a little too much enthusiasm. ¡°Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡± she sounded like a little girl getting a bike for Christmas. She did a little hop that reminded me a little too much of Leoleth. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He said with a huge grin. ¡°I¡¯ll have the attendant informed about your line.¡± He gestured to one of the other bartenders and whispered in his ear. ¡°Madame Cleric,¡± the other bartender said to Heather. ¡°Would you like to step over to the board with me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She said with a stupid grin, and they headed off together. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that was such a good idea,¡± I said to Ramin when they were out of earshot. ¡°We may have just pointed her down a very bad path.¡± ¡°She needs some kind of outlet.¡± ¡°The boss would like to greet you.¡± He pointed to a door just to the right of the bar. ¡°He asked that I send you in as soon as I saw you.¡± ¡°Send me in?¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Like, I don¡¯t have a choice?¡± ¡°Invite you in then.¡± He pulled out a glass goblet. ¡°Here.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if he poured me a sparkling cider or wine. I grabbed it and headed to the door. I stepped into a small, curved corridor with a door halfway down on the right. It was lit with warm yellow lights and matched the general d¨¦cor of the lounge with dark wood paneling and wood-tiled floors. The door stood slightly open. I guess that was one of the things about Titus Sybo. I poked my head in and waved casually. ¡°Hi.¡± Titus was reading a book while sitting on an enormous, I mean almost comically enormous, couch. The office was long and narrow. As I stepped in, I realized it was the same length as the lounge. It was decorated with shelves of books, a fireplace with comfy chairs, a small bar, and a massive taxidermy bear thing with horns on its snout and longer legs. A large desk sat against the far end by a window overlooking the arena. I realized the couch was more like a daybed. With a single large mattress upholstered in satin or something shiny and smooth. He was wearing a purple double-breasted vest, a sleeveless white silk shirt, and a black skirt that went down to the ankles. His boots were off, set neatly on the floor under the end table. His black stockinged feet propped up in front of him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ms. Moon.¡± He set the book down and bound to his feet, smiling and enthusiastic. The skirt swished around him as he walked. ¡°I am so glad that you made it.¡± He strode to the door and bent over, kissing me on the cheek. His forwardness took me aback. It was a bit scary, but it made me a wee bit excited. I got to get a good look at him. He was tall, just about six feet. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His shirt was unbuttoned down to the top of the vest, revealing a hint of rich chest hair. Two gold chains were draped below the collar. He was older, but his arms were muscular, lean and strong, not bulky and for show. I¡¯d seen men wearing skirts around the city before, but this was the first time I focused on it. The vest fit over it, and it flowed out in pleats underneath. I did feel a little robbed, being denied the view of his legs. I thought about his handsomeness and his scars. They weren¡¯t just on his hands, but they crisscrossed his arms as well, like a map of his violent past. I imagined him younger. Hardened, treacherous, brutal with sharp cheekbones, a large, noble nose, and a strong chin and jaw. Age had softened those frightening features into something that didn¡¯t completely terrify me. But the eyes were still there despite his smile and graciousness. These were dark eyes that had seen and done things. And they were locked on me. A chill ran through my body. I¡¯ve killed men like him. ¡°Gods,¡± I said, almost breathlessly. ¡°Oh.¡± He said, leaning back. The smile faded a little. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I said, turning red. ¡°Just a little unexpected.¡± I balanced my drink in my hand and leaned forward on my tiptoes. My dumb ass body and brain were obviously not agreeing on things. He leaned down and kissed me again. Gently on the lips. Way to reward lousy behavior there, Regan! I shivered and felt all the hair on my hairless body stand up on end. He had such nice lips; they were soft and somehow still rugged. I leaned in again and stole one more before he leaned up and stepped back. ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come in for a little bit.¡± ¡°Just a bit.¡± He chuckled, backing and pointing to the two chairs by the fireplace. Good thing, I¡¯d jump his bones if we went to the couch. Then I thought about my stupid body and my stupid sex drive. This was the perfect test. He was someone I was attracted to. Sexy, dangerous, the kind of person I could fall for easily. So, don¡¯t fall so hard that you lose control of yourself, Regan! We would talk, and if there was something between us, maybe we could see each other again¡ªsimple plan. I settled into the left chair, which sucked me in with all the comfort of an upholstered hug. He took the one next to it after grabbing his drink off the table by the couch. He smiled, the excitement fading from our surprise kissing. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ve had a rough couple of days; I was looking forward to a party and some entertainment.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He said, his face serious. ¡°Word gets around.¡± ¡°Oh, it does?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not exactly a cut-purse or a courier. Are you.¡± ¡°Way to beat around the bush.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± He smiled. ¡°I like what I hear.¡± ¡°A couple of nights ago, I took a delivery to Butcher Block Row.¡± I just decided to dive into it. If I was going to be looking for help, I needed to get him to trust me. Lying would be the wrong course. ¡°I stopped some Red Hooks from capturing a girl.¡± ¡°That, I did not know.¡± He took a sip of his drink. ¡°I heard someone took a couple of their guys out.¡± ¡°Three, actually,¡± I said. ¡°Assassin Job went up to level 4 after that.¡± ¡°Assassin Job?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s telling the story?¡± ¡°Sorry, but by the gods?¡± ¡°They tried to kidnap me the next morning, and we had us a fight.¡± ¡°So many questions about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the rumor mill is exaggerating what happened.¡± ¡°The count was seven.¡± ¡°Maybe they got all tangled up on their equipment and tripped. It¡¯s all kind of a blur.¡± ¡°One of them lost a head.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll find it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Like I said. I like what I heard.¡± ¡°The thing is, it¡¯s kind of landed me in some trouble.¡± ¡°You mean Magistrate trouble?¡± ¡°Do you know, or are you just guessing?¡± ¡°Bit of both.¡± He frowned. ¡°Upper Imperial business is a black box, so I have no idea what happens with the people there. Only that you were picked up and cut loose three hours later.¡± ¡°I made a new friend. His name¡¯s McGruff.¡± ¡°And that the Captain of the Guard dropped you off outside your inn.¡± ¡°Yup,¡± I said, nodding. He sat there frowning at me. Not in a mean way. It was more of a resting bitch face while he tried to get a read on me. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a rifter. I¡¯ve been here for around five weeks.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± He was beaming at me. ¡°I knew there was absolutely no way you would have just come out of nowhere raising all the Hells and bringing down the Heavens!¡± He clapped and chuckled. ¡°You are an amazing creature.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m a creature, am I?¡± I smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m a creature too.¡± He said. The smile faded. ¡°I thought you were something else for a little bit. Made me nervous.¡± ¡°You mean a predator?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he said, taking another sip. ¡°It takes one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like that.¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Like I said, it takes one to know one. You saw right through me like I was made of glass. You saw my hands. I saw yours. I have more scars, but we both have blood on them.¡± He wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. The edge of his mouth was slightly raised, not quite a smile. The eyes eased a bit. The look of hunger was gone. Something else was there. ¡°What¡¯s your count?¡± he asked grimly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Sure, you do. We remember every one of them.¡± He said that last bit slowly. ¡°I¡¯m a level fifteen Highwayman. My count is forty-seven. And yeah, I remember each one.¡± I think I understood what I was seeing in his face now. It was longing. He had a mask that he wore. Banker, sportsman, pimp, playboy, retired adventurer, these were personas. Little lies he needed to tell the world. But what he was, what the mask covered, was what I was looking at right now. ¡°You ever tell anyone your count before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why tell me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Something I see inside you. Something about your face that¡¯s familiar, I guess. Maybe looking at you, I see something I was long ago, before all the scars.¡± I instinctively touched the line on my hand that Heather healed on the road. ¡°What were you?¡± ¡°Same thing I am now.¡± There was a slight glistening in those eyes. ¡°What would you say to the younger you.¡± ¡°Enjoy the ride.¡± A chill ran through me. The coldness of his gaze returned, along with a smile that warmed me back up. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I would do everything the same.¡± He shifted a bit in his seat. ¡°But we don¡¯t get to choose what we are. And fighting it is like boxing a shadow.¡± ¡°Twenty-eight,¡± I said after we sat for a moment. ¡°Thirty with assists.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± He sounded genuinely shocked. ¡°In, like, five weeks?¡± I didn¡¯t think about it. Twenty-eight bodies in five weeks was quite the weekly average. But then again, my sexual partner count would seem high, considering the timeframe. But spread the stats out over twenty-six years and¡­Oh, fuck it; yeah, I kill a lot of people. ¡°Yeah.¡± He held up his glass with a sigh. ¡°To the Unnamed God.¡± My stomach lurched as he made the toast. Does he know that too? ¡°When he comes for us, may he forgive our transgressions.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s pretty chill,¡± I said, holding my glass up. Titus laughed bitterly. ¡°People hear Highwayman and just paint a picture of excitement and adventure in their minds.¡± He shook his head, finishing his drink. ¡°Honestly, almost all those forty-seven deserved it at some level. I kept a lot of bad company. It doesn¡¯t matter how long ago; the things we did are still the things we did.¡± ¡°You do more than just kill people?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve opened up enough for one night.¡± He said it cheerily, but the message was clear. ¡°Got to say, not the worst first date ever.¡± He laughed heartily. His spirit had returned, and the charm started to rev up again. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was going to be a date.¡± ¡°Not exactly,¡± I said. I swallowed the lump in my throat. ¡°I do need some help.¡± ¡°Magistrate help?¡± ¡°I need to find someone in the city.¡± ¡°What do you need exactly?¡± ¡°I have a pile of charmed coins that will help me pinpoint the person.¡± It just poured out at this point. ¡°But the range is limited. I need about thirty people sweeping the city until we get a hit. I only have until the last morning of the festival to find the person.¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can return the favor at some point.¡± He smiled and settled into his seat a little more comfortably. ¡°You want to fuck me? Is that it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given,¡± He chuckled. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be so crude as to make that a condition.¡± Okay. I thought to myself. This is your chance to show a little self-control. I was not a slave to my sexual desires. I did find this man attractive, but I wasn¡¯t going to have sex with him because I wanted to jump everybody. I understood how my body worked and how I could control it. And even if I had been with a few people, I wasn¡¯t a sexual deviant. Gem was someone that I connected with emotionally. She introduced the half-dwarf; what was his name? Nemdor. Right. And both of us shared a bed with Eric. There was the guy at the pub, but I was coming down off some mental trauma, and I was pretty compromised and a bit self-destructive. Is there someone else? It seemed like there should have been, but there wasn¡¯t. However: No matter what I did, I could not look away from him. I didn¡¯t get it. He was a murderer. He was neither apologetic nor repentant. And yet, there was something more beneath it all. A quiet loneliness. He needed someone that could accept him for who he was. He wanted it so badly that he let his guard down, even for me¡­ a stranger. But: I was not a slave to my sexual desires. I may have been acting impulsively, and I may have a body that gets excited, but fuck all, I¡¯m Regan Fucking Summer! I will not let a biological glitch fuck up my life. I also knew exactly what I wanted. I slipped out of my chair, crawled up to him, and kneeled in front of his seat. ¡°You know what they say about half-elves?¡± He reached down, gently placing his hand on the side of my face, but there was a little bit of strength behind it. The way he hooked his fingers. He was a man that was always in control. ¡°I¡¯ve known a few.¡± ¡°So, you wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I did this?¡± I reached under his skirt. I ran my hand up, past the stockings, and between his legs. He gasped at the suddenness of my action. ¡°A..¡± he paused, catching his breath as I found what I was looking for. He may have acted surprised, but his body knew exactly where this was headed. ¡°¡­little bit.¡± ¡°A little bit?¡± I pulled my hand away and leaned back, giving him the most impish grin possible. He smiled down at me. ¡°I¡¯ve learned to look past the stereotypes.¡± He eased his knees apart, giving me more room to maneuver. I was feeling reckless. ¡°And what would you do with a little half-elf?¡± He moved faster than I could comprehend. Before I had a chance to react, his hand gripped mine, pulling it away from his crotch. In one fluid motion, he twisted my arm behind my back, pinning me in place. ¡°I have a history,¡± he murmured, his voice low and deliberate. He pulled me closer, forcing me to arch against the pressure on my bent arm. His grip was unyielding, like steel cables coiling around me. ¡°Of pretty much doing whatever I want.¡± For a moment, fear sliced through me. I had willingly stepped into this space, into a room with a man I knew was stronger, faster, and capable of things I couldn¡¯t predict. My friends were just outside, only a few yards away, but they wouldn¡¯t hear me if I screamed. Reckless. You stupid little half-elf. It felt like I had wandered into a bear cave and decided to poke the largest one with a stick. But in this world, playing it safe didn¡¯t guarantee survival. So I leaned in, brushing my lips against his, then kissing him deeply. My tongue slid into his mouth, teasing him, giving him just a taste. Oh, I wanted him. But not like this. I reached down with my free hand, grabbed him by the balls, and squeezed. He moaned in discomfort, but I pressed my lips to his, kissing him as deep as I could as I asserted myself. He shifted uncomfortably, but my kiss stifled any protest he might have. He released his grip on me, his hands hanging limply off the arms of the chair. I applied pressure for another second and then let go. I pulled back from the kiss and held his eyes with my own. He reached back up, holding me gently this time. ¡°So,¡± I whispered. ¡°History is going to change.¡± I broke contact, laid my head gently on his chest, and let out a long, deep, contented sigh. My hand drifted lazily between his legs again, all gentle and sweet, easing the pain I caused. ¡°I¡¯m a fool,¡± he gasped, shaking his head. ¡°Why?¡± I purred at him. ¡°I thought I was the dangerous one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re learning,¡± I whispered as I slid down between his legs. Chapter Twenty-Six: The swingers in this world are freaky. Chapter Twenty-Six: The swingers in this world are freaky. It was now official. I liked skirts on dudes. And Leoleth was technically wrong. I only went down on somebody. Titus wasn¡¯t expecting this. Hells, neither was I. ¡°You have a party to get to,¡± I whispered after standing up. I coughed a bit and my face was flushed with an all new kind of excitement. It was just a little embarrassing because it was within five minutes of arriving and was not my best work, but Titus seemed happy with the results. I had no complaints to file with management. I didn¡¯t grab the ¡®O¡¯ for myself, but the message was delivered. If he wanted me, it was by my rules. But¡­ it was also as thrilling as leaping off a rooftop at night. A room full of strangers was just a few steps away from us, and here I was, fooling around with the host in his office. I had never actually finished a man off like that before, and I could feel the power it gave me. It seemed foolish, I don¡¯t know, performing an act that appeared so submissive while trying to assert dominance. I realized I was being careless. I didn¡¯t know him, and what little I managed to learn from our interactions indicated that he was a dangerous man. I suppose I wanted to be dangerous too¡ªjust a little. Overall murder world score, I¡¯d say it was a solid nine out of ten on the stupid scale, but I did manage to keep my hair from getting trashed. We walked arm in arm into the Sybo Arena Lounge, his grip steady, his presence commanding. Earlier, as he straightened his skirt and I wiped away the mess on my face, his advice was simple: speak to no one. This was not exactly a criminal crowd, but the room hummed with danger. Every glance felt like a silent warning. We were just a few minutes away from the first fight of the night, which was the beginning of the elimination bracket. Titus worked the room like a master. The man radiated with Charisma, and I could feel him as he pressed it on anyone who made eye contact with him. It was odd, seeing how the raw attribute worked. It was like he forced smiles out of people. Even with the boost from the Chain of Passion around my waist, I wasn¡¯t even close to hitting his numbers. Aymon probably wasn¡¯t either. I was with him, like a piece of jewelry for his guests to admire. I had to admit, I liked it. I was never used to being pretty. That wasn¡¯t exactly it. I wasn¡¯t used to being the pretty one. I hang out with chicks like Leoleth and Heather, so come on. I stroked his bare arm as he led me around and smiled at his guests. I loved being paraded and shown off. The fairy girl came over on the arm of the human she¡¯d arrived with. He greeted Titus, leaning in to exchange a hushed conversation. Meanwhile, she turned her attention to me, giving me a sultry look before slipping out of her escort¡¯s arm. Her face was still adorned with those glowing freckles. ¡°I¡¯m Shael.¡± She spoke in a dreamy, melodic voice. ¡°Uh¡­Hi,¡± I said. ¡°Regan.¡± ¡°We think you are so beautiful.¡± She casually brushed my shoulder with her slender hand. ¡°I think you¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°Welcome to Nya,¡± she whispered to me. She pulled back, and her golden hair shifted into bright pink curls¡ªan exact match to my own. My stomach dropped. How could my otherworldly origin be so apparent to someone who hadn¡¯t done an assessment? It was unsettling, to say the least. ¡°We¡¯d love to share my beauty with you.¡± ¡°¡­ just a friend,¡± Titus said to the human, wrapping up their conversation. The man was middle-aged, handsome, and looked like he had too much money for his own good. Meanwhile, the fairy beside him morphed rapidly, shrinking to my height and losing her wings. She was now my mirror image¡ªa near-perfect fake, still clad in the same scandalously sheer robes. ¡°Sorry,¡± the man said to the fake me. She turned to him with a pout, and I froze. Is that what my pouty face looks like? ¡°Maybe,¡± she replied, her voice dripping with faux innocence, ¡°you could ask her to join us later?¡± I was about to say something when she shifted again¡ªthis time taking on the face of Heather, still with my hair and body. He shot me an expectant look. I looked at the handsome human. He had a square jaw, a solid build, and a shaved head with a beard that said he liked camping, but only for the fashion. I could hit that. The girl rapidly turned into an exact copy of my favorite Purity Cleric¡­ ¡°Uh¡­¡± I stammered, tightening my grip on my drink¡ªor maybe my sanity. ¡°Kind of got something going on tonight.¡± She continued her transformation, and I was soon looking at a sluttier version of my friend as she shifted from pose to pose in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see you around,¡± the fake Heather said, fluttering her eyelashes. Her voice even matched Heather¡¯s, with a sexiness that I had never heard my friend even try. Regan Summer One, Weird fantasy world swinger hookup couple: Zero. I somehow felt I avoided the damnation of my soul. I watched them stroll off and into the crowd, the fake Heather clinging to his arm. As they passed other couples, her appearance shifted again, blending seamlessly into someone new. ¡°Man,¡± I said to Titus. ¡°The swingers in this world are freaky.¡± She wasn¡¯t the only one at the party that seemed to notice me. I got looks. Lots of looks. There were about a hundred to a hundred and fifty people in the lounge. I was also the new kid, and more than a few women in men¡¯s arms looked at me suspiciously. Understanding the prejudices leveled on half-elves made peoples¡¯ attitudes toward me seem more obvious like I just hadn¡¯t seen it before when I walked into a room. We made our way to the small stage. Titus hopped up, getting into character. ¡°Welcome, friends!¡± He bellowed, ¡°To our last round of fights for the year!¡± There was a round of cheers and huzzahs from the crowd. I stood off to the side of the stage and watched him. ¡°Eight of our city¡¯s top melee combatants will fight for tonight¡¯s purse of five thousand gold!¡± The crowd cheered. ¡°Plus! Magic matchups! Unarmed, unarmored contests. And¡­¡± he paused with a coy smile on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s just see what we can come up with!¡± ¡°What do you mean by that last bit?¡± I asked. He came back down, shaking hands and kissing cheeks like a politician. ¡°This is not the kind of crowd that is happy just watching.¡± He said, his plastered smile on his face as he steered me towards the booth that he had reserved. ¡°They like to get down in it. I usually have a couple of matches from the spectators up here.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Sounds fun.¡± The looks of the women around the room made me a little worried. ¡°How does that usually work?¡± ¡°There are a few that just enjoy beating the crap out of each other. Some use the arena to settle disputes, that kind of thing.¡± We settled into the booth, which offered an excellent view of the lounge, not just the arena. An attendant came by with a note and a drink for Titus. ¡°I¡¯m giving the Church of Purity a three hundred GP credit line?¡± ¡°My friend Heather.¡± ¡°I have a Priestess from the Church of Purity in here placing bets?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a Cleric, actually,¡± I pointed at Heather, who was talking animatedly to the board attendant as she placed bets on the tournament fights. ¡°This used to be a respectable establishment.¡± He smiled, sipping his drink. A bell rang in the arena a couple of minutes later, and a hush rolled over the lounge patrons and the crowd below. I exited the booth and pushed through the mass until I found Heather. She was leaning over the rail with a betting slip in her hand. ¡°You sure you betting is a good idea?¡± I asked her. ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°Sports Enthusiasts!¡± The Dwarven MC bellowed; he spoke into a control rod. It pulsed with every syllable he uttered. ¡°Welcome to Sybo Arena and the final fight night of the year!¡± The crowd cheered until he raised his hand. ¡°Eight melee fighters! One Winner! Single elimination, first to yield or incapacitated!¡± He raised his hand in the air. ¡°Are you ready for the first match of the night!¡± The crowd roared their approval. ¡°Number one, with eight wins but still chasing a tournament victory, The Scourge from the capital comes to Ironstone to claim the title! Herius The Hammer!¡± A human ran in from a curved doorway on the side, a war hammer held over his head to a mix of cheers and jeers. His face was hidden behind a heavy cassis; a breastplate and armored arms and legs were his only protection. He had a beautiful, muscled body with scars that showed he was no stranger to combat. ¡°Returning to the Sybo Arena for his third try at the title. Coming in with four wins! Ironstone¡¯s own dwarven warrior! Grozeck The Great!¡± Grozeck walked in slowly, holding a two-handed battle axe high. He was a local, and the crowd gave him a riotous greeting. He wore a simple helmet on his head and pitted scaled armor. His massive, muscular arms held his axe high over his head, pumping it up and down, egging the crowd to chant. GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! The MC held his hands to the crowd, and they calmed down. He kept them up until the arena was silent. ¡°Protectors.¡± He said solemnly. Three robed and hooded men around the arena raised their right hands, and three sigils formed, one around the fighting pit and one around each combatant. The circles glowed brightly and then faded. The MC had backed out of the pit as the sigils came up and was no longer in the fighting area. ¡°Protection sigils,¡± Heather whispered to me. ¡°They¡¯ll freeze combat if the fighters¡¯ VP gets too low.¡± ¡°You know way too much about this,¡± I said. ¡°I thought you have never been to one of these.¡± ¡°I hear stuff. Now shut up.¡± ¡°Rude.¡± ¡°COMBATANTS!¡± the MC¡¯s Voice bellowed louder than ever. ¡°FIGHT!¡± Herius opened up aggressively from the start, charging forward. His hammer was held to his right, ready to swing. While dwarves were pretty predictable regarding abilities, humans were a bit of a mixed bag. Herius was strong but also quick. He brought his hammer around in a tight arc as he circled Grozeck. But the dwarf had a few tricks. Rather than tucking or rolling, he dipped backward limbo style, using his axe to balance and hold his weight as the hammer swung over him. He bounced back to his feet and leaped at Herius, who was over-extended and vulnerable. Grozeck managed to land a glancing blow on the human¡¯s right shoulder with a clang loud enough to be heard over the cheering crowd. He tucked and rolled, coming up behind Herius. Herius pivoted, his hammer fully extended, flying at the dwarf like a meteor. Grozeck dove, but not before taking a hit to his right arm and almost losing his axe. He tumbled; the movement of the hit added to his leap and somersaulted him across the sandy floor before recovering. The human pressed the attack, bringing the hammer down as he charged the dwarf. Grozeck moved to the right, easily dodging the heavy-handed assault. Herius slammed the hammer down and used its weight and momentum to spring forward like a pole vaulter, planting a solid kick in the dwarf¡¯s chest. Grozeck crumpled to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. The crowd lost it at this point. Herius had seemingly abandoned his signature weapon, and the dwarf was now rolling on the ground, trying to keep out of range of the human¡¯s kicks. Grozeck had gotten out from under the stomps and was able to get up to a semi-standing position with enough balance to make a good, solid swing at Herius. The axe clipped the human¡¯s left knee with a painful-sounding crack as the armor deflected most of the damage, but I could feel it from up here. Herius was the one to dive and roll this time, avoiding Grozeck¡¯s follow-up attack as he retrieved his weapon. The dwarf was now the one charging, swinging his axe to the left with enough force to end the match. The human planted his heavy hammer onto the ground and ducked, blocking the incoming attack. The axe hit the hammer with enough force to rattle all the seats in the auditorium. Herius used the force of the blow to swing his hammer over his head, nailing the dwarf squarely on the back of the helmet. Grozeck stumbled, his bell clearly rung. Herius was not exactly moving to pursue. In fact, he wasn¡¯t getting up at all. The hit to his knee killed whatever agility he had in the match. The dwarf made a little circle, shaking off the stars in his vision, and turned to face the human, who crouched on one knee, his hammer planted on the ground. He was hanging on to it, holding himself up. Words were exchanged, but we couldn¡¯t hear what was being said. Herius surged, using his good leg and the hammer as a launcher. Grozeck was genuinely surprised but was well out of range of the attack. The human spun in the air and launched his hammer squarely at the dwarf¡¯s head before crashing to the ground. The steel and wood hammer slammed the dwarf in the forehead, knocking him off his feet. His dented helmet flew off his head. Grozeck landed on his back, his axe held across his chest. The hammer landed somewhere off to the side. Herius struggled to get to his feet. The dwarf just lay there. A hush fell over the crowd as they watched Grozeck rise. He got to his feet slowly but managed to stand, swaying slightly from the hit to the head. He pointed his axe down at the human and ambled toward him on unsteady feet. Herius only managed to get back onto one knee. The human undid the chinstrap on his helmet and pulled it off. He had a big smile as he held his hands rising in surrender. The crowd lost their collective shit. Grozeck planted his axe in the sand and came over to Herius, helping him to his feet, and the two did a half handshake, half embrace.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°WINNER: GROZECK THE GREAT!¡± The MC bellowed. GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! GRO-ZECK! The audience chanted. Two healers ran into the pit as the sigils of protection flashed and vanished. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Heather screamed, her arms over her head in triumph. The crowd kept their chanting up as the two combatants left the pit. Both were smiling and waving at the audience, their arms over each other¡¯s shoulders. Once they vacated the space. Arena attendants rushed on, clearing the area and raking the surface. The lounge had settled down as the attendees headed back to the bar to get more drinks or grab a plate of food from the buffet table that mysteriously appeared during the first match. I slid into the booth next to Titus. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°Exciting stuff,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s just the first fight.¡± ¡°We have about a dozen or so to go tonight. I¡¯ve learned to pace myself. The one-off fights aren¡¯t as interesting, but they allow the crowd to buy drinks and place bets.¡± ¡°I think the Church of Purity made money on that first fight.¡± ¡°Why did you bring her here?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an assassin, and you are friends with a follower of Amania?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°And before you ask, she knows more about me than you do.¡± ¡°It just seems weird to me.¡± ¡°This is a weird world,¡± I kissed him on the cheek. ¡°You¡¯re so innocent. It¡¯s adorable.¡± He laughed, and we kissed again. It was for real this time. ¡°BITCH!¡± A woman over by the buffet table was yelling. It was a high-pitched squeal. I pulled my lips away from Titus to see a colossal orc woman standing over Leoleth. ¡°Oh shit.¡± I moaned. ¡°One of yours?¡± he asked. He looked serious. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get involved in that.¡± ¡°Kinda have to,¡± I said, climbing out of the booth. A circle had formed around them. Leoleth was standing at full height, facing off against an orc woman, who was almost as tall as the minotaur outside and wearing a shockingly bright yellow silk dress. Words flew back and forth, but I couldn¡¯t hear the conversation until I shoved past the onlookers. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to touch him,¡± Leoleth said mischievously. ¡°He¡¯s not even my type.¡± ¡°You had your hands on him!¡± the orc woman bellowed. ¡°I like his robe. It¡¯s soft and shiny.¡± ¡°I am going to break you in two, you elven piece of-¡± ¡°Hey there,¡± I interjected, standing in front of Leoleth. ¡°Let¡¯s not be using that kind of talk.¡± ¡°Move to the side, you little freak.¡± The orc lady said. ¡°Yeah, No,¡± I said. ¡°My friend says she had no bad intentions and will stay away from you and your man for the rest of her life.¡± ¡°Your friend here is going to be wearing your asshole as a hat.¡± ¡°Vivid,¡± I said, smiling. But then I dropped the smile. ¡°But that¡¯s not gonna happen.¡± She was the same kind of orc as Kev. Tall, muscular, and had the same apelike face and dreadlocks. Her sleeveless yellow dress clung to her body and had a black pattern that nicely accentuated her curves while allowing her impressive muscles to be fully displayed. I was just about to compliment her when she started up again. ¡°You and me half-pint.¡± She growled. ¡°The pit.¡± ¡°Fuck yeah,¡± Leoleth said with a grin. She was walking around behind me, pumping her fists in the air. She was completely caught up in the energy of the room. ¡°Either that,¡± the Orc lady continued. ¡°Or we take this out on the street.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I shook my head slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°The hells I don¡¯t!¡± The woman bellowed down at me. The circle of spectators started to press in. I mean, I get it. It¡¯s a rough crowd, and I¡¯m the new girl at this particular version of Jefferson Middle School. De-escalation was not an option at this point. So, I just doubled down. I was small, cute, and dressed way better than this chick. There was no way I was going to get out of this. I eased my posture, let my shoulders droop, and crossed my arms. The cherry on top was the slight head tilt that made my bangs bounce a little. YEAH! I heard someone yell. TEAR HER UP, DAISY! Okay, I didn¡¯t laugh, but it all made sense. Her name was Daisy, and she was wearing a bright yellow dress. Again, I like me a tough female. But gods help me; I couldn¡¯t help but smile after hearing her name. ¡°You think this is some fucking joke, you little prawn?¡± The crowd hushed. A fight was going on down in the pit, and I could hear magical spells slinging back and forth. But this is what these people were here for¡ªprivate duals. And what we were saying was way more interesting than what was happening down there. I also figured this was part of the ritual, like slinging double dog dares and whatnot. There would be a face-down, and some threats would be thrown around. I was either supposed to beat my chest or act like a scared little girl who didn¡¯t belong here. ¡°No.¡± I held it back as best I could. I kept my demeanor stupidly casual. ¡°So how do you want it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fight for sport.¡± I cleared all the goofy out of my face and stared up at her. As steely-eyed as I could. ¡°You want to throw it down? We do it in the pit. I don¡¯t feel like killing anyone tonight.¡± ¡°Fine then,¡± Daisy said, her bile-green eyes laser-focused on me. ¡°We face off in the pit. No magic, melee weapons only. There will be full protections, so you won¡¯t have to kill me.¡± She sneered at me when she said that last part. ¡°One thousand XP fight.¡± The crowd started murmuring. I guess throwing up XP on a fight was a thing. I was just feeding off the energy and didn¡¯t want this massive orc bitch to be the one controlling the terms. ¡°Two K.¡± I countered. Daisy looked uneasy. I wasn¡¯t keen on losing two thousand XP, but then again, I got a massive boost that only enhanced some of my attributes. I was still low on skills, so if I slid a level or two, it wouldn¡¯t be the end of me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can spare it,¡± I said. ¡°And look at me,¡± I spread my arms out and put on my best mean girl face. ¡°I¡¯m just a little half-pint prawn. A larger girl like yourself can wipe the floor with me.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± She said, and she thrust her hand at me. It¡¯s like we just closed the deal on a 2018 Honda Civic. She also didn¡¯t seem angry anymore. ¡°Alrighty then.¡± I took her hand and shook it. She had a crushing handshake. I might have lost a point or two of VP. DUEL DECLARED: DAISY OROK You have been challenged to a duel and agreed to the terms. TERMS: Following arena rules, the duel will be fought in the Sybo Arena pit. Melee weapons only. The duel will end when one or both combatants are incapacitated or one combatant yields. COST: 2000 XP REWARD: 4000 XP The lounge patrons all cheered. Forget ladders or exhibition fights. This is what these people were into. And just like that, they dispersed like teenagers from a kegger when the sheriff showed up. Daisy strutted to the bar, greeting and shaking hands with almost everybody. And getting a line of drinks stacked up for her, purchased by eager admirers. ¡°This is fun,¡± Leoleth said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad we came.¡± I glared at her. ¡°And were you molesting her man?¡± ¡°The freak was all over me.¡± She arched her back. ¡°I told him I wasn¡¯t an easy girl.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a loud room. I¡¯m sure he misunderstood.¡± I gave her a little hug. ¡°These people are crazy. Don¡¯t get dead.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I grumbled. I trudged back over to the booth and a very anxious-looking Titus Sybo. He covered it with his signature grin and took tiny sips of his drink. But I could see it in his eyes. Someone had dropped off two plates of food for us to enjoy. ¡°Wow.¡± He said. ¡°That¡¯s all ya got?¡± I slid into the booth and up against him. He was warm and smelled really, really good. He put his arm around me. There were looks from the patrons. They weren¡¯t staring exactly, but they were stealing glimpses. ¡°When was the last time you had a date here?¡± I asked. I picked at the plate in front of me, wondering what I would enjoy vomiting up later when my nerves finally caught up with me. ¡°I usually have someone with me every night.¡± I pulled back from him a little. ¡°I¡¯m the girl DuJour?¡± ¡°No,¡± He pulled me back and kissed me gently on the temple. ¡°You¡¯re the most interesting person I¡¯ve met in a long time.¡± ¡°Um, sure,¡± I said. I looked up at him, unable to hide my skepticism. ¡°How many of those girls ended up fighting in the pit?¡± ¡°Not a one.¡± He scrunched his face, searching for words. ¡°I brought you here because it¡¯s an easy invite. You would have rejected a dinner invitation or an afternoon in the park. And I wanted to see you. I didn¡¯t think you would have brought one friend that could bring the wrath of her Goddess down on me and another that would piss off Daisy the Pit Queen.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I put a small piece of cheesy potato in my mouth. ¡°Is she really called the Pit Queen?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°What does she do when she¡¯s not here picking fights?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a bookkeeper for a shipping company in Commerce City.¡± I laughed. Luckily, I swallowed my bite, or I would have choked. The fights continued, and our round wouldn¡¯t be until close to the apex battle. I knew people in the lounge were looking forward to the two TBDs. Daisy and I took the top slot, probably because we were the first. About an hour later, another argument, and the second slot was filled with two guys¡¯ names. The odds didn¡¯t look favorable for me. Daisy was undefeated thus far. And fought at least once a week during the season. I was a quarter of her size and a complete unknown. And I couldn¡¯t use magic. And I only was good with a dagger. And I suck at fighting. ¡°Can¡¯t take you anywhere,¡± Heather said, coming to the booth. ¡°Titus, this is Heather, My cleric friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored.¡± He said, standing, offering his hand to her. She took it and shook. ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying the experience. Please have a seat.¡± ¡°No thank-you.¡± She looked longingly at the window, and the fight about to start. ¡°I just wanted to have a quick word with Regan.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I slipped out of the booth. She took me by the arm and led me away. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Yeah,¡± I sighed. ¡°He is very sexy.¡± ¡°Anyway.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± ¡°No,¡± I chuckled. ¡°But I kind of feel I would have ended up down there at some point.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she furrowed her brow at me. ¡°The moment Leoleth walked in, my fate was sealed.¡± I shrugged, trying to act confident about it. ¡°There was no way she wasn¡¯t going to piss someone off. And she¡¯s a magic user and no good in a melee fight.¡± ¡°None of us are suited to it.¡± ¡°One thing I can do,¡± I said, looking around the room in case anyone was listening. It seemed clear. I lowered my voice almost to a whisper. ¡°I can take a beating. It¡¯s a non-lethal contest. Everyone comes out okay after going down there. I¡¯ve taken some real hits and pulled through, and this time, I¡¯m not gonna die if I lose.¡± ¡°You have XP on this.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I picked up a whole bunch of extra. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.¡± ¡°They will let you use your own healer.¡± Heather smiled at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be down there to help you when it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not gonna bet on me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing really well right now.¡± She said with a shrug. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be proper to bet on this fight.¡± I glanced over at Titus, a sexy older woman had slithered into the boot next to him. She was whispering into his ear, and he was smiling, nodding. Who the fuck is she? But then she handed him a small pouch of gold and exited the booth. She wrapped her arm around a pretty guy half her age, and they disappeared into the crowd together. ¡°I suppose if we placed any money on this fight, it would also come across badly for Titus.¡± ¡°You like him?¡± ¡°Very much. He has me figured out¡­and¡­he knows where I¡¯m from.¡± ¡°Can you trust him?¡± She looked at me. ¡°I mean, he runs in some interesting circles.¡± The conversation was getting too delicate to hold in a room full of vipers. Regan: He agreed to help with our manpower problem. Heather: But not for free, Right? Regan: He said I¡¯ll owe him a favor. Heather: Does he want you to sleep with him? Regan: He said he would never ask me to do that. But¡­I did kind of go down on him? Heather just glared at me while she angrily texted me in chat. Heather: BY THE GODDESS! Regan: It just kind of happened. He¡¯s cute and I was kind of a bitch to him. Heather: You don¡¯t know him. Just be careful. Regan: We need help. He will help us. I only trust my friends here in the city and the people from the church. And I don¡¯t need to tell him everything. Heather: I know, but if he learns about what we¡¯re looking for, it might be too much temptation for him. Regan: I know, so we don¡¯t say anything to anybody. We don¡¯t talk about it out loud unless we are in a secure area from now on. Heather: Agreed. She smiled at me; It was a little sad. She knew this was gonna suck. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± She nodded at the view window over the pit. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m into things so far over my fucking head, I can barely breathe. At least in the fighting pit, it¡¯ll be straightforward.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡°And please don¡¯t blame Leoleth for this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s all part of the rogue thing.¡± She gave me a little kiss on the cheek. ¡°You have been a blessing to me.¡± She let me go and gleefully walked to the railing to watch the fight. I sat down with Titus, and Leoleth came by with a plate of food. She sat next to me without asking permission to join us. Not that she needed it. ¡°Titus,¡± I said, almost dreading how this would go. ¡°Leoleth.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± Leoleth said, waving at him with a big smile. ¡°I love this place.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Titus said. He took another micro sip of his drink. I noticed he had been nursing the same glass of whiskey since the evening started. He kept a clear head, too. I liked that. He awkwardly reached around me with his right hand to shake with Leoleth. She accepted it gingerly. ¡°Sorry about all the trouble with the Daisy Orc.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always looking for a fight.¡± ¡°This one,¡± she said, pointing at me. ¡°She¡¯s more dangerous than she looks. I¡¯m putting my money on her.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, glancing at me. ¡°You¡¯d better not fuck with her,¡± Leoleth said sternly. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, glaring at her. ¡°No,¡± Titus said, putting his hand up. ¡°We¡¯ve just met,¡± he said to Leoleth. ¡°But I¡¯m very fond of Regan and wouldn¡¯t want to hurt her,¡± He smiled at me. ¡°And I am very much aware of how dangerous she is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you do.¡± Leoleth smiled sweetly. ¡°But I like you, so we¡¯re okay.¡± She bounced up and marched to the betting board. Barking out how she was putting everything on the little elf girl. ¡°Those are my two besties,¡± I said. ¡°You haven¡¯t met Gem, the ranger, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like her too.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to think I passed the test.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°It depends on how the rest of what we agreed on goes down.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not asking much.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I told you the less you know, the better?¡± ¡°I live in a world full of that.¡± He grinned. ¡°We can work out the details tomorrow.¡± ¡°But first, I have to survive the night.¡± He lowered his head conspiratorially. ¡°I could probably help you along with that.¡± ¡°Not a good idea,¡± I said, looking up at him, and he did seem concerned. ¡°I can take whatever she has to dish out. If I lose, I lose honorably.¡± Chapter Twenty-Seven: I don鈥檛 fight for sport. Chapter Twenty-Seven: I don¡¯t fight for sport. With three matches to go, Daisy and I moved down to the arena staging area. Heather came along with me solemnly. I¡¯m sure she was praying. A whole fat lot of good that would do. Still, if this was a part of the quest, she might have a legitimate argument for her Goddess keeping me from being skewered. I had to keep telling myself it was all for show. No one dies down there; protections were in place. Still, didn¡¯t keep the jitters from a jitterin¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna die,¡± I said as much to myself as to Heather. We were walking down a curved staircase with Daisy and a couple of attendants who carried our storage devices. ¡°You¡¯ll be fighting with deadly weapons.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to die.¡± ¡°Terrific.¡± ¡°No one has for a while,¡± Daisy said flatly. She¡¯d been quiet while we walked down. ¡°How long is a while?¡± ¡°Since before Titus ran the place.¡± She never looked at us while she spoke. I guess she was trying to get into the zone or something. ¡°That¡¯s encouraging.¡± I retrieved my storage ring and was allowed to get my clerical robes for the fight before handing it back to the attendant. We would be using arena weapons, all steel blades, which are decent but not very impressive. They should have had me take Sick Stick with me if they wanted a show. We could take as many as we could carry, and. I grabbed two daggers. ¡°Wanted to tell you that I like your dress,¡± I told Daisy. She had changed into leather armor, still in her signature yellow. ¡°And I¡¯m liking this whole thing here.¡± I waved my hand in circles, indicating her fighting outfit. ¡°Thanks, half pint.¡± Daisy had picked a sword and mace. ¡°You know I don¡¯t call you anything mean. Maybe you should try to use more kind words.¡± ¡°I like your hair,¡± Daisy said. ¡°But black doesn¡¯t suit you too much. You would look better if you used a little more color.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°The dress was a gift, and I have to wear this for work.¡± ¡°What kind of job do you have that makes you have to wear that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I had to take a second. I had to figure out what I could tell people I did for a living. ¡°I¡¯m a courier.¡± ¡°Whatever, courier. I¡¯m gonna kick your ass now.¡± We stood by the entrance gate while the attendants finished cleaning up from the last fight. She cleared her throat and bent at the waist, her back cracking as she stretched. The crowd was getting a bit worked up. I got the impression that the TBDs were kind of popular. I don¡¯t know how other arenas were, but I could tell this was what this audience was into. ¡°AND NOW!¡± the MC called out, dramatically with as many elongated syllables as he could squeeze in, ¡°TITUS SYBO PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR FIRST AMATEUR MATCH OF THE NIGHT!¡± I got a good look at the MC through the arena door for the first time. He was a dwarf; I mean, that was obvious. Wide, grey-bearded, he wore a black sleeveless robe with a white shirt and tie underneath. It was very much like a fantasy world tuxedo. I could hear feet stomping and the deafening roar of the spectators. ¡°You all know her well! Three seasons in and undefeated. She may work the books during the day but bashes heads at night.¡± His words came out loud and stretched out dramatically as he said her name. ¡°IIIIIIIIIT¡¯S DAISY, THE PIT QUEEEEN!¡± Daisy strutted into the pit, walking around the perimeter, her mace held high, pumping it along with the rhythm of the chants: DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! She paused in the middle and crossed her weapons over her head, saluting the patrons in the viewing window above. The chants hushed when the MC held his hands up. ¡°And now the challenger.¡± His voice was barely above a whisper, and the audience grew silent as it echoed over the arena. ¡°Just arrived in our city from lands unknown. The beautiful, the mysterious, the deadly.¡± He gave me the same elongated treatment: ¡°SLAAAAAYONC¨¦¨¦¨¦!¡± I have a lot of happy memories from my childhood. But there were many times when I felt very isolated, trying to figure myself out. I liked boys, but then, I liked girls too. The whole thing was difficult for me to process. When I was about to enter middle school, I remember seeing a movie about roller derby girls in Texas with my friend Ashley. She was not as enamored with a bunch of tough, sexy chicks rolling around on a track just being awesome as my little twelve-year-old self. My mind was made up for half of sixth grade: I was gonna be a roller derby girl. I even made up a roller derby name. That¡¯s right, you guessed it. ¡°Slayonc¨¦?¡± Heather whispered. She looked at me with complete confusion on her face. I could hear her whisper because the crowd was completely and utterly silent. I walked out into the pit. The sand was crunching under the fancy sandals that I had completely forgotten to change out for much more functional footwear. I stumbled a bit as I kicked them off on the ground next to me. It was not a friendly audience. I¡¯m not sure if I was disliked or if I just came across as the most disappointing pitfighter of all time. I pumped my left fist in the air, Jud Nelson style, and smiled at the viewing window. Titus stood in the middle, looking down at me. I couldn¡¯t make out his expression from down here. Then the boos came, along with some fruit and wooden mugs. Yeah, they didn¡¯t like me. I just ignored them. I circled the fighting area at a quick jog, loosening my joints and holding my daggers high. I easily dodged the mostly harmless tomatoes and apples and whatever else the eager sports fans decided to toss down at me. I surveyed the pit to get a good sense of the environment. It was about twenty feet across, which was a lot of room to move around. The walls were about ten feet high, slanted at about a seventy-five-degree angle, and made of rough stone. Lots of ouch there. The sand was coarse and full of all kinds of stuff my feet weren¡¯t happy with. ¡°Cut it out!¡± Daisy bellowed at the angry patrons. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± The MC held his hands up. ¡°Protectors.¡± I could feel a crackle of electricity, and then I was surrounded by a golden magic sigil. It flashed for an instant before fading, and then I got a status: MAGICAL PROTECTION IS IN PLACE. The fight would end before either of us were killed. MAGICAL SUPPRESSION IS IN PLACE. We would not be able to use any magic during the fight. My EP bar sank. The MC made his subtle exit from the pit, and the two of us stood about fifteen feet apart or so. The rain of debris had stopped, but the pit was now littered with fruit, cups, seat cushions, and a few fist-sized rocks. I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet, keeping loose and ready to start moving. If I were to win this match, I would need to run around this whole arena and hit her a thousand or so times. Then again, I could let her get one good hit and take the dive, but I just couldn¡¯t. I can do this. I channeled my inner Pete Becker. I can be the Ultimate Fighting Champion! Daisy just stood, not moving. The intensity on her face was disturbing, to say the least. ¡°COMBATANTS!¡± the MC¡¯s Voice bellowed louder than ever. ¡°FIGHT!¡± Daisy let out an orcish screech and charged straight at me. She had her mace over her head, gripped in her right hand, and was ready to bring it down. On her left, she held her sword across her body to block. Like I would be coming at her like that with a pair of daggers. I quickly feigned right toward her sword hand as she charged; she had a split second to alter course and brought the mace down in a less-than-elegant swing, aimed for the center of my head. I leaped across her body ahead of the swing as it came down and then dashed on her right side, cutting under her arm as she charged past me. First blood went to Slayonc¨¦. She spun around and managed to clip my right arm with her sword. The Shade Arachne silk held up against the blade¡¯s slash but getting whacked by a piece of heavy steel still fucking hurts. I shook my right arm and bounced around as she spun and engaged again with her mace, and I quickly rolled away and got back to my feet. That was our dance for the next few moments. Daisy was fast, I¡¯ll give her that, and she can stop and turn on a dime. What I wanted to do was wear her down. I mean, the chick¡¯s signature move is to run, swing something, and then repeat.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I found that if I kept my eyes on her, I could get around her attacks. I also managed to poke her pretty good every other time she charged at me. When I managed to get out from in front, I could hit joints in the armor. She had blood spilling in the gaps at her side, back and arms. But they were minor cuts, annoying. But she could take me out with one good hit. Daisy was starting to get a little worked up. I guess she wasn¡¯t used to going up against an agile opponent, and just running around swinging things mostly did the trick. She finally stopped charging, and we started with the circling thing. There¡¯s nothing an eager crowd of bloodsport fanatics hate more than two opponents not actively pounding on each other. They were making their disappointment clear. They were pissed at her for not beating the crap out of me in the first ten seconds. With me, however, they didn¡¯t seem to have a problem. ¡°Come on, half pint!¡± She barked at me, clanging her weapons together. ¡°Come at me!¡± We were facing off. I was about five feet from the wall, and she was about ten or twelve feet away, close to the center of the arena. ¡°We talked about that!¡± I yelled back at her. ¡°That kind of language is hurtful!¡± ¡°Fuck-you!¡± She bellowed and went straight at me like a godsdamn freight train. I got ready to dodge. She had the mace up, ready to swing as she always did. When she closed the gap, I bounded to the right, but she didn¡¯t swing the mace. She dropped both weapons. I was not ready for that shit. She grabbed me by the front of my robe with her left hand as I jumped and spun around. I was yanked off my feet. With a spin and a roar, the bitch hammer-threw me directly at the wall. I¡¯m a dexterous little elf girl, but there wasn¡¯t much time to react other than keeping my head from getting flattened Looney Toons style, so yay! However, my entire weight landed on my left shoulder, and there was some wet-sounding cracking and crunching. CRIPPLED DEBUFF: LEFT SHOULDER AND ALL CONNECTED TISSUE REDUCED TO 3% FUNCTIONALITY. TIME REMAINING: INDEFINITE -254 VP My eyes watered as pain shot through my entire left side. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was dislocated, broken, or torn. But the agony was so intense that I almost couldn¡¯t breathe. I half slid, half bounced off the wall. I kept enough wits about me to clench my right hand on my dagger. She would be on me in less than a second. And the crowd went nuts. I mean, they didn¡¯t like me anyway. Daisy finally getting her shit together and doing something about me lit a fire under their asses. People were on their feet, chanting away: DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! DAI-SY! I ran as soon as my bare feet touched the sand. I didn¡¯t even know what side she was coming from. I just fucking booked it. She was three hundred pounds; I was like, eighty-five? Plus or minus? So, I made myself some distance from those meaty arms. And for what must have been absolute agony to watch, we ran around the pit. She waved her sword at me, and I skipped every other step to dodge her attacks. I had to hold my left arm so it wouldn¡¯t swing around. There was a jumbling in my head¡ªthoughts about life choices, where I was, and what I was doing. I was solid when it came to fighting; I had receipts. But that was when I had my entire arsenal of tricks to rely on. Some magic, a divine gift or two, and enough space to martial up those resources. This place was a pit. Literally, and I felt like I was at the bottom of the planet. I knew on an intellectual level that I was safe. That I wouldn¡¯t die no matter what. But below the smart brain in my head was my little lizard brain that was just losing her shit. I scrambled, bounced, and fought with all my body¡¯s strength to keep her from catching me. My lizard brain told my smart brain to do something. My smart brain told my lizard brain that the math wasn¡¯t adding up. Daisy would just keep coming, and I was already halfway finished in this fight. Lizard Brain told Smart Brain Fuck You! Then Smart Brain said, Hang on a second, don¡¯t do anything stupid! Lizard Brain started grabbing at the wheel, saying something about spinning this thing around. I know that I suck at straight-up, honest fighting. Stabbing? Sneaking? Fancy spells from death gods? My bread and butter was doing the unexpected, like zigging instead of zagging. Unfortunately, one of the first things I discovered when I came here is that people with swords, axes, and maces can swing them around and take me apart. Hells, this chick just fucking threw me. I¡¯m supposed to be the smart one with all the good ideas. But I was up against a wall of muscle that spends her weekends bashing peoples¡¯ heads instead of mountain biking. And daggers suck. All right, maybe not, but in a pit fight arena, they only poke little holes, and even with all my Strength points, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stab her deep enough to end the fight. I was just about to give up on the chase. The crowd was getting antsy again, and all I managed to do was keep from getting skewered by Daisy and her stupid sword. I was only down to a single weapon and one functional arm. I was in pain, I was getting tired, and the Pit Queen was too strong for me. We had just reached the spot where Daisy had dropped her mace to throw me. My specialty is doing the unexpected. Right now, Lizard Brain had the only idea that fit into that category. I decided to let her take the wheel. I spun and attacked. Daisy was genuinely surprised, and the crowd let out a collective gasp. I jumped at her, my dagger aimed at the gap on her left side. I never even got close. She didn¡¯t have her sword ready, but her boot was all up in my chest. I took the full force of three hundred pounds of stark, raving, mad orc. I could feel some ribs crunch as she kicked me back about eight feet or so. Oh, my fucking gods, that hurt! I landed with a thud on the sand. I lost the dagger when she kicked me. It was right next to her foot in the sand. CRIPPLED DEBUFF: CLAVICLE AND LEFT RIBS 2-4 FRACTURED. MOVEMENT AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS INHIBITED BY 64% TIME REMAINING: INDEFINITE -259 VP INTERNAL BLEEDING DEBUFF -15 VP/SEC Daisy stood, not moving. She was pretty exhausted and was breathing hard. But she knew the drill. I was unarmed, on my back, and she had a clear as fucking day advantage. She gave me a half smile. I just laid my head on the sand and closed my eyes. I was dying, but I wasn¡¯t scared. There was no way I was going to surrender. Not now. I came to a world full of stronger people who wanted to kill me, and so far, I managed to stay on top. Not because I was the strongest or fastest. But because I really just didn¡¯t give a shit and would do whatever I had to do to survive. If this fight ended with me losing, the orc would have to come over and bash me one more time, or the safeties would have to activate. The crowd was silent at this point. I know they didn¡¯t like me; I was surrounded by compost and seat cushions and crap that they had already thrown at me. They were waiting with bated breath for either my surrender or Daisy¡¯s final blow. I stretched my right arm out. I was basically lying on a pile of garbage. I gripped a squishy tomato. ¡°Fuck it.¡± I groaned. I leaned up and threw the thing as hard as possible at Daisy¡¯s nose. I gotta tell ya, I was glad I put all those points in Dexterity, because it connected and connected hard. The juicy thing hit right between her eyes and exploded in her face. I took a page from Herius¡¯ playbook. If you can¡¯t really move, throw something. Daisy roared as her eyes got sprayed with tomato juice. I marshaled the last of my reserves and sprang forward. I was thirty-five percent and only had moments before the protections would shut down the match. This was it. The last move I had. I don¡¯t even think she knew what I was doing since she was wiping her eyes with both hands. I rolled onto the ground at her feet, grabbed my dagger, and slammed it into the side of her left knee with all my strength. It is not a staggering number, given my injuries. It just sunk in about an inch or so. I¡¯m sure it hurt, but this would not end any match. I didn¡¯t have what it took to deal this chick any damage. She staggered, still dealing with the pain in her eyes and knee. I had maybe a half second before she would be back in this. I grabbed the mace. I got to my feet. I Activated Powerful Strike. One Swing. That¡¯s all I got. And I put everything into it. The mace slammed into the dagger¡¯s hilt, pummeling it with triple the damage I could typically do in my weakened condition. Powerful Strike drove the entire dagger through the knee. The hilt of the blade shredded the soft tissue as the mace smashed the bone into splinters. The orc¡¯s leg nearly split in two. The lower half spun around, held to the rest of her body by the remaining soft tissue. She fell to the ground, an explosion of blood that painted the sand and everybody¡¯s favorite half-elf emerald green. Daisy collapsed with a scream of agony. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± I yelled. Daisy¡¯s head was rolling on her shoulders. Her body was going into shock, and she was losing focus. My own clock was ticking; I needed her to yield. We were both running out of time with this fight. I coughed blood into my mouth but did my best to keep it hidden. ¡°F...fu...¡± she gasped. ¡°¡­Fuck you.¡± Her eyes were glazing over, but her stubbornness and anger kept her in it. ¡°Time to end it.¡± I pulled my arm back after turning and spitting out a mouthful of blood. I still clutched the mace in my hand, but I doubted I even had the strength to bring it down hard enough to hurt her. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re done!¡± All the agony, anger, and exhaustion began to collapse inside me like a black hole, fueling a fire that gave me enough power for one final blow to finish this match. I raised the mace. I came into this arena thinking all I had to do was survive. Put on a show. So be it if I had to take a beating to help my friend. I understood, standing over her, my body broken and dying. I would never lose a fight, not if there were an ounce left in me that could keep going. I looked her in the eyes and let her peek into my soul. If I couldn¡¯t kill her in this arena, I would make sure she knew what pain was. ¡°I warned you before,¡± I whispered, breaking the dead silence. ¡°I don¡¯t fight for sport.¡± She cried out loud enough to hurt my ears. It was a scream that echoed through the arena. But it wasn¡¯t a cry of agony. She was broken. For the first time in this pit, she was beaten. She raised her hands. Daisy, the undefeated pit queen, yielded. ¡°WINNER: SLAYONC¨¦!¡± The MC¡¯s voice echoed across the near-silent arena. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE WON YOUR DUEL AGAINST DAISY OROK REWARD: 4000 XP DAGGER SKILL INCREASED Dagger: Level 5 Strength: +2 Dexterity +2 NEW SKILL: Mace: Level 1 Strength: +2 CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 10. +13 ATTRIBUTE POINTS YOU MAY SELECT A NEW CLASS AND JOB The magic sigils flashed again and popped. Whatever kept me up, pretty much just bailed. The protections were gone, and for the first time, I was scared. The clock was ticking, and I only had a couple of minutes before my VP bottomed, and I would be dead, assuming I didn¡¯t just outright drown in my own blood before that happened. I started coughing and couldn¡¯t catch my breath. I could hear the roar of the audience; whatever happened, they loved it. The edges were getting dark, and I collapsed on my back, blood spraying out as I coughed; I couldn¡¯t breathe. Heather was there. I tried to say something, but everything faded into darkness. Chapter Twenty-Eight: It鈥檚 a form of torture where I come from. Chapter Twenty-Eight: It¡¯s a form of torture where I come from. ¡°Am I dead?¡± ¡°Knowing what you know about the afterlife, what do you think?¡± I opened my eyes. I was lying on the floor of the character creation space. The Whisperer was there, smiling down at me. She had a Big Gulp in her hand. ¡°Am I dying?¡± ¡°You passed out. Heather is healing you, but you took quite a beating.¡± ¡°I want a Big Gulp.¡± I stood up. The pain of getting pummeled by Daisy was gone. I can¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t even use any of her weapons on me. This was all done with her feet and hands. The Whisperer handed me her cup. I took a sip; it was a Diet Coke. ¡°Oh, my gods,¡± I said, taking a long Jules Winfield pull on the straw. I swear my knees were buckling. ¡°The water here tastes like bacteria. I had no idea you could make food for me.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.¡± The whisper said. ¡°It¡¯s sometimes hard to adjust when getting treats from your old world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in here very often,¡± I said after taking another long sip. ¡°This is so fucking good.¡± ¡°We do have some things to go over.¡± She said as my eyes rolled back in my head. ¡°You just hit level ten, kind of next-level shit; pardon the word choice.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said between sips. ¡°Hit me.¡± She waved her hand, and my sheet came up: Character Sheet: Regan Summer Height: 4 feet, 6 inches Weight: 85 pounds Hair: Pink Complexion: Imperial Urban Fair Aliases: Regan Moon, Luna, Slayonc¨¦ Titles: Champion of the Unnamed God Origin: Earth Classes: Rogue: Level 3 Rogue Jobs: Assassin: Level 4 Base Attributes: Strength: 19 Dexterity: 24 Spirit: 19 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 11 Luck: 20 Unassigned Points: 13 Adrenaline Points: 360/360 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Essence Points: 323/323 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Vitality Points: 3086/3086 Recovery: 10 pts/sec outside of combat. Skills/Spells: Acrobatics Level 1 Appraisal Level 1 Black Rain Level 1 Arcana Level 1 Dagger Level 5 Disarm Traps Level 1 Face in the Crowd Level 1 Grappling Hook Level 1 Lock Picking Level 1 Little Things Level 1 Mace Level 1 Misfire Level 1 Negotiation Level 2 Nudge Level 1 One and Done Level 1 Parkour Level 1 Pick Pocketing Level 1 Powerful Strike Level 1 Shield of Draining Level 1 Short Bow Level 1 Short Sword Level 1 Sleight of Hand Level 1 Sneak Attack Level 3 Stealth Level 2 Time Dilation Level 1 Weapon Throwing Level 1 Racial Skills: Night Vision Hide in Shadows Internal Navigation Gift of Tongues Divine Gifts: Mark of Death Eyes of Death Kiss of Death ¡°When you reach level ten, you get a new class and job.¡± She sipped her drink, looking up at my character sheet. ¡°You also get ten points to spend to get you launched in the right direction.¡± ¡°We just did this, like what? Two days ago?¡± ¡°We would have done it anyway; I just figured you were already passed out from the physical trauma, so why not?¡± ¡°So, I get to choose a new class?¡± ¡°You will have access to new classes or jobs based on your skills.¡± ¡®Okay then, lay them on me.¡± ¡°Cool beans.¡± She waved her hand at the character sheet: Rogue (Dexterity, Charisma, Intelligence) +4 Bonus to each if selected (Receive double attribute Bonus if selecting a Rogue Class job) Let the Fighters fight fairly. Everyone knows that fighting dirty is the best way to ensure survival. And taking care of self along the way ain¡¯t too shabby either. Thieves, Assassins, Spies, and even Bards, use their minds and charm as much as their arsenal of skills to stab, poison and rob their way to success. Spy You¡¯re sneaky, morally flexible, and for some reason, people believe all your bullshit. You are an expert at blending in, sneaking around, finding stuff, and getting information. Put all your Rogue skills to work as an expert in subterfuge. Skills: Photographic Memory. Spells: Disguise Self Charm Person Light of Truth Confidence Trickster The rules are for suckers. Let the lug-heads with the swords run around, bashing heads for coins. The smart person smiles and makes them hand over the gold. In a world where all the games are rigged anyway, you might as well ensure they are rigged for you. Skills: Forgery Double Dealing Spells: Contentment Duplicate item Thief You steal. You¡¯ve been at this for a while, so why not take it up a notch? Spells: Feather Fall Disguise Self Ritual Crack Knock Fighter (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance) +2 to each if selected Whether you fight for coin, your god, your king, or because you¡¯re just an asshole, fighters are the first to pick up a sword or rock to prove a point. Paladins, Mercenaries, Pit Fighters, Bouncers, and Monks are a but a few in this noble fraternity. It doesn¡¯t take too many brains, in fact, a few too many hits to the head, and you might not have any. Swashbuckler (Str, Dex, Cha) You are one of the sly foxes of the combat world. Endless tales have been written about the exploits of mighty knights and paladins, but all the juicy stories are about Swashbucklers. Win the fight with skill, style, and charm. Swashbuckler has three specialties, but each has the following skills: Skills: Sword Dance Duel Wielding Swashbuckler Specialties: Duelist You are not a fighter; you are an artist. The blade is your brush, and the enemy is your canvas. You fight with skill. No lumbering maces or ninety-pound swords for you. You use movement and speed to win the fight. Skills: Improvised weapon Spells: Grand Entrance Highwayman The thief on the road. The lovable rascal. The Highwayman embodies true rebellion, or she can be a pirate of the roadway. Ride the highway and instill fear in those who dare travel through your territory. Strike hard and then vanish into the night. Skills: Mounted Combat Spells: Slippery Bastard/Bitch Pirate The scourge of the seas and waterways, pirates raid, steal, and do what they want in defiance of the establishment. No ship is safe, no port is secure, no maiden chaste. Skills: Sailing Enhanced Looting Mage (Intelligence, Spirit, Luck) +2 to each if selected Warlocks, Wizards, Witches, and all schools of magic users. Working with your mind, spirit, and dumb luck to capture, manipulate, and use magic to wherever ends suit your needs. The Mage class is not just for nerds, but nerds are really the best at it. Illusionist Delight or terrorize. Illusionary magic is the art of manipulating perception. In the hands of an adventure, the ability to create illusions may be the difference between success or failure. Spells: Duplicate Self Fake Wall Invisibility Blinding Light Artificer (Dexterity, Intelligence, Spirit) +2 to each if selected Someone in this crazy world has to do the actual work! Artificers craft, brew, cook, forge and invent all the stuff needed to keep the world running. Black Smiths, Enchanters, Alchemists, Beast Tamers and all the other working stiffs of the are included in this group. It doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be tough, but an artificer is more about making the tools than using them. Great artificers are sought after the world over and paid handsomely for their work. Alchemist Not just a way to make money. No adventurer out there doesn¡¯t have a whole stack of this stuff in their bag, ready to go. Brew potions and poisons or perform other fancy magic and science tricks! Skills: Poison Brewing Healing Brewing Transfiguration Brewing Elemental Shift ¡°Yeah,¡± I sipped my drink as I looked at the list. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡± I glanced up and down at the list. ¡°So, if I decide on a Rogue Class job, aren¡¯t those skills and spells I can just pick up and start using? I mean the skills; I¡¯d have to buy the spells.¡± ¡°Yes. You can start practicing the skills, and you will pick them up. Adding the job gets you a boost, which I didn¡¯t mention. When you hit a multiple of ten in your experience, the job skills start at level three. You also get four points for your attributes instead of two.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then. I am clocking in at level three to start. Very nice. Kind of like the universe wants me to stick with Rogue?¡± ¡°Since you can gain the skills independently, it¡¯s a balance thing.¡± I had an idea of where I wanted to go when I had the chance to add a new class or job, but I wasn¡¯t sure about what was being offered here. As excited as I was becoming the next John Robie in this city, I had to face up to certain realities. I needed the Fighter Class, and what happened to me today was just another example of how critical martial skills were. Being sneaky was good six days a week, but there was always that one day when I needed to fight straight up, and even with my new spells, I might be stuck in a pit. ¡°Tell me about the skills for the Swashbuckler Job.¡± ¡°There¡¯s two base skills.¡± She pointed with her cup. Sword Dance When activated, the skill utilizes strength, agility, and charisma, allowing the fighter to fight single or multiple enemies with a series of continuous motions. The technique favors a rapier or other lightweight blade. The fighter can land numerous blows on a single enemy, bypassing defenses through rapid movement. Defensively, the fighter becomes challenging to hit due to the same rapid movement boost. While activated, the fighter¡¯s dexterity and strength are used to land hits and deal damage, but their charisma helps guide feints and dodges. The percentage to land a critical hit on a single opponent is 10% per skill level per successful attack. Up to a total of 70% Conversely, while activated, the skill will reduce the likelihood of a critical success from an enemy attack by the same percentage per level. Cost: 37 AP/Second Duel Wield Two is better than one. Use a secondary weapon when wielding a one-handed weapon with equal proficiency. Swashbucklers are constantly beating the odds, and using an offhand weapon adds to the style points required to look good simultaneously. Bonus: selecting a non-lethal weapon from the following list will give the fighter 150% proficiency. Non-Lethal Weapons:
  1. Buckler
  2. Sap
  3. Cloak
  4. Metal Fan
  5. Parrying Baton
  6. Hook
  7. Net
  8. Tonfa
  9. Whip
  10. Boomerang
¡°If I pick a non-lethal weapon as my off-hand weapon, what level would it start at?¡± I asked ¡°You will get the main weapon at level three, so your non-lethal weapon would be at level four and a half.¡± The Whisper said, taking another sip of her drink. I had already blown through mine but could get a refill if I asked. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good. What¡¯s a tonfa?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a police baton.¡± ¡°And let¡¯s do a rundown on the specialties.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± Duelist: Skills: Improvised Weapon Candelabras, chairs, meat hooks, chickens. Everything is a weapon. If you can pick it up, you can use it at the same level as your primary weapon. As a bonus, you can also throw it at the same level as your highest projectile skill. Discover the effectiveness of any object upon picking it up and examining it. Spells: Grand Entrance Level 3: Make a dazzling display of illusionary pyrotechnics. Subjects in the target area will be subjected to flashing lights, illusionary smoke, and a blast of trumpets. Effects last one second per level over an area of effect of one hundred square feet per level. The caster and all partied members will not be affected. Activation time: Instant. Target: Area Range: 100 feet. Cost: 96 EP Duration: 1 sec/level of spell Cooldown: 1 hour Highwayman: Skills: Mounted Combat: Similar to the mounted combat used by Paladins and Knights. The exception is that the Highwayman may also use a short bow without penalty on any mount. Spells: Slippery Bastard/Bitch Level 3: This is an escape spell, plain and simple. Any lock, knot, or manacle can be undone or opened so long as it is used to hold someone captive. The escape chance is 5% per level. With a maximum chance of 90%If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Activation time: Instant. Target Self or Other. Range: 30 feet. Cost: 150 EP Duration: 1 sec/level of spell. Cooldown: 15 minutes Pirate: Skills: Sailing: The skills to operate all aspects of maritime as well as airship travel. This skill involves operation, navigation, and combat on all standard methods of transport. Spells: Water Breathing Level 3: Breathe underwater for as long as your EP holds out. Ignore all adverse effects of water pressure while the spell is active. Duration: 90 secs/level with additional EP per second. Activation time: Instant. Target Self. Range: Self. Cost: 213 EP Duration: 1 sec/level of spell. Add Cost 25EP/Second. Cooldown: 1 minute ¡°It¡¯s kind of like House Hunters.¡± The Whisperer said with a chuckle. ¡°Three to choose from, but you probably already know which one you want.¡± That was the rundown. I looked at all the skill and spell combinations. Damn, Pirate looked good. I didn¡¯t see myself on the high seas all that much, but what in the hells are airships? Indeed, assuming I live long enough, one of these would be rolling back around for me. Highwayman had the Slippery Bitch spell, but I didn¡¯t see much of a need for mounted combat. I didn¡¯t see myself using that any time soon, either. That left the first one. ¡°Duelist.¡± We both said at the same time. ¡°You can decide later what kind of blade you want to use and the off-hand weapon. Whichever kind you choose will be your specialty, starting at level three.¡± ¡°That just leaves me with thirteen points to distribute. Can you bring up my Base Attributes again?¡± ¡°Sure thing, kiddo. These are your base attributes after adding in the Fighter Class.¡± Base Attributes: Strength: 21 Dexterity: 26 Spirit: 19 Charisma: 18 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 13 Luck: 20 Unassigned Points: 13 Adrenaline Points: 400/400 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Essence Points: 323/323 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Vitality Points: 3223/3223 Recovery: 10 pts/sec outside of combat. This would be the most significant boost to my Base Attributes until I hit level twenty or got kissed by another god, so I wanted to ensure I had as solid a foundation as possible. The fighter class bumped me up a little, and I also added strength and dexterity with my dagger and new mace skills. Right now, I felt it was essential to get everything to twenty, and I started by adding enough points to get there: Base Attributes: Strength: 21 Dexterity: 26 Spirit: 20 Charisma: 20 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 20 Luck: 20 Points unassigned: 3 I only had two points left after getting everything over twenty. I decided to split the leftovers between Charisma and Luck. Luck helps in combat and adds a lot to my VP pool, which I know I would like after the week I¡¯ve had. Base Attributes: Strength: 21 Dexterity: 26 Spirit: 20 Charisma: 23 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 22 Luck: 22 Adrenaline Points: 447/447 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Essence Points: 330/330 Recovery: 10 pts/sec Vitality Points: 3872/3872 Recovery: 10 pts/sec outside of combat. ¡°See ya!¡± The world decided to come back online in stages. I could feel Amania¡¯s healing magic flow through my body as I returned to my battered old self. The notifications appeared in white on a black background: You have passed level 20 Strength. Grapple Level 1 Unlocked. Grapple Level 1 The art of physically overwhelming another person. When activated, all upper body strength is increased to 125%, and grip strength is increased to 200% when used to grab and hold an opponent. Pressure points on opponents will glow visually. Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 198 EP. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 6 minutes. You have passed level 20 Spirit. Heal Self Level 1 Unlocked. Heal Self Level 1 Basic Healing spell that will instantly regenerate 250 VP and heal basic, non-life-threatening external injuries. Will stop bleeding effect debuffs. Activation time: instant. Range: Self. Cost: 300 EP. Cooldown: 17 minutes. You have passed level 20 Charisma. Party Map Unlocked. Party Map You may now share a visual representation of your internal navigation with partied members. Each party member will be represented on the map along with any marked and targeted objects, waypoints, directions, or quest points the host can access. Range: 500 yards. You have passed level 20 Endurance. AP Health Level 1 Unlocked. AP Health Level 1 Adrenaline Points may be converted to Vitality Points if health drops below 25% on a point-to-point exchange. Activation time: Instant. Range: Self. Cost: 1 EP. Cooldown: none. I fell back into the real world. My body was aching, but it was whole again. ¡°Well, I got my fill of pit fighting.¡± Heather was kneeling over me, biting her lip, and looked worried. I was on the sandy floor of the fighting pit. I wasn¡¯t exactly moving yet. I looked at the list of skills I picked up from reaching level ten: Grappling, weapon throwing, party map, and healing. I could have used a couple of those, like five minutes ago, gods be fucking damned. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go again.¡± I croaked before coughing up a mouthful of blood. Heather tried to back off but caught a bit on her face. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I almost lost you.¡± She clasped my hand and kissed me on the cheek. ¡°The protections switched off, and you collapsed.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Daisy?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in a lot of pain.¡± ¡°You know what to do then.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Heather shot up to her feet and stomped over to the orc. Two healers tried to help her, but their skills wouldn¡¯t be close to a cleric from the Church of Purity. Heather pushed them aside and laid her hands on Daisy¡¯s mangled knee. A golden, divine light radiated through her and filled the orc¡¯s entire body. After another mighty Orc scream, Daisy fell silent. Heather held her hand, whispering in her ear. She stroked the orc¡¯s hair gently as the last healing magic did its thing. She came over when it was done. She had a mangled dagger in her hand. She dropped in the sand next to me. ¡°That was a nasty piece of work you did on her.¡± She folded her arms and looked down at me. ¡°She¡¯ll be okay, but by the gods, if I weren¡¯t here, she¡¯d have lost her leg.¡± I groaned and pulled myself up to my feet with her help. There was a smattering of applause in the arena. I wearily walked over to Daisy, who was now sitting up, rubbing her newly healed knee. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you fucking beat me,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°You kicked my ass all over this pit,¡± I said, offering her my hand. ¡°I only won because I played dirty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all dirty.¡± She smiled, taking my hand. ¡°You used the tools you had to win. There ain¡¯t no better way to fight a match.¡± I helped her up to raucous cheers and applause and not a few more seat cushions thrown down in the pit as we walked out. I got cleaned up in the locker room and got back into my dress, minus the sandals in the arena. I really didn¡¯t want to go back out there and get them. By some miracle of magic, Nefaebella¡¯s magnificent work on my hair managed to hold up, with just some errant strands, sand, and a little blood. Heather restored the odds and ends and returned it to working order for me. ¡°You look different,¡± Titus said. He met me at the base of the stairs. Despite the victory in the pit, he looked just as worried as Heather. ¡°I did just get my ass whipped in a fighting pit.¡± ¡°Something else,¡± he felt my bicep. ¡°You leveled up.¡± ¡°Is it obvious?¡± I asked with fake self-consciousness and then smiled. ¡°Level ten.¡± He stopped us on the steps right before entering the lounge. ¡°At five weeks? By the gods.¡± I pulled him by the lapels down to me and kissed him. I wanted to activate Grapple, but I already scared the shit out of him one too many times tonight. I held him tightly, though, keeping his mouth on mine. ¡°What the Hells is it about you?¡± He asked as we came up for air. ¡°Long version or short?¡± ¡°Short.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had many life experiences since I got here.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And I just netted two thousand xp from the fight. I don¡¯t have many skills yet, but my level is high.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± He smiled and nodded. ¡°You got offered a new class and job. What did you choose?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit personal.¡± ¡°For the sake of the gods, tell me.¡± ¡°I got the Swashbuckler Class and the Duelist Job.¡± He looked at me for half a second and nodded. ¡°Good choice. You¡¯re a rogue with high charisma, so it makes sense. Have you chosen a weapon yet for the sword dance skill?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it too much.¡± I gripped my hands, trying to imagine different kinds of blades. ¡°Either a rapier or a cutlass?¡± ¡°Lucky for you,¡± he grinned, his old charm warming the space between us. ¡°I happen to be a bit of an old swashbuckler myself. But we need to get back to this party, or I will lose a lot of my clientele.¡± We opened the door to a cheering crowd of partygoers. I¡¯m guessing we put on a good show because I know more than half of them lost money on Daisy. Everyone pushed in, and compliments flew at me. Even if they lost money, no one seemed to mind. Good job! Little Elf! Love your hair! I can¡¯t believe what you did down there! Not gonna fight you anytime soon! Mostly stuff like that. Titus guided me to the booth. After getting their fix, the crowd quickly moved to the window when another fight started. ¡°Oh my gods!¡± Leoleth practically threw herself into the booth next to me and gave me the biggest hug of my entire life. ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°Did ok?¡± ¡°Hells yeah, bestie!¡± She kissed me on the cheek and then, to my surprise, leaned over me and planted a kiss on Titus. ¡°We made eight to one!¡± ¡°Eight to one?¡± I said to Titus, my eyebrows raised. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t set the odds.¡± He said, his arms up. ¡°Ninety-six hundred GP.¡± Leoleth said, settling onto the bench. ¡°Good haul,¡± Titus said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to tip the staff.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said gleefully and bounced up, practically dancing to the bar. ¡°Is she, like, a package deal with you?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said as I pressed myself into him. I loved his massive size and his strong arms against me. ¡°Leoleth is my sister, like Heather. Gem, on the other hand, might be part of the deal.¡± ¡°Tell me about her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a half-human, half-satyr.¡± He chuckled. ¡°That sounds complicated.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± I slapped his arm. ¡°She¡¯s awesome. She is adventurous, beautiful¡­¡± I paused, looking for the right words. ¡°And lusty.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s home, for now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a forest dweller, and you¡¯re an urban elf.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sucks.¡± ¡°How are you planning on making that work?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought it all through.¡± I looked up at him. ¡°She has her family that she will always be returning to.¡± ¡°It sounds like you will be a part-time thing. You okay with that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I snuggled back into the crook of his arm. ¡°If you are okay with it, then I will be too.¡± He sighed dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no sea without a storm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a highwayman, not a pirate.¡± ¡°Been a bit of both, sweety.¡± My little brain flooded with wild, intoxicating images of the young and reckless Titus Sybo, shirtless and glistening in the ocean sun as he swung from the rigging of a pirate ship. I could see him laughing at death, leaping into the heart of battle full of piss and vinegar, cutting down enemies like a frenzied animal. His outlaw confidence would not be denied, collecting treasure. And, of course, there would be wenches, taverns full of them, drawn to his charm, eager to taste the danger, only to be left heartbroken when he left for ports unknown. A knot of heat twisted deep in my belly, the idea of him being my own Jack Sparrow, the unbeatable rogue, making my breath catch. I wanted him. I wanted to feel that untamed energy, that raw power, and damn if it didn¡¯t scare the shit out of me. ¡°You¡¯re imagining me as a pirate right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± he chuckled, his voice dark with amusement. ¡°Fuck you,¡± I muttered, totally lying. He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. ¡°I want you to understand something,¡± he whispered, his lips brushing my earlobe before kissing gently. ¡°I may be older, but my skills¡­ my levels¡­ they¡¯re nothing short of legendary. I can bend and break anyone in this room if I want to.¡± A rush of heat surged through my body. ¡°Not me.¡± I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest. He was so gods damned sexy right now. He pulled me in, his lips stealing a kiss like a pirate stealing a pouch of gold. A devilish smile spread across his face, and there was no trace of the beast, only the swashbuckler. He brushed his thumb across my lower lip. The last fight ended, and the party wound down. Patrons wandered back from the window, many paying tribute to Titus with a brief nod, smile, or comment on how the night had gone. He smiled to each in turn, his arm around me as he greeted everyone with a Thanks or See you after The Festival. As the crowd thinned out, my girls appeared in front of our booth, hands on hips, exuding sass and impatience. Leoleth arched a brow, smirking. ¡°You in love or what?¡± Leoleth asked, tilting her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said with a giggle. Leoleth shot me a look and rolled her eyes like I¡¯d missed the obvious. ¡°Wasn¡¯t asking you. Of course, you are. I¡¯m talking to him. What about you, handsome pirate man?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Titus said with a smile. ¡°Well, ¡®see¡¯ faster. Those big, meaty arms of yours need to let her go. We¡¯re taking her home.¡± ¡°Kind of being rude, there girl.¡± I glared at her. Heather chimed in with a grin, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re the one who came up with Squad Rules. We all go home together.¡± ¡°All good,¡± Titus said smoothly. ¡°Maltz will get you all back safe.¡± He gestured to Ramin, who quickly flagged down one of the wenches. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said; it was a bit of a bummer; I¡¯d been getting so cozy wrapped up under his arm. Titus loosened his hold on me, turning to face me, his expression shifting to something more serious. His eyes locked on mine with a quiet intensity. ¡°Come back tomorrow.¡± He smiled and scooted over. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about what you need. I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help you, I swear.¡± We staggered into the tavern at The Crying Jester after an hour-long ride through the streets of Ironstone. Leoleth had somehow managed to sneak a bottle from the bar. And, somewhere along the way, she¡¯d lost her shoes. We were now barefoot and giggling like a pack of sorority sisters on spring break. When we pulled up to the tavern, all three of us were well and truly smashed. I was getting cranky since the two relentlessly teased me about Titus. ¡°You need to fucking stop.¡± I slurred. ¡°I¡¯m not being a slutty half-elf with him.¡± ¡°You want to have sex with that man.¡± Leoleth laughed, leaning against me for balance. ¡°But it will be by choice,¡± I said. ¡°You two have been nothing but unfair to me. Just because I¡¯m a half-elf doesn¡¯t mean I will bed down with anyone that bats an eyelash at me.¡± I leaned up against Heather as we opened the door. ¡°And don¡¯t go thinking you wouldn¡¯t want to jump his bones if you were in the room alone together.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Heather mused. As we stumbled up to the bar where Yarnorra was working, I was transfixed by her fiery curls, which caught the candlelight and flickered like a flame. ¡°Looks like ye¡¯ve all had a braw evenin¡¯.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± I said as I leaned onto the counter. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could give us three mugs to take to our room.¡± ¡°Aye, I¡¯m supposin¡¯ I could.¡± She said, but then a mischievous grin came across her face. ¡°Maybe I could bring those up tae ye.¡± She even batted her eyelashes. Yarnorra¡¯s smile was pure invitation, laced with a playful glint in her eyes. She teased me with a slow, deliberate blink and the subtle pout of her lips. Oh, I wanted that. All of it, head to toe, and all the dirty parts in between. Even boozy, however, I knew it wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°You,¡± I began, leaning in a bit too close, ¡°have the most beautiful¡ª¡± Four hands grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me back from the bar. My girls had me on this one. ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough, sweety,¡± Heather said to her as she steered The Squad to the stairs. ¡°Another time, love,¡± Yarnorra said, her voice rich and sultry. ¡°That was completely unnecessary.¡± I drunkenly muttered as we climbed up the stairs. ¡°This is good for you,¡± Leoleth grunted as she hoisted me up another stair. ¡°You are learning not to fuck someone just because they are easy.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t fuck you yet,¡± I grumbled at her. ¡°You¡¯re as easy as they come.¡± ¡°We¡¯re saving it for a special occasion.¡± Leoleth was giggling as Heather moaned with irritation. We tumbled into our dark suite. None of us were sober enough to realize the unlocked door should have been a warning. ¡°Shit,¡± Leoleth murmured, tripping over the same boot that she had left lying in front of the door. ¡°Regan, Fucking Summer.¡± A man¡¯s voice drawled from the corner. I had my elf eyes, but they weren¡¯t focusing too well in low light. I had to make a note of that. I tried shaking the drunken fog out of my head, and to my surprise, it lifted. Heather had placed her healing hands on me and Leoleth. We glowed with divine light, revealing a man sitting casually in my airplane seat, cradling a cup of tea like he owned the place. He looked like a soldier with a buzz cut and a muscular build, clad in worn dark leather armor. I was now completely sober. I waved and activated the mage lights, filling the room with brilliant white light. ¡°Gotta say, you girls know how to party.¡± And he had some half-smile? It wasn¡¯t friendly. ¡°Exciting stuff.¡± He crossed his legs and took a sip. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this chair?¡± He looked down at it with a frown. ¡°It looks like some solid dwarven construction, but it¡¯s about the most uncomfortable thing I¡¯ve ever sat in.¡± I locked eyes with him. ¡°It¡¯s a form of torture where I come from. Who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± he tilted his head. ¡°We got the same boss.¡± ¡°The Magistrate.¡± I sighed, this was going to suck. ¡°Still aren¡¯t telling me who the fuck you are.¡± He stood, looking back at the chair with disapproval. ¡°Gods, you even have straps on that thing.¡± He nudged it warily with his foot. ¡°You use this thing to torture people?¡± ¡°Have a seat,¡± Leoleth growled, sober now, her eyes sharp as daggers. However, Heather was still plenty buzzed but had enough wits about her to take a couple of steps behind us. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to show you.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± he said, turning around. ¡°Another night, and I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done.¡± I stepped closer, feeling just angry enough to do something stupid. ¡°You are going to fucking die if the next words out of your mouth aren¡¯t your fucking name.¡± ¡°Elion,¡± he said casually, raising his teacup. ¡°That thing with the dagger and mace was some brutal shit, I give you.¡± ¡°You following us?¡± ¡°Just you.¡± He sighed casually. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because,¡± he elongated the word as if it were the stupidest question in the world. ¡°You¡¯re the competition.¡± ¡°I thought we worked for the same person.¡± ¡°What can I say?¡± He leaned in, not particularly concerned with personal space. Of course, I was a foot shorter than him, so I had to crane my neck to look up at him. He stared down at me with dark brown eyes. A small scar nicked the end of his right eyebrow from a fight that must have happened a long time ago. A look at his hands verified that he was a swordsman. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we ain¡¯t competing. Same boss, different stakes.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± I folded my arms, which seemed a good reason to step back. ¡°So, why are you here in my home?¡± He glanced around the room like it was his first time noticing it. ¡°Hmm,¡± he said quietly to himself with a slight nod. ¡°Part messenger boy,¡± he said. ¡°Part message.¡± ¡°Ok then, I¡¯ll bite.¡± I was starting to get irritated. Okay, I was way passed irritation. I didn¡¯t exactly know what it was I was feeling. But irritation was miles down the road from where I was at this point. ¡°The boss wants to know why you¡¯re out getting blitzed and beating up on helpless bookkeepers instead of doing your job.¡± ¡°Not her business what I¡¯m up to.¡± I glared at him. He stepped nervously to the side, and I countered, not giving him an inch. ¡°Again, just a messenger.¡± He held his empty hand up in mock surrender. ¡°I was given a quest with a clear set of parameters, and how I go about solving that quest is my own fucking business.¡± ¡°She also wants me to remind you of the possible scenarios surrounding failure.¡± ¡°Very much aware,¡± I said, exchanging a quick glance with Leoleth. ¡°Alrighty then, messenger boy part done.¡± He set his cup down on my writing desk with exaggerated care. ¡°Now, fair warning: this is the part that might get... a little scary.¡± Whoosh! Before I could react, Elion vanished in a flash. Leoleth yelped as he reappeared behind her. A fistful of her hair was gripped in his left hand. With the other, he pressed a dagger against her throat. He pulled her with him into a corner of the room. I leveled my gaze at him. ¡°That¡¯s not the sort of thing you should be doing.¡± I let the muscles in my body coil up, ready to spring and stepped toward the corner. ¡°Uh-uh.¡± He said as I started to move. ¡°I said scary, not dangerous. This is just some¡­¡± He smiled and tilted his head playfully. ¡°Theatrics.¡± Leoleth trembled in fury. Heather was stomping her feet and muttering curses behind me. ¡°Maybe the Amania Priestess can calm the fuck down?¡± ¡°Heather,¡± I hissed. ¡°Please.¡± Heather stilled, but her eyes were on fire. Having her blitzed was not a good thing right now. ¡°See,¡± Elion cooed, a grin on his face. ¡°This is just a little demonstration. I won¡¯t be hurting Miss Icy Crotch here.¡± He gave Leoleth a peck on the cheek. She growled at him quietly. ¡°But my grabbing her this way is part of the message. You see, I¡¯m a capable guy.¡± ¡°It would seem so.¡± ¡°And right now,¡± a darkness passed over his face. The smile was gone. ¡°I am tasked with the same quest as you.¡± ¡°You already mentioned that.¡± I started moving to his right, thinking I could activate Time Dilation and take him out. ¡°And¡­¡± he paused, leveling his eyes at me. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I stopped moving. ¡°I know you have a few tricks up your sleeve. You might could just, do something to me here and now, but like I said, this is just a message.¡± His stupid grin returned, and he released Leoleth and let the dagger clatter to the floor. He stepped out from behind her, hands raised dramatically. She hissed at him and stomped over next to Heather. Elion casually reclaimed his teacup and settled back into my airplane seat with a disapproving grimace. ¡°This chair¡¯s just awful,¡± he muttered, siping. ¡°It must¡¯ve taken weeks to put this thing together.¡± He took another sip of his tea while we stared at him. ¡°So, here¡¯s the message: We¡¯re on the same quest but playing very different games.¡± ¡°I mean, the necklace and the guard... ¡°He bobbed his head back and forth like he was saying different options. ¡°But the difference is that you and I are not getting paid the same thing.¡± ¡°One of us isn¡¯t getting paid at all.¡± ¡°Right you are,¡± he poked a finger up at me. ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice. I, on the other hand, am getting handsomely rewarded.¡± He held up his pointing finger. ¡°One little problem, though. And you know what that is, don¡¯t you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one winner.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Message received. Now fuck off..¡± ¡°There¡¯s still one little part you should know about.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the other part?¡± ¡°When I finish this quest,¡± He smiled, leaning forward in his seat. ¡°I also get a bonus.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°A six-foot-tall Frost Elf, all my own.¡± ¡°FUCK-YOU!¡± Heather raged. The room filled with static as she summoned the Sword of Justice into her hands. ¡°If you even think of laying a hand on her, I swear by the Goddess!¡± She stood over him, her eyes filled with righteous fury. She pulled her arm back to strike. ¡°Oh shit,¡± Elion said quietly. ¡°Okay.¡± He was still calm but dropped the cup and raised his hands. Then he added almost to himself. ¡°Amania Priestess with a sword. That¡¯s new.¡± I moved between them, my back to Elion. I held my arms up to Heather. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time.¡± I placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m sure hurting him right now would be a very bad thing.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Heather glared at him one more time before dismissing the sword. I had never seen her shaking with anger before. ¡°It¡¯s just theatrics,¡± she spat. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°Well. That hit awkward fast.¡± He got to his feet and bent over, picking up the cup. He set it gently on the airplane seat. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He pointed at the spilled tea and brushed nonexistent dust off his armor. ¡°Boy, that chair will haunt me.¡± He muttered with one last look at the airplane seat. ¡°Anyhoo¡­¡± He let the next statement out in one long breath. ¡°I¡¯ll be tracking your every move and will do every possible thing I can to get that prize, which I will, and you will truly know what it means to feel the wrath of The Mistress Magistrate. And¡­¡± He took a deep breath and pointed at Leoleth with both hands. ¡°Got some crazy ideas in mind for you, Blue Lips.¡± Leoleth glared at him, folding her arms. ¡°Same here.¡± Elion sighed dramatically. ¡°Exciting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Whoosh! Chapter Twenty-Nine: Magic, thievery, and jumping over stuff. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Magic, thievery, and jumping over stuff. ¡°That¡¯s your takeaway?¡± ¡°Not the only one,¡± Leoleth said, sipping her coffee like she had all the answers. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, if she can sober us up and cure hangovers, why didn¡¯t she offer before?¡± We were sitting in the Crying Jester¡¯s tavern. Two of us ate a breakfast of porridge and coffee while Heather, the Cleric of the Church of Purity, sat slumped over with a damp washcloth draped over her eyes like the world¡¯s most hungover lady justice. ¡°Learning to live with our mistakes is part of finding the path,¡± Heather muttered. ¡°You know I¡¯m never going to learn,¡± Leoleth declared, chomping loudly on her breakfast like she was trying to win a chewing contest. The exaggerated crunches and slurps were aimed squarely at Heather. ¡°So, you might as well just be helpful.¡± Heather groaned in response, clearly not enjoying this part of ¡°finding the path.¡± We hadn¡¯t ironed out a plan after last night. There was another player in the game. I knew there would be, but why that idiot decided to make himself known to me was anyone¡¯s guess. Ego? Or maybe Magistrate Eumenia wanted him to prod me into action. Either way, my ignorant-is-bliss method of dealing with the problem was pretty much shot. ¡°So, Heather¡¯s on watch duty?¡± I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. ¡°Fine,¡± she grumbled, her tone heavy with the weight of martyrdom. Jinx and the boys were supposed to return to Ironstone today or tomorrow¡ªhopefully. The Jester was their last stop before the group split up, and I wasn¡¯t keen on wasting a day or two hunting them down. That meant staying put, even if it wasn¡¯t my idea of being productive. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to stay in the tavern,¡± I said, trying to sound reasonable. ¡°One of the wenches will tell you if they show up.¡± ¡°Oh, sure,¡± Leoleth said with a smirk. ¡°Do you want to be out walking in the heat of summer? With all that delicious meat roasting on skewers and greasy smoke wafting right into your face?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst,¡± Heather muttered. Leoleth pulled a small potion bottle out of storage and set it on the table in front of Heather. Then, without missing a beat, she grabbed her coffee and stood up. ¡°Love you,¡± she said sweetly, leaning down to kiss Heather on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m off to take a bath and make myself pretty for the pirate man.¡± Heather stared at the bottle for a moment before recognizing it. She grabbed it and downed the contents in one gulp. The color returned to her face within seconds, and she returned to her usual priestly self. ¡°Let me guess,¡± I said, arching an eyebrow. Heather smiled, setting the empty bottle on the table with deliberate care. ¡°Hangover tonic. An expensive one.¡± ¡°Squad rules,¡± Leoleth called over her shoulder as she disappeared up the stairs. I dreaded the day as much as I was looking forward to it. I needed to deal with the quest. I needed to deal with Titus. I needed to deal with Elion. I needed to deal with a lot of shit that seemed to just kind of creep into what was a relatively simple life just a few days ago. And by simple, I mean just stealing stuff around town and looking all innocent and shit. I watched the people in the tavern for a little bit. Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Gnomes, and a few others. Eating breakfast before going off and doing some kind of job. Ordinary lives. These were just people doing their thing, working nine to five and living lives with families and rent to pay and all that stuff. I sat at my little corner booth and thought about what I was doing, which was anything I could do not to be ordinary. How can they do that? I wondered. How can anyone in this world decide that ordinary is okay? Back home, I was the Queen of ordinary. I couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°You Okay there?¡± Heather asked. ¡°How do they do it?¡± I asked quietly, nodding at the people in front of us. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Be normal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that?¡± ¡°Everyone in this world has the same potential.¡± I looked at her. ¡°To level. Why are there so few that do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°I barely came out of my basement back on earth, but even for me, it was easy to jump in and start adventuring.¡± ¡°Easy?¡± She asked. ¡°You almost died yesterday. You almost got killed in the first three minutes you were on this world and probably a dozen times since. That doesn¡¯t sound easy. That doesn¡¯t even account for what you had to do to stay alive. That¡¯s why people don¡¯t rise in levels.¡± ¡°When you put it like that¡­¡± I trailed off, not sure what I was going to say. ¡°Don¡¯t people live lives of adventure in your old world?¡± ¡°Yeah, I suppose.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because,¡± I nodded. I felt deflated. ¡°It was hard.¡± ¡°You came here with a chance to start over, and the gods gave you the gifts to do what you wanted, and you chose this.¡± She tapped the table to make her point. ¡°Everyone on Nya is where they are because they chose it, just like in your old world. The price of adventure is bloody, painful, and hurts more than just ourselves.¡± I watched a dwarf in a pair of overalls slide a couple of coppers on the table and get up, winking and smiling at the wench as she scooped up his payment and tip. He walked out with a spring in his step and disappeared in the pedestrian traffic outside. I sighed. ¡°I liked living in my basement.¡± She smiled all priestess-like at me. ¡°You may have led a different life in your old world, but you have the same soul. And you are more suited to this life than almost anyone I have ever met. I don¡¯t care what they say about how the rifts work; the gods brought you here to us for a reason.¡± ¡°No pressure then.¡± ¡°None at all.¡± When she came down from the suite, Leoleth was all dolled up in a dress and fancy slippers. I was substantially less glammed in my usual tunic and pants. A quick hug with Heather and we were off to the Entertainment District. I kept an eye out for Elion. But, of course, it made things slow going. We ended up doubling back almost as much as moving forward. We made a lot of detours through shops and ducked out of more than one back door. I even ended up getting a second breakfast for the frost elf because she started bitching about too much walking. I hit fuck it after that and just ordered a cab. Who was I kidding? The creep could be anywhere. Titus was at the booth in the lounge, and it was the same as when I first met him. Maltz was at his side, and Ramin was reading at the bar. He didn¡¯t have crap all over the table this time, just the ledger that he had opened the other day and a couple of different things. He was in his signature white silk shirt and black vest, sleeveless, like last night. ¡°Morning,¡± he said. He slid out of the booth and got to his feet. He wore black tights and boots this morning, and a generous-looking codpiece was strapped around his waist. ¡°Oof,¡± Leoleth whispered. I ignored her, practically running to him. The funny thing was that I had just met Titus and already had some creepy-ass infatuation with him. But everything in this world is fast-forward, and I wasn¡¯t really sure if there were any brakes on this thing. I hadn¡¯t taken a day off since I came here, not one dull day where nothing happened. Even my downtime was spent grinding skills and lining my pockets with ill-gotten gold. I needed to talk to somebody about this. ¡°Ramin,¡± he said. After a hug and kiss. ¡°Can you grab us some Risers?¡± He smelled good with just the right amount of fragrance. And he felt good, too. ¡°Sure thing, Boss.¡± ¡°Good to see you.¡± He said to Leoleth. ¡°Where¡¯s your Cleric?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing stuff.¡± He guided us to the booth. He stood before it, slapping the ledger closed and dropping it onto the bench. Ramin brought out a tray of five fizzing beverages. Titus grabbed one of the glasses and took a sip. ¡°Not really a toasting drink. It¡¯s a tonic, helps you get moving.¡± There was a flash of magic around the lounge as each surface glowed with a magical sigil. I turned and saw Ramin slip a control rod back into his pocket. ¡°Maltz and Ramin are solid with me.¡± Titus continued. ¡°If you can trust me, you can trust them. We¡¯ve been together a long time.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± I grabbed a Riser, and Leoleth grabbed one right after me. It tasted like licorice and had some bitter roots but was bubbly and uplifting. It was the closest thing to Diet Coke I had since getting here. I set my drink down. ¡°Before we start, I have a question.¡± ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± ¡°You know a guy named Elion?¡± Titus sighed when he heard the name. ¡°Elion Orixalim. Human? Shaved head? Full of himself?¡± ¡°Sounds like him.¡± Maltz let out a hiss. ¡°He¡¯s not good people to know,¡± Ramin said. ¡°If you encounter him, you best be ready to kill him.¡± Titus looked at me. ¡°I encountered him last night in our suite.¡± ¡°And what, he just talked?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to shut him up,¡± Leoleth said. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke. Titus put his drink down and shook his head. ¡°Elion Orixalim is a non-guild mercenary.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± I said. ¡°Well, he¡¯s working for the fucking Magistrate.¡± Titus shook his head and looked at Ramin. ¡°This is why we need to start drinking earlier in the day.¡± Ramin shrugged and headed to the bar. ¡°He¡¯s got the same quest as me. If he completes it, I fail.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not leveled as high as me,¡± Titus said. ¡°But he¡¯s up there.¡± A quiet settled around the booth as we stood processing the new information. The only sound was Ramin as he dug through the bottles at the bar. There was a quick, satisfied-sounding ¡°Hah!¡± And he returned. Titus shook his head. ¡°Look, I know you¡¯ve got secrets and plenty of them, me too. Everyone in this room does. I don¡¯t need to know everything, but you must tell me your quest. I need as much information as you can share with me.¡± Ramin spiked our tonics with a clear liquor that made the whole thing glow and fizz even harder. I pulled out the dossier that Chainbeard gave me and flopped it onto the table. ¡°Verrona Faedan.¡± I had gone through the dossier a few times. Faedan was a local whose parents were shop owners in the Grand Bazaar. She served in the Imperial Legion for several years and returned to Ironstone with distinction. She was awarded the prized and trusted position of guarding the imperial treasure in the city. She was pretty, at least according to her sketch, with strong features, sharp eyes, and short-cropped hair. ¡°Gods,¡± Titus muttered. ¡°I hope you¡¯re good at doing the impossible.¡± Titus was right. Objectively, I was utterly fucked. A woman who wanted me to fail gave me an impossible task. She may have given me the quest for kicks or to get that asshole Orixalim moving. Either way, there wasn¡¯t much hope in the way things were going. If I actually managed to find Faedan and catch her, and I actually managed to secure the Ruby Necklace, I could still get it all taken away by Orixalim right up to the very second I needed to enter that office. ¡°What are the assets?¡± Titus asked. Maltz and Ramin were pouring over the notes from the dossier. We had a city map and were plotting positions for people to begin sweeps. ¡°Jinx and the boys will return in the next day or two,¡± I said. ¡°Jinx is a level ten wizard, Eric is a swashbuckler of some kind, and Kev is an orc with a big ass hammer.¡± ¡°What about your archer?¡± I shrugged; it was a little hurtful, but I hadn¡¯t heard from her. ¡°No contact.¡± He looked up at Leoleth, who was mesmerized by Maltz. He snapped his fingers annoyingly at her. ¡°Hey, Frosty.¡± ¡°What?¡± She glared at him, but not before she made a quick flirty wink at the cat-kin. ¡°What is it that you do?¡± ¡°Magic, thievery, and jumping over stuff.¡± ¡°By jumping, what do you mean?¡± She sighed, ¡°You know, climbing, parkour, basic gymnastics. Regan and I have been jumping over rooftops together.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll do. We need to put together two squads,¡± he said. ¡°An intercept squad of fast movers to catch Faedan and a secondary squad to hold onto her when Orixalim makes his move.¡± ¡°I need to be on that intercept squad.¡± Titus gave me a melty swashbuckler grin. ¡°It was never a question,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m no slouch myself.¡± ¡°I can keep up,¡± Leoleth said, arching her back dramatically. Titus looked at me. ¡°She can.¡± I nodded at her. ¡°We are at the same level, skills-wise.¡± ¡°Hopefully, we three can catch her.¡± He looked over a Maltz. ¡°That means the rest of you will be coming in behind us, keeping an eye out for our friend.¡± Maltz nodded, putting his arm around Ramin. ¡°Jussst Like old Timesss.¡± We were leaving a few members out. ¡°Jinx and the boys will be our third string contingency?¡± ¡°Right now,¡± Titus said. ¡°We plan with what we have. A crew size of five is already pretty large.¡± ¡°Six,¡± I said. ¡°We still have Heather.¡± ¡°Plus, a Cleric of Purity.¡± Leoleth glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t knock bestie number two. She has an energy sword and can smite people.¡± Titus shrugged. ¡°We can put her on the backup squad. When, or if, your other friends show up, then we can fold them into the plan where they fit best. Right now, assuming Orixalim is not working with a big crew, then I feel confident we can pull this off.¡± ¡°He has a fast-movement spell,¡± I said. ¡°I think I can match it. What about you three?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have anything like that. Maltz is a monk, a brawler, and Ramin is a Combat Alchemist.¡± ¡°Combat Alchemist is the coolest thing I ever heard of,¡± I said, smiling at the bartender. ¡°Thanks,¡± He returned the smile. ¡°It does take much preparation, though.¡± We had a basic plan, but that was the second phase. Phase one was having a network of informants in place that could let us know if they got a hit on the charmed coins so we could track our target. ¡°There¡¯s another thing that helps,¡± I said. I can share my internal map with party members and lock onto a target. Once I have eyes on her, we can track her as a group.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Titus nodded. ¡°It¡¯s Target Lock, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°It works great, but when you use it, she¡¯ll know.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the part that sucks.¡± Things were winding down. I had dumped the coins on the table at some point. Pulling back five out of the thirty that were charmed. Ramin scooped the rest up. Titus planned on paying random dudes to walk around the city in designated areas until they got a hit. ¡°These are com crystals,¡± Ramin said, holding up a red crystal the size and shape of a casino die. ¡°Just squeeze it, and its twin will glow. The help doesn¡¯t need to know anything. Just push the cube when the coin vibrates.¡± ¡°It sounds kind of sexual,¡± Leoleth said, fully immersed in Maltz at that point. The meeting exceeded her attention span about two hours earlier. Ramin had laid out a map on the table, with paired crystals set on twenty-five different locations on the map. ¡°The crystal glows, and we book it to that spot and start looking.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking genius.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot.¡± Titus clapped his hands together. The planning session lasted about four hours or so, with lunch and drinks only a brief interruption. ¡°All right!¡± he declared. ¡°The detection crew will be out tomorrow by midday.¡± A and B squads will be in place here, ready to move when we have a hit. It was a stopping point. Leoleth was sitting on Maltz¡¯s lap, and Ramin was busy fine-tuning his little magical gadgets and muttering to himself. And Titus had his dark, sinister eyes trained on yours truly. ¡°You and I have some things we need to be doing.¡± He said. His signature smile was stretched across his face now, the scar on his cheek creased like the San Andreas fault. ¡°Uh,¡± I murmured, ¡°Bestie?¡± Leoleth pulled her gaze away from Maltz and looked at me. ¡°What?¡± she walked up to me, an annoyed look on her face. I hated saying it; it felt stupid even as it came from my lips. However, I wanted to be alone with my man right now. ¡°Maybe you could head back to The Jester and check in with Heather?¡± She blew me a kiss, hopped off the cat-kin¡¯s lap, and marched to the door before freezing in one of her signature poses. ¡°Maltz!¡± she shrieked. He walked up, his smile slash sneer all over his face. She dramatically exited the lounge, Maltz at her side, his tail twitching mischievously. Titus grinned. ¡°Didn¡¯t have to ask her twice.¡± I made a mental note to chat with her later about her experience and see if it was anything like my time with Gem: the tail thing and all. ¡°What exactly did you have in mind?¡± Titus smiled at me. ¡°Thought you might want to feel the weight of my sword.¡± He grinned and stood. ¡°Come on.¡± He took me by the hand, and we went back through the door by the bar and over to his private office. It was very much the same as it was last night. A linen sheet was spread out over the desk at the far end, and a half dozen swords were arrayed across it. ¡°Not a metaphor,¡± I said. ¡°Pick up the rapier.¡± He said grabbing one himself. ¡°We¡¯ll start with that first.¡± Would you like to make the Rapier your primary Sword Dance weapon? Yes/No ¡°Just say no,¡± Titus said. ¡°It will keep asking you until you choose a primary weapon type.¡± I had gripped the rapier in my hand. It was light, barely over two pounds, and responded to my slightest gesture. Titus stood across from me with one of his own. ¡°The Rapier is the weapon of refinement.¡± He said, giving it a few swings. It swished through the air with a very satisfying sound. ¡°It¡¯s my personal favorite, but it may not be what you want.¡± I said No in my head, and the notice went away. ¡°En Garde!¡± He slashed at me, flicking only his wrist, and I almost fell over while parrying his casual attack. ¡°It¡¯s primarily a stab and thrust weapon.¡± He casually swung his blade around mine, pushing it out of the way and stabbing it under my arm. He tapped me playfully in the armpit with the side of his blade. Then, when I felt relaxed, he spun it around, severing the top knot on my tunic. ¡°Feel the weight.¡± I swung the blade. I bounced it and tilted my wrist. ¡°It¡¯s right at the handle.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± He smiled. ¡°This is not a weapon of strength. It¡¯s a weapon of precision.¡± He swished it around and began to move with unearthly grace as he danced around the room, swinging the sword in beautiful martial movements. ¡°In the hands of a sword dancer, it is a thing of absolute beauty.¡± ¡°Stand against the wall.¡± He ordered, and I did, my back against the wood-paneled wall as he walked toward me. ¡°En Garde!¡± He swung the blade at me and let me parry his strikes. But when he was just a pace away from me, he stopped. ¡°Hit me.¡± I clumsily swung the blade at him. He didn¡¯t even bother to parry. I just slapped him on the arm with it. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± he asked with a smug look. ¡°You¡¯re too close.¡± He brushed my blade away and stepped back. ¡°It¡¯s absolutely no good in close quarters.¡± He lowered his weapon. ¡°The amount of pressure per square inch on a rapier is between thirty-five thousand and fifty thousand pounds for a person with regular strength. With a strength of over twenty, you can pierce a person¡¯s heart through plate armor. But up close¡­¡± He kissed me on the forehead. ¡°¡­it is next to useless.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± He took my rapier, switched it off the desk with a cutlass, and handed it to me. ¡°Another old friend.¡± He said this almost reverently. And switched blades himself. ¡°Swing it, get a feel for it.¡± Would you like to make the Cutlass your primary Sword Dance weapon? Yes/No No I did the same thing I did with the rapier. I had to lock my wrist, however. The weight of the sword was at the end, not the handle. There was resistance as I swung it, but it cut through the air with more power. ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s heavier.¡± ¡°Yes, about two pounds heavier.¡± He swung his own sword. I watched; there was no refined movement. His swings were broader but close in. ¡°En Garde!¡± I barely reacted before he swung his blade down at me. I blocked it with a loud clang. He swung again and again, with short swings, backed with strength. He purposely missed me, of course, but the aggressiveness of the attacks was unsettling. Within a couple of minutes, I was panting. ¡°It¡¯s a brutal weapon.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°Ideal for close combat and tight spaces. Does this feel like a thrusting weapon to you?¡± ¡°No,¡± I panted. I felt winded after just a couple of minutes of practicing with him. ¡°The cutlass cuts.¡± He shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s its primary function, slashing and cutting in close quarters.¡± ¡°Which is fine,¡± I said with a grin. Catching on. ¡°Unless your opponent has heavy armor.¡± He stepped back, lowering the sword. ¡°It¡¯s a give or take. If your opponent sees you with a rapier, they will charge in, closing the space to make your attacks less effective. If you have a cutlass, they¡¯ll stay back. Letting you wear yourself down swinging the heavier blade.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the best option?¡± ¡°Sword dance is a balance. You will be able to strike an opponent three times before they even get a look at those beautiful green eyes of yours.¡± He smiled, stepping in. I could see the lion inside him. His chest puffed up. ¡°It is all about precision, about multiple strikes on multiple enemies. The cutlass will tear through unarmored enemies like paper, but a rapier will impale even the most armored ones.¡± ¡°So, Advice then?¡± A devilish grin came across his face. ¡°You¡¯re a rogue.¡± He reached down and switched to a rapier. ¡°Fucking cheat.¡± ¡°En Garde!¡± He came at me, his rapier slashing at me aggressively. His eyes were wide with furious-looking intent as I used the cutlass to parry as best I could, but he pushed his attack until he had me against the wall. He was too close to swing his rapier, and I felt I could finally land a hit on him. But suddenly, almost comically, he booped my nose with his left hand. It was such a goofy thing that I nearly dropped the stupid sword. ¡°Don¡¯t forget¡­¡± He said with a smile. He kissed me on the forehead. ¡°You have two hands.¡± He dropped his weapon and stepped back. ¡°What¡¯s your dagger skill?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I panted. ¡°Level five?¡± ¡°There you go.¡± He almost growled. ¡°They get in close; you gut them.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Shit.¡± He picked up the sword off the floor and took mine. ¡°There¡¯s a reason you have the offhand weapon skill.¡± I was still panting. He was ferocious and so beautiful. But he could turn it off in an instant. I still needed to do a downshift before coming to a complete stop. I was trying to slow my heartbeat by steadying my breathing. ¡°There¡¯s a bonus¡­¡± I took another breath. ¡°for using a nonlethal weapon.¡± I said. ¡°I was thinking about using a whip to increase my reach.¡± He placed the swords with the others on the desk. ¡°Trying to remember.¡± He took a pause. ¡°You get a bonus on what? One hundred, fifty percent in that off-hand a weapon?¡± ¡°Sounds right.¡± He sighed. ¡°That kind of bonus would work if you didn¡¯t already have a weapon you were intimately familiar with. Your dagger skill is already level five. That¡¯s higher than the bonus you would get with a whip or club.¡± He walked over and took me by the hand. ¡°Plus, Knowing you. That dagger skill is just gonna keep going up and up.¡± ¡°What did you pick when you first started?¡± He pulled me along, opening the door with a flourish. ¡°I used a buckler. But I was not nearly as far along as you when I started, so I really thought I needed that bonus, but a dagger is just as effective for defense, anyway. You just need to practice with it.¡± He moved us briskly as we cleared the hallway and entered the lounge. ¡°But we have a place to be right about now.¡± ¡°Where are you leading me?¡± ¡°Out and next door.¡± ¡°The Brothel?¡± He stopped and turned at me, a coy look on his face. ¡°I was going to take you to the pub, actually. The cook killed a fresh hen for us this morning, and it should be ready in about thirty minutes.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°But we can hold dinner off for a little bit if you would rather¡­¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I said, taking the lead. ¡°Fresh chicken sounds great.¡± Sword Dance Utilizing strength, agility and charisma, the skill, when activated allows the fighter to fight either single or multiple enemies with a series of continuous motions. The technique favors a rapier or other lightweight blade. The fighter can land multiple blows on a single enemy, bypassing defenses by utilizing rapid movement. Defensively, the fighter becomes difficult to hit, due to the same rapid movement boost. While activated, the fighter¡¯s dexterity and strength are used to land hits and deal damage, but their charisma helps guide feints and dodges. The Percentage to land a critical hit on a single opponent is 10% per level of skill per successful attack. Up to a total of 70% Conversely, while activated, the skill will reduce the likelihood of a critical success from an enemy attack by the same percentage per level. Cost: 37 AP/Second Would you like to make the Rapier your primary Sword Dance weapon? Yes/No Yes Duel Wield Two is better than one. Use a secondary weapon when wielding a one-handed weapon with equal proficiency. Swashbucklers are always beating the odds, and using an offhand weapon adds to the style points that are required to look good doing it. Bonus: selecting a non-lethal weapon from the following list will give the fighter a 150% proficiency. Non-Lethal Weapons:
  1. Buckler
  2. Sap
  3. Cloak
  4. Metal Fan
  5. Parrying Baton
  6. Hook
  7. Net
  8. Tonfa
  9. Whip
  10. Boomerang
Would you like to select a non-lethal weapon from the list? Yes/No No You may select any one-handed weapon in your skill set: Lethal Weapons:
  1. Dagger Level 5
  2. Mace Level 1
  3. Short Sword Level 1 I clicked Dagger in my head.
I¡¯m sure it was a breach of etiquette to mess with my menus at the table, like the Nya version of texting. Titus didn¡¯t seem to mind. He poured our wine and waited patiently while I wrapped it all up. ¡°Other than using the mace as a giant hammer in the fighting pit, I have only used a dagger.¡± ¡°Time to broaden your skills.¡± He smiled. ¡°You would have cut Daisy to pieces in seconds with a rapier and dagger in that pit.¡± ¡°What about the magic suppression?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t affect martial skills. Magic suppression only effects magic essence. You can still utilize any skill that doesn¡¯t pull from it.¡± I remembered using Powerful Strike in the arena and hadn¡¯t thought of it at the time. ¡°Any skill or spell?¡± I said, looking at him. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a spell in existence that doesn¡¯t utilize essence, but if there is one out there, then yeah. I suppose you could.¡± With a flush of embarrassment, I realized that he was still sitting across from me, holding two glasses of wine. ¡°Oh, my fucking gods,¡± I took the glass from him. ¡°Regan¡¯s all up in her head today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re processing a lot of information right now.¡± He grinned at me, holding up a glass. ¡°To the roads you¡¯ve traveled and the places you¡¯ve yet to see. May you live a life with few regrets.¡± We clinked glasses. It was a bittersweet toast, but I could see in his face that it was as much a reflection for him as it was a wish for me. ¡°That seems a bit loaded.¡± We sipped. ¡°I have a whole bunch of those. Like I said, I see in you something very much like me, but you have one crucial element missing that I had.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He sighed, setting down his glass. ¡°I grew up in one of the largest cities in the world, across the sea, on the east coast of the Northern continent, a place called Saarmik.¡± ¡°What was it like?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, where was it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s situated on a series of islands around the mouth of a river. It is the largest shipbuilding city in the world, but¡­¡± He paused. ¡°It is a place where the rich live above the poor. And you don¡¯t get much poorer than an abandoned four-year-old boy.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I am what I am because for the first thirteen years of my life, I was traded, I was abused, I was practically torn to pieces for the amusement of those that were stronger than me.¡± He paused, taking a sip. He didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by his story. Not as much as I was. I wanted to comfort him, but that didn¡¯t seem to be what he needed. ¡°The condensed version is this. In the end, I had two choices: submit or die. I saw no light in the world, no joy, only pain. And I wanted out. I chose to die. So, I picked a fight with one of my tormentors, a man three times my size, believing he would end me. But the gods, it seemed, had a different fate in mind.¡± It was my turn to take a sip of wine. I needed it to steady my nerves. ¡°That was your first?¡± He took a sip of his and eased in his chair a bit. ¡°That first one, I was angry, and I would have taken a stab at one of the gods themselves if I was close enough.¡± He pointed his glass at me. ¡°But you? You¡¯re not angry.¡± ¡°I was that first time.¡± ¡°I have no doubt you were plenty. But it wasn¡¯t the anger that made you swing your little dagger.¡± ¡°What was it then?¡± ¡°Love.¡± He smiled the devilish highwayman grin that just made me want to melt inside. ¡°Think about when you first struck the fatal blow on another person.¡± I almost immediately thought about the orc, but even Kev said that, strictly speaking, they weren¡¯t enlightened people, just monsters. But then, the recollection of what happened at the slave camp came back to me, and I just spilled it out for him. ¡°I remember sitting in the cage across from Heather and how she told me what they would do to us, and her specifically. She was so scared.¡± ¡°You had a choice. Not much of one, but you still had the power to choose your fate, but you needed to think about what happened to her, too.¡± ¡°I would have done the same thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it could have been different if it were just you in that cage.¡± ¡°I remember how it freaked me out. How easy it was.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for me too. But I never struggled with it.¡± ¡°So, we aren¡¯t the same, at least like that.¡± He took a big sip of his wine and paused. ¡°I believe that when you poked your cute little head in my door, it was by the hands of the gods. You were brought to me for a reason.¡± ¡°You think the gods delivered me to you?¡± ¡°No, the opposite.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the reason for this divine intervention then?¡± He chuckled bitterly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so bold as to suggest any redemption on my part. That ship has sailed. But I think that I will have the honor of being a footnote in the epic tale of Regan Moon.¡± I raised my eyebrows at him. ¡°Epic tale?¡± ¡°I spent my entire life punishing the world.¡± He nodded and smiled at me. ¡°You¡¯re going to spend yours, saving it.¡± He swallowed the rest of his glass. ¡°Starting right here in Ironstone. We know the Magistrate has some terrible plan for that fucking necklace. You¡¯re going to find it, you¡¯re going to learn its secrets, and you¡¯re going to stop her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± I said. ¡°Not exactly an epic tale by any means.¡± He poured another glass for himself. ¡°The gods aren¡¯t going to stop there.¡± He just shook his head and chuckled while he spoke. ¡°Oh, no, they fucking won¡¯t. You have a whole bunch of living before they¡¯re done with you.¡± Looking at his face, Things seemed clear. I cannot deny what it is that I am. Like him, I wasn¡¯t given a choice. I could be nice. I could do the noble thing. But the tools I had to work with were lethal. I was being given strength in this world so quickly that I wasn¡¯t even sure what I could do. I hadn¡¯t come close to testing the limits of my abilities. In my short time here, I killed almost half as many as he did in his entire lifetime. It was not going to stop. I was a killer, and I could do unspeakable harm with my gifts. This world chose this for me. It was like, if the gods were acting in good faith, they were being fucking reckless. ¡°Maybe.¡± I sipped my wine, finished it off, and held the glass to him. He filled it up. ¡°But I¡¯m through talking about epic and terrible things for the night.¡± ¡°Okay then,¡± he smiled, filling up my glass. We received a plate of cheese and bread from the swain. Titus told me about the sea. The Eastern Ocean, as they called it. He described the massive ships he sailed on as he journeyed, first south, through what I knew to be the Caribbean islands, and then his passage to the Equatorial Continent, where he took to the road. He always traveled, never staying anywhere for long and never venturing or looking back. He journeyed through jungles, rode on airships over the desert, crossed to the Great Continent, and found the empire after decades of wandering before retiring. He didn¡¯t talk about what he did, leaving those for another time, adhering to my request to avoid anything epic or terrible. It was my turn when our chicken came. It was roasted with wonderfully crispy skin and served with a berry sauce on top of a bed of rice and mushrooms. I explained my world as best as I could. Telephones and computers, airplanes and commuter buses. I told him about my family and my sister, and without even missing a beat, the story pivoted to me telling him about Leoleth, Heather, and Gem and the time I spent on the road from the orc village to Ironstone. I shared the tail of rescuing Eric and killing the ice arachne. I even told him I was too weak to kill the chagkraaw brood mother with a short sword. ¡°It sounds like a thousand years.¡± He said. A round pudding was placed between us. It was drizzled with a hot caramel sauce. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡± I reached out with my fork and took a bite. ¡°I had a whole different life before this one. Twenty-six years of it. But it feels more and more distant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always going to get more distant.¡± ¡°But it barely feels real. How long before I don¡¯t even remember it?¡± ¡°Memories fade for a reason. I mean, they hold the story of who we are. Every victory and every regret will always be part of us. But even the good ones, if we don¡¯t let them fade or grow smaller in the distance, will never let us move forward. Trust a guy that has a lot more behind him than you do. Don¡¯t let the past be your anchor. Make it your wind.¡± ¡°You do have a lot of those, don¡¯t you?¡± We ate our dessert, both wary that we were getting a little too close to epic and terrible again. Titus led me out of the pub. It was turning into a cool evening, and a light rain was starting to fall. We dashed, holding hands, past Sybo Arena¡¯s entrance and under the brothel¡¯s awning. He flung the door open. ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not funny.¡± The vestibule had a door leading into a lounge with a bar for patrons on the left and a long, stretching staircase straight ahead. He led me up all four stories up to the top floor. There was a single door at the very top of the stairs. Titus opened it with his key. A series of locks cycled, and it popped open. ¡°Home.¡± Chapter Thirty: We鈥檙e putting the band back together. Chapter Thirty: We¡¯re putting the band back together. I was awake right before the morning light filled the bedroom. We were wrapped up in the black and red sheets of an enormous round bed in Titus¡¯s apartment. He had found a loose, white cotton shirt and trunks sometime at night. I gently stroked the red stains on the fabric. He hadn¡¯t taken a healing potion, so the scratches from last night were still pretty fresh. He lay there breathing quietly while I got up. I had a habit of waking up early, leaving my partner sleeping while I usually snuck out. My body was aching, and I was covered in bruises. I wandered the hallway to find the kitchen, casting Heal on myself. He didn¡¯t waste any time last night showing me around the place. And it was much grander than I would have thought, based on the outside. The ceilings were high, with beautiful plaster trim and decorative edges that were more palace than bachelor pad. The colors were bright and cheery and seemed to glow. Display cases were everywhere, even in the hallway; knives, treasures, and souvenirs from the road were on display. The walls were adorned with tapestries, paintings, and more artifacts from his life of adventure. The place was quiet, save for the sounds of the bustling street below. My bare feet slapped on the wooden floor as I checked door after door, looking for someplace with food. ¡°Oh, my!¡± A young dwarven girl, barely of age, stood in the kitchen as I stepped in. She was so quiet I barely heard her. She was in the middle of assembling a breakfast for two: rolls, butter, jams, coffee, and tea. Everything I could wish for after a night of whatever the fuck that was that I did with Titus Sybo. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± she gasped. She stood with her hands up, looking at me as though I was aiming a crossbow at her. Then I realized I was stark fucking naked. Not just naked but covered in gods know what after last night. ¡°Oh gods!¡± I backed around the corner; I quickly summoned the first thing I could think of, which was my old Flock of Seagulls T-shirt. It went almost to my knees on this frame, but my breasts pressed into it, leaving little to the imagination. ¡°No,¡± I said, coming back into the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know anyone was here.¡± ¡°The master had left instructions,¡± she said with a shy smile. ¡°¡®I¡¯ll be done in a wee moment, then I¡¯ll be on me way, mistress.¡± I didn¡¯t know why, but something about being called that word tugged at me. She kept her eyes down as she quickly and efficiently placed the last couple of rolls on the cart and covered the tray with a metal dome. ¡°I¡¯m nobody¡¯s mistress.¡± I blurted it out after a quiet moment while she worked. She paused, looking up at me. She was tiny, even compared to my diminutive size. She had a mouselike skittishness about her that made her seem even smaller. She had curly brown hair on the top of her head, tucked into a white bonnet that matched the frilly apron she wore over a charcoal maid¡¯s dress. It looked more like a costume. She was gorgeous, with white porcelain skin, and looked at me with large, chestnut brown eyes. ¡°Beggin¡¯ yer pardon,¡± she bowed her head as she spoke. ¡°Ye¡¯re very much the mistress as long as you¡¯re the master¡¯s guest.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± I breathed, searching for the words. ¡°Not a fan of being called that.¡± ¡°With respect,¡± she said and paused. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve got duties to tend to. Please let me know if ye¡¯ve any need of me.¡± ¡°Do you work downstairs?¡± ¡°No, Miss.¡± She smiled. ¡°My mother used to for a time.¡± ¡°Not anymore?¡± ¡°No, Miss,¡± A darkness moved across her face. She seemed a little uptight, and my being here wasn¡¯t helping her. ¡°I¡¯d no¡¯ want to spoil such a bonnie mornin¡¯ with a sad story.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I stepped up to her and took her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not all this.¡± I gestured around the room with my free hand. ¡°So please forgive my lack of decorum.¡± She returned the smile¡ªa sad kindness on her face. I don¡¯t think Titus was a bad guy or anything, but this was about the most miserable little cutie I ever saw. ¡°He took me from a right awful place. The only thing he¡¯s ever asked of me is to tend to his home. I¡¯m the girl o¡¯ the house.¡± It was all getting a little too much, Jane Ere, for me here, the help girl that is cute as shit and the dark, brooding master. Either that, or we were shifting into Fifty Shades territory. I wasn¡¯t jealous or anything. I mean, he could do anything he wanted. I just wasn¡¯t keen on the idea of him keeping a little plaything captive in his house. The plaything I could handle as long as it was consensual. But I hoped he wasn¡¯t the type to lock her up and make her do his laundry. ¡°He does pay you?¡± I looked her in the eye. ¡°Right? I mean, he gives you days off and all that?¡± She brightened and giggled. ¡°Aye, Miss. He lives here alone, takin¡¯ most of his meals at the office or down the pub. It¡¯s no¡¯ much work keepin¡¯ up after him.¡± A warm, dwarven smile stretched across her angelic face. ¡°You have a name, house girl?¡± ¡°Lucy, Miss.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Lucy.¡± I shook the hand I was holding. ¡°You can call me Regan. Miss Regan, if that¡¯s easier for you.¡± ¡°I will, Miss Regan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the cart. I¡¯m sure you have stuff to do or pretend to do.¡± ¡°Aye, Miss Regan.¡± She curtsied but then paused, the smile gone as a look of concern came across her face. ¡°Can I ask ye a question? It might be a wee bit bold, but...¡± She hesitated, waiting for me to give permission. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Are ye all right, Miss Regan?¡± She tilted her head toward me as if waiting for a response that we needed to keep secret between us. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The words came out as I realized that this poor creature saw what I looked like after the night I spent with Titus. It might be part of the reason she seemed utterly terrified. ¡°Titus and I were a bit,¡± I searched for the right word. ¡°Spirited? In our lovemaking.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hope it was just that, Miss Regan.¡± the little house girl found a door I hadn¡¯t even known existed and made a hasty exit. Titus was stirring when I came into the room. I parked the cart and slid in next to him. I hoped little house girl Lucy didn¡¯t have to wash out the stains. I kissed him on the cheek. It was a girl¡¯s fantasy: taming the beast. But in reality, it¡¯s a lot of work. He used his strength in all aspects of his life. Last night, it was no different. He gripped me with strong hands, not letting go, and I would bite his fingers. He would press his weight down on me, and I would scratch his face. He tested me constantly, overpowering me with his strength in different ways to see how I would counter him. It reminded me of the fighting pit. I was back there, fighting a battle against an overwhelming opponent. I beat him the same way I beat Daisy the Pit Queen. I fought dirty; my hands dug deep, my nails drew blood, and my knees and feet found all the pressure points. I¡¯d lock my legs around his throat because my hands weren¡¯t large enough. And every time, he would tap out. And I would reward him. And then we would go again. My mind was screaming against it. We fought, we kissed, we fucked. In between each new position, he pulled and pried my body; I would fight, and I yelled and cursed at him. It went on all night until both of us were exhausted. When it was over, he lay, his legs and arms wrapped around me. We were exhausted, with our bodies covered in sweat, fluids, and a little blood. My body ached. My legs, arms, face, and everything were covered with bruises from our mutual abuse. I wanted to feel dirty. I wanted to say to myself that this was not a good thing. We fucked like we wanted to kill each other. Lying in his arms, I understood something. Despite everything we did on this bed, I felt safer than I had since I came to Nya. It was quick, the way we came together. Seriously? We only met a few days ago, but here we were, tangled in each other¡¯s arms in a bed soaked with all kinds of the wrong stuff. I was ready to just throw everything in with him, to trust him with my life. All of this, even though he was the most terrifying person I had ever met. Maybe it was something the gods had ordained, as Titus suggested last night. This damn world. Everything about this place was just cranked to fucking eleven. I was speeding along like the fast-forward button was stuck. ¡°Hey,¡± I whispered, looking into his eyes as they fluttered open. ¡°Anybody in there?¡± He smiled up at me, his eyes warm. The mask was nowhere to be seen. He touched my face and teased my hair. ¡°Glad we got that out of our system.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to do that every time.¡± I kissed him gently as he glowed. He healed himself. The scratches on his face and chest closed up. ¡°I think we scared Lucy.¡± His eyes grew wide. For a moment, I thought he would jump out of bed. ¡°Oh, gods.¡± He looked over at the cart. ¡°You met her.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I leaned on my side. ¡°She seems nice.¡± ¡°Her mother used to be one of the girls downstairs. She ran off with a client, and Lucy was the result. He was trouble. He was cruel. I brought her here to get her away from all that.¡± I reached up and touched the scar on his face. He smiled at me, leaning into it a little. ¡°You¡¯ve been cruel too, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No.¡± His easy smile didn¡¯t change. ¡°I was angry. At the world, the gods, and everything in between. I may have done some bad stuff, but not like him. For me, it was part of the business.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t regret any of it?¡± ¡°Some,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Of course. Being strong means you can take. And I took anything I wanted. I was in the business of stealing. I wasn¡¯t gentle about it. I was out to prove to everyone and everything that I was the biggest and the strongest. Getting caught up in that is easy, especially if you surround yourself with the wrong people. Have you ever heard the tenets of Granvul?¡± ¡°I know he¡¯s the God of Domination.¡± ¡°Strength without will is but the shadow of weakness. Power is the right of those who dare to wield it, while the frail, too feeble to resist, are fated to serve. Such is the law that governs this realm and all realms beyond.¡± I knew those words, but I didn¡¯t know from where. It bothered me a bit. Maybe I must have read it at the creepy statue by the temple. ¡°That¡¯s a bit...much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the things I regret: believing subjugation was justified in the name of that fucking God.¡± He rolled away from me. ¡°Granvul doesn¡¯t change who or what I am. But if it weren¡¯t for the belief, I wouldn¡¯t have kept doing the things I did for as long as I did.¡± I put my arm on his shoulder. He was so strong. I could feel the muscle beneath ripple under my touch. ¡°Look at me.¡± He turned and gave me his warm smile with cold eyes. ¡°I reveled in it. I felt like I was a god myself.¡± He nodded his head to the side. ¡°If you live long enough and are lucky enough, you can get a sense of who you are and, more importantly, who you should be. I¡¯m not looking for redemption or forgiveness. I¡¯m just done.¡± ¡°Done with all of it?¡± ¡°Yeah, done. But make no mistake.¡± he lowered his voice almost to a whisper. His words came out slowly and deliberately. ¡°I fucking loved it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°One too many, I guess.¡± He looked into my eyes. The intensity softened, and the warmth I saw earlier looked like it might return. ¡°All it does is leave you with a deepening hunger for more. He does that to you with his bullshit about the strong and the frail. So, either you stop or you don¡¯t. So, I just stopped.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re talking about his right now.¡± ¡°You brought it up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I pushed into him and hugged him. My ear was over his heart, and I could feel it beating. We rose and got the food Lucy had prepared for us¡ªrolls with sweet jams and butter. The coffee was better than I was used to since being here, but it was nothing compared to what I had on earth. Titus was the tea drinker. We sat in bed and ate in silence for a while. I rested in the crook of his arm after, watching the light on the ceiling crawl towards the far wall. I whispered, not wanting to ruin the morning with harsh realities. ¡°I need to go.¡± I had to know if Jinx and the boys were back yet, and I also needed to do something. ¡°I have to get some exercise, and Orixalim will be out there shadowing me, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°You looking to see if you can shake his tail?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± I could feel a pit in my stomach starting to form. ¡°There¡¯s more about myself that I should tell you.¡± He gave me a gentle squeeze. ¡°You can start small if you want.¡± ¡°My real name is Regan Summer?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°Enough truth for the day. I figured your name wasn¡¯t real anyway.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He kissed my temple. ¡°I want your crew to come and stay here. There¡¯re three extra rooms here, and the boys can stay downstairs.¡± ¡°If you send them down there, we may never see them again.¡± ¡°This place is safe.¡± He stood and helped me to my feet. ¡°It¡¯s a fortress.¡± ¡°Paranoid much?¡± ¡°Not enough.¡± There were too many goodbye kisses and way too many eager hands roaming around our bodies to make a clean exit. I shoved him and slipped out of the room before the big guy could reel me back in for another round of last night¡¯s crazy. I was still a wreck, but at least I could clean up in my suite at The Jester once I was there. I swapped into my basic city gear and dove into the street. Outside was a whirlwind of mid-morning chaos. Rush hour was in full swing, with everyone hurrying to be somewhere they weren¡¯t. The crowds pressed in, the noise surged, and I had a sinking feeling it would stay like this until the Festival of Renewal kicked off. The whole city was scrambling to tie up loose ends before everything ground to a halt. ¡°Regan Fucking Summer.¡± Orixalim appeared less than ten feet from Titus¡¯s door. I don¡¯t recall hearing the telltale whoosh of his speed power, but he did take me by surprise. I turned to look at him. ¡°Elion Fucking Orixalim.¡± He wore an old, ratty, hooded green cloak with a dark tunic and boots. He pulled the hood down and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing your homework.¡± He dramatically pulled the robe off and stored it away in his storage. ¡°Color me impressed.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you want, Elion?¡± ¡°Shorter list if you ask what I don¡¯t want.¡± ¡°What do you want from me? So, you go the fuck away.¡± He stepped up to me, hunched over, pushing into my space. ¡°Maybe a little something you gave the pit boss last night.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡± He inched closer. I bowed, not matching his gaze as he leered at me. No way was I gonna win this face-off by trying to stare him down with our height difference. ¡°I mean, a fresh chicken and some nice wine,¡± He shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly call you a cheap date, but I know you could have held out for more than that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were watching me.¡± I turned my head away. Letting him creep even closer. I put my hands behind my back. ¡°I couldn¡¯t watch you in the old man¡¯s office, though.¡± He grinned, that evil half-smile thing he had. ¡°What are you planning? I figure you found a way to catch Faedan?¡± ¡°Not a clue,¡± I said, my voice quivering. ¡°I just need some help from somebody.¡± ¡°So, you cozy up to an old has-been.¡± He dropped his voice. ¡°You know he¡¯s washed up, a reject. He puts on his little pit fights and prances around. You need someone that can take good care of you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do this on my own,¡± I said, letting a little desperation into my voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying, but I¡¯m so scared. If I can¡¯t do this, I will lose Leoleth and get exiled from the city.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about failing the quest.¡± His breath was hot in my ear. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with the Mistress Magistrate.¡± He put his hand around my waist, pulling me tight. ¡°She won¡¯t be interested in keeping you as her own, and I can have you and the Frost Elf to myself. I will take good care of you.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I whispered back at him. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want that.¡± I summoned Sick Stick behind my back, sliding the blade lightly across his encroaching hand. The Tilt-a-Hurl debuff activated, and he doubled over, cursing something that turned into the sound of the second coming of breakfast. I slammed my shoulder into him, throwing him back before he spewed on me and bolted. I was pretty sure he was too occupied to see me leave. I wasn¡¯t trying to keep him from following me, and I assumed he had people on me, but I wanted to hurt him a little. I knew killing him outright would be bad for me, as I imagined the Mistress Magistrate would not take it well. I decided to make as quick an exit off the street as I could. I dashed around the corner of Titus¡¯ building and sprinted down the alley. I started free-hand climbing up the side of the red stone, paused after getting about three yards up the side, and summoned my grappling hook, launching it to the roof where it secured itself. I quickly finished climbing before dismissing the rope.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I eased over to the edge and looked down. Orixalim had just finished the debuff, a puddle of everything he had in him on the street. He had two men standing next to him, looking confused and concerned. He barked at them, and they ran off in separate directions. He glanced around, pulling a blue cape and cap out of his inventory and wrapping it around him before heading off. What did he say? The Mistress Magistrate wanted me. Like, for what? A slave? A soldier? I thought more about the quest she made me do. If I win this, then she would want to keep me? That was not what the quest said. If I failed, then I would somehow be traded off to this asshole? How in the gods was that even possible? I wracked my brain around our conversation in the office. There was never any mention of anything like that. She just threatened me and put me on the task she wanted to accomplish. I knew I would be in trouble if I didn¡¯t pull it off. But I had contingencies in place. I already took care of Leoleth, and I was pretty sure that if I were willing to give a full assessment, then I would be okay. So now, was I supposed to be traded off to a lacky like Elion Orixalim? Words drifted into my head. Like something out of a dream. It was what Titus said to me earlier this morning, but somehow, it was in her voice: ¡°Strength without will is but the shadow of weakness. Power is the right of those who dare to wield it, while the frail, too feeble to resist, are fated to serve. Such is the law that governs this realm and all realms beyond.¡± There were two ways I could go. I was headed to The Jester to check in and see if my friends were there yet. Or I could, just for kicks, give Orixalim a follow. Everyone and his sister knew I lived at the pub, so there was no way they wouldn¡¯t pick up my trail there eventually. He was stomping down the street, headed west, not toward the Central Hub where I lived. I summoned my cleric robes, which I found light, airy, and easy to move in. This part of the Entertainment District was full of small venues like Sybo Arena, built off the street and mainly behind the rows of buildings. Following Orixalim was easy enough, as I just stuck to the rooftops. The streets were narrow enough to leap across without too much trouble. The area was as alive as ever, like a trashy version of Vegas. Even now, in the early part of the day, I could hear cheers from the arenas below me as I ran by. On the street below, barkers called pedestrians to come in and sample the drinks and goods. Prostitutes leaned out of windows calling down. Orixalim moved past. I was happy he was bound and determined not to make eye contact with any of the neighborhood denizens; it made my job much more manageable. I know it was the Urban Elf side of me, but I found the energy of a crowded street almost irresistible. I wanted to be down there, in the thick of it, hitting the food stalls, grabbing a drink, and maybe seeing what all the fuss was about behind the closed doors of one of those brothels. Eight blocks after I started trailing him, the environment¡¯s dynamic shifted. The streets were getting more expansive and the buildings shorter, so I had to slip down to the street level to keep up with him. The crowd was getting thicker. Wagon traffic was getting so congested that everything was almost at a standstill. Luckily, he bobbed up and down, making it easy to keep up with him despite my size. I wondered why so many people were pressing through, but it became clear. In the distance, I could see The Grand Coliseum looming. The outer walls were wrapped in scaffolding as workers hung banners and flags commemorating the upcoming festival and the visit from the Empress. It was massive, at least twenty stories high; I knew it could hold almost one hundred thousand; about half of the city¡¯s population could fit in. Grand was the word; I had to hand it to the dwarven naming convention. There was no doubt about it. The Festival of Renewal was coming, and the city was preparing for five days of games and contests. Orixalim stomped right through the fenced staging yard where exotic beasts were kept in cages. There were as many kinds as I could imagine, and some I could only have nightmares about. Some of those things were larger than houses, with claws as long as my arm, and others covered in tentacles or teeth sharp enough to tear flesh like paper. I lost myself a couple of times, having to quicken my pace to catch up with him after catching myself gawking at everything all fantasy worldish around me. As we got past the staging area, the crowd rapidly thinned out and headed south. The river was close, and the docks that supported the Commercial District were close. We entered an area that I had been avoiding since I got here. As a half-urban elf, I have the compulsion to explore the city. It¡¯s almost like a religious calling. I wanted to see every street, alley, gutter, rooftop, and sewer. But Orixalim led me to a place that I had been avoiding. It was here, hugging the docks west of the Entertainment District. He walked through a twelve-foothigh gate attached to the only other wall outside Ironstone Prime and into the city¡¯s slave market. For the first time since I started following him, Orixalim didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry. He pulled off his cap and sauntered through the crowd of spectators and, I don¡¯t know, buyers. I wished he would push through because I didn¡¯t feel like looking around the area. I even pulled my hood down lower over my face. I was never a person of faith, like, no surprise there. I came from Earth, where the gods kept a low profile. But the moment I passed through that gate was the moment I lost something. I imagined it was like losing faith in God. I understood, on an intellectual level, about slavery in the Empire. It was a punishment for crime; at least, that was how I thought it was. I guess there was an element of justice to it: pay for one¡¯s crimes through labor or something. What I saw, I wish I could unsee. The place was organized, I¡¯ll give you that. Just inside, an attendant even shoved a guide sheet in my hand. Section one, the condemned. These were criminals who were serving their sentences. They were organized in cages, stripped naked, and grouped by the type of crime they committed: theft, robbery, violence, everything short of murder. Each had a placard around their neck with the length of their sentence. Most were ten or more years, and a few were for life. I followed past Orixalim until smaller cages surrounded us, all holding two or three each, men, women, all different races, many of whom I hadn¡¯t seen before. The illegals. This is where Leoleth was going to be sent. They all had the same sentence: one year. These people would lose their lives for a year before being sent back to where they came from. I didn¡¯t know about families since no kids were in the mix. I was concerned they were shuffled off somewhere awful, like Fantasy World Juvie or something. Orixalim strutted through the areas, stopping and leering at some of the women to be sold. I looked at the guide sheet, keeping my head down to avoid meeting the eyes of people looking out. This was all I was expecting. Again, on an intellectual level, I got it. It was punishment. The area was reasonably crowded between the cages of the condemned and the illegals. But the further into the market we went, the denser the crowd got. Another section of the market was as large as the other two combined. I looked down at the guide: Spoils of War. Orixalim had slowed to a leisurely stroll. He examined each of the cages, containing between six and eight people. I read the description of the guide, trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing: ¡°Seized from the Medour Kingdom campaign to the northwest, brought exclusively to Ironstone. 1,672 men and women. Each numbered lot contains individuals of like skills, age, and gender. All levels range between four and seventeen. Ages range from sixteen to seventy-six. Public bidding is for entire lots only. Secondary sales of individuals may be brokered through the marketplace sales department for a twelve percent fee.*¡± *Imperial law dictates that family units with minors may not be sold as individuals. These weren¡¯t outlaws. None of these people did anything other than live in the wrong place. This was what was going to happen to me if I didn¡¯t escape from the gang that abducted us on the road. I¡¯d be thrown in a cage with a bunch of young women and sold off. But the Empire just did the same thing. Grabbing people, stripping them down, and selling them like cattle. Spoils of war, what was it about this fucking world! A bell rang, shushing the crowd. All eyes moved to the stage area in the middle of the market. Orixalim pushed his way up as close as he could to watch. I came in behind him, standing on my tip toes. A dwarven announcer in fine blue robes shouted into a control rod, amplifying his voice across the crowd. ¡°Lot twenty-seven of today¡¯s offering!¡± Six females were pushed onto the stage by guards. Like all the other captured slaves, they were stripped to the waist. Their hands were chained behind their backs. The group huddled together as though they were trying to protect each other. They looked like elves, mostly. One was very short, with purple hair. ¡°Ages nineteen to twenty-four, levels four to six, elven maidens of various breeds.¡± One of the guards pulled out a control rod and waved it at the group. At his barked command, they shuffled nervously across the stage, their eyes flickering toward the rod as though it might shoot fire at them. Two of the elves had pale, golden hair and delicate features that reminded me of Leoleth, while the others were darker in complexion with more human-like traits. Two had tight, black curls framing their faces, and the last two had emerald green hair flowing to the waist. ¡°The urban elf is too small,¡± one of the buyers muttered to his companion as I passed them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could return my money on her in a year.¡± I paused, my eyes drawn to her. She was small, nearly swallowed by the others when they stood together. She only became visible when one of the guards shoved her out from behind the two green-haired elves as if they had been trying to shield her. Barely over feet tall, she was shorter than me. She was so slight and vulnerable looking. The first urban elf I had ever seen besides myself. The look of her eyes was beyond fear. It was resignation. The two buyers were rough-looking despite their fine clothing. Each wore an elaborate hat. The man who¡¯d spoken wore a black doublet and tights, while his companion wore red silk robes. ¡°You could probably still get a good price selling her off, even if you can¡¯t use her,¡± the robed man said. ¡°I¡¯d be interested in taking her for a ride before you do.¡± The man in the doublet chuckled. ¡°I need more clients like you.¡± He squinted up at the stage. ¡°We could split this lot if you want.¡± ¡°And leave me with the short one?¡± His friend laughed. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°I only need two,¡± the first man said. ¡°Everyone loves elves. I¡¯ll give you first pick of the lot, and I¡¯ll take the little one.¡± ¡°First pick?¡± The robed man grinned. ¡°Done.¡± I clenched my jaw and pushed through the crowd, my focus snapping back to Orixalim. He was already moving off to the side of the stage, disappearing to the left. ¡°Bidding starts at twenty!¡± the announcer boomed. ¡°Do I have twenty?¡± Around fifty bidders raised control rods into the air as the auction began. Thank the gods, Orixalim moved out of the market. A gate behind the stage let us out and onto the street. The market bumped against the small industrial area adjacent to the Temple District. I followed him, and he put his head down and started marching again, maybe trying to make up time for his lollygagging. We moved into the Temple District and the usual street chaos that was always there. He strutted through the narrow streets lined with vendors, beggars, and statues. I should have known where he was going. The Temple of Granvul, God of Domination, that¡¯s where the bastard would be going, of course. It was a vast building. The black marble walls were trimmed in blood-red stone. There were twin spires on the top, with a Gothic-style cathedral between them. In front, towering at least fifteen feet, was the visage of Granvul himself. He wore a black, hooded robe with a similar red trim as the building. Strangely enough, he was posed almost exactly like Amania, his head bowed to the street and his hands stretched out, welcoming all to enter. Orixalim had gone in, and I stood in front, looking at the door he had just entered. I could feel a draw like a pull in the center of my chest. There was a longing in me to go into the temple. It was the same feeling I had on the rooftop, looking at the street and wanting to be down there. I wanted to go in. There was no reason for it. At least, nothing that made any sense to me. I gazed up at the face of Granvul. While his cloak and overall form seemed sinister, the face was kind. There was a sort of, I don¡¯t know, warmness about him. Then I realized something. The face and eyes moved. The chest raised and lowered as though taking in breaths. The statue was alive and just standing there, looking down at us. The eyes fixed on me, and the smile broadened. He looked like he was on the verge of speaking. I took a step forward, hesitant, like when Theresa Hamm dared me to sneak into the creepy old guy¡¯s yard to retrieve a ball. My instincts warred within me. I wanted to go inside the building, and at the same time, I didn¡¯t. The face on the statue seemed to follow me as I took another step and then another. Suddenly, its expression changed. The smile vanished, and the god shook its head at me. The pull to enter the building evaporated in an instant, leaving me frozen. I stepped back, my heart racing. I glanced away, trying to steady myself, but when I looked back, the statue was just a statue again. There was no sign of life. My insides twisted into knots as I hurried east, moving as quickly as possible without drawing attention. What the fuck was it about the gods in this world? I found a cab as soon as I crossed Circle Boulevard and entered the Capital District and settled in for my trip to The Crying Jester. So, Regan, what did we learn? I asked myself as we started rolling down the street. Orixalim worships Granvul. The Magistrate probably does too. It wasn¡¯t much of a stretch to put the two together. I wondered about whether a person in government should be allowed to follow a God who wants you to take over stuff. Of course, the Empire is way more fucked up than I thought it was, with all the slaves that I didn¡¯t even realize were around me. Where the were they anyway? I needed to ask Jinx about that when I got together with him. Regan: Hey, Boss? Unnamed: Ah, Regan! Yes, yes, hello. Kind of... mmm, mid-project here, Little Champion. Could we keep it brisk? Regan: Do you and Granvul get along? Like, are you two good? Unnamed: Granvul, oh, yes. Him. Well, he¡¯s... Let¡¯s say, a taker. Me? I¡¯m more of a giver. So, we¡¯re not exactly enemies, no, but there¡¯s, uh, a complexity to the dynamic. Layers. Regan: Right. I ask because his people keep showing up in my life, and it¡¯s got me wondering how much I should worry. Unnamed: Oh, absolutely, worry. Yes, worry. But also, you know, don¡¯t? Hard to explain. We gods, Regan, we¡¯re... Quirky. Eccentric. Chaotic, even. And the people who follow us? Oh, they can really run with it. Be careful. Play smart. Chat later. Bye! Uh¡­good talk, Dad. In the middle of the morning, I felt like it was midnight. I was getting so sick of being perpetually exhausted from the dayto-day. The carriage rolled up to The Crying Jester, and I eased out on the street. Weeks of Go! Go! Go! I didn¡¯t know how to stop. Assuming I wasn¡¯t killed, enslaved, exiled, or having to hit the road as a fugitive, I would still be fighting to stay alive in some way. That¡¯s how it felt, at least. Other people seem to live semi-normal lives in Murder World. I could see what Heather meant by paying a price for levels. That was the weariness I felt when I opened the door to the tavern. ¡°GEM!¡± I cried, leaping into the crowded inn, scaring the hells out of the old dwarven couple seated at a window by the door. The weariness was gone, along with the exhaustion and dark thoughts. She was sitting at a booth with the boys, as gorgeous as ever. Her doe-like eyes locked on me, and she had a massive smile. I scrambled up to her, slipping onto her lap at the table. Thank the gods, she wasn¡¯t seated in the middle of the bench. I kissed her, pressing myself into her like I was trying to merge our bodies together. I missed her taste. I missed the musky, animal smell of her body and the feeling of her strong arms holding me. She pulled me tight, her dark arms almost enveloping me. Her weird, animal tongue probed me as we pressed our mouths together. I loved it. Above everything else, I needed this. I needed her. ¡°Well,¡± she said when we came up for air. Her eyes narrowed with a lustful look. ¡°Someone¡¯s been busy.¡± There was an awkward silence around the table. The boys were there: Jinx, Eric, and Kev. They all looked weary from travel. Heather and Leoleth were at the table, too. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I was kissing Gem, but their conversation was pretty much over. ¡°Hey, boys,¡± I said coyly, my arms still around Gem¡¯s neck. ¡°Good to see you.¡± Kev spoke up first. ¡°Where¡¯s my kiss?¡± Heather and Leoleth had filled them in on the basic goings-on. They were up to speed on all the blackmail, the murder, and Titus. They left out the details of the Unnamed God and all my death church stuff, but I was going to tell them. These were the only people I trusted, except for Titus. It seemed Gem had joined the party on the road and wanted to surprise me. Color me surprised. ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Jinx said after I told him the rest. ¡°We nab the guard, grab the treasure, an¡¯ sort the rest after, yeah?¡± ¡°The Granvul thing is a bit disconcerting,¡± Kev said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx chimed in, ¡°They¡¯ve got magic in that church, they ¡®ave¡ªthe kind wot messes wiv yer mind an¡¯ body.¡± ¡°We could still run,¡± Gem said. ¡°If we booked it out of the city at full speed, you could get clear.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± I asked. I was still on her lap. I loved sitting on her lap. ¡°If there is some dark secret evil plot that she is hatching with the thing, and we can somehow stop it, shouldn¡¯t we try to?¡± Eric chimed in for the first time. ¡°You don¡¯t owe this world anything.¡± ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t. I¡¯m not even sure I want to stay in the Empire after seeing what I saw today, but I don¡¯t want to be responsible for things getting any worse than they already are. Amania said three gods are involved in this.¡± ¡°And I am tasked with helping her,¡± Heather said. She spoke with a weariness to her. I looked at her face, and she looked a little sad. ¡°We need to bring the necklace to the temple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Eric grinned. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t get most of this shit. But my talents are wasted on just doing ordinary stuff. You want the sharpest blade and the most dashing bastard you ever met on this? Then my fair elf, I¡¯m your man.¡± Kev smiled. ¡°You know I¡¯m with you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world.¡± Gem kissed me. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what you can do now.¡± ¡°Great.¡± I smiled at everyone. ¡°We¡¯re putting the band back together. I love you all so much.¡± I wasn¡¯t lying. I looked from face to face at the table. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t known each other that long, but you have all been in my life since I arrived. There¡¯s the family you¡¯re born with and the family you choose. Thank you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to go fuck now,¡± Gem announced to the group. She stood, sweeping me up in her arms. Yeah, we did just that. Less than a minute and a half after her announcement, we were in the suite in my room. Our bodies were entwined like never before. Either she missed the fuck out of me, or she wanted to remind me of how amazing she was. Gem was not gentle when we were in bed together, but she was kind. She pushed my arms behind my back and kissed me, keeping me immobilized while she had her way. She wrapped her legs around my neck, grinding into my welcoming mouth, pulling pleasure out of us both as I was pressed down into the bare patch between her legs. Days on the road ripened her scent, filling my entire body as I breathed her in. I took it all. I was electrified with every lick of my tongue, every thrust of her hips as she crammed herself on me. Her tail flicked on my back as we came up for air, like an electric whip that would get me frenzied, wanting more from her body. Then she would devour me like a beast. Her animal tongue licked my insides with supernatural precision and depth, teasing every bit of pleasure out of me as she brought me to orgasm again and again. It was quick, it was dirty. It was smelly and amazing. She focused everything on me. She knew how to make me cum. And then we would shift, and she made me please her. ¡°Tell me about him.¡± We were done, exhausted, and coming down off the high of our mutual pleasure. The residuals of our lovemaking were still fresh. The throbbing between my legs was gently subsiding, and her taste was still fresh in my mouth. I lay in the crook of her arm, and she gently stroked my breast. ¡°He¡¯s kind of amazing, I guess.¡± I didn¡¯t want to talk about Titus in our bed. But she deserved to know about him. I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about having two lovers, but that seemed to be a thing with me. ¡°I can smell him on you.¡± I let my hand drift between her thighs. She was furry from the waist down, except for a few inches on the inside of her loins right below her sex. It was my favorite part of her body to touch. The skin was smooth and soft. ¡°I love you,¡± I whispered. She shifted, her eyes on me. ¡°I love you too.¡± ¡°This shit is kind of complicated, I guess.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She smiled. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of room in your heart. I don¡¯t expect you to love just one person.¡± I could feel a wave of relief washing over me. I hadn¡¯t thought much about relationship stuff before Gem arrived back in town. I lived my entire life in self-imposed isolation. It was who I was. Life didn¡¯t really start until I came to this crazy place. The intensity of this world just bombards you, and you want to just live every gods damned day. Here I was, bedding down with two different people, but not cheating on anybody. It seemed natural. I wanted her. I wanted him. Fuck all, I wanted everything. Murder World be dammed, I was going to have it. Every day I lived here, could be my last. There were going to be no more compromises. ¡°I don¡¯t love him.¡± I just blurted it out. ¡°I just met him a few days ago, but it came on hard and fast. I don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°Watch that shit.¡± ¡°I know, but I needed his help at first. The sex part just happened.¡± ¡°Do you want to share a bed with us both?¡± ¡°No.¡± It was an easy answer. ¡°We experimented early on,¡± I smiled, the memory of that freaked-out look Eric had when I invited her into bed with us. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to share you with anybody.¡± ¡°Nobody?¡± ¡°I mean, not at the same time. When we¡¯re together, I want it to be just us.¡± ¡°No threesomes in your future?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a selfish bitch.¡± That was part of it, but I could also imagine the war zone the bed would be if I brought those two together. I needed Gem to control me. I loved the way she took charge. But I couldn¡¯t deal with Titus if I let him run the show. I needed to be in control of him. Fuck a duck, that shit was complicated. I wasn¡¯t even sure if there was a psychological explanation to describe the dynamics. ¡°Can we trust him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing. I do. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t, but I¡¯m just a little rogue in the big city.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a horny little half-elf that may have some impulse control issues.¡± She laughed as I gritted my teeth in annoyance. ¡°You think you¡¯re lusty? Look who you¡¯re talking to. Besides, that¡¯s just a stereotype.¡± I let my finger drift between her legs. She gasped a little as I did. ¡°I¡¯m plenty lusty.¡± I crawled up on top of her and kissed her, nibbling on her lip as I did before sliding down her body. ¡°I¡¯m just very particular.¡± Ninety minutes later, I said goodbye to a very distraught-looking Yarnorra. I slid a decent amount of gold across the counter and explained that we would be keeping the rooms but wouldn¡¯t return before The Festival¡¯s end. She looked at Gem with a bit of wariness. The dwarf woman was insufferable. She turned her beautiful green eyes on me. ¡°Don¡¯t be gone too long.¡± She said quietly. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± She started to say something, but Gem pulled my body against her, squeezing me tight like I was a toy she didn¡¯t want to share. ¡°Yes,¡± Gem said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are.¡± I liked it. She owned me, at least a bit. I liked me a strong woman. ¡°You need to hit that.¡± She whispered to me, nibbling my little pointed elf ear. Then we left. The End: Little Rogue (In the Big City) Chapter Thirty-One: My right? Or your right? Part Three: Dances with Rogues Chapter Thirty-One: My right? Or your right? ¡°This place reeks,¡± Leoleth grumbled, her nose wrinkling as we threaded our way through the between the stalls of the Grand Bazaar. ¡°Smells like grilled meat¡­and your girlfriend.¡± ¡°Those are two things I love.¡± I shot back at her, hiding a smirk. Gem had an animal musk about her, which reminded me of a deer or elk. But when I breathed her in, the mix with her girl scent twisted my girl parts into all kinds of crazy knots. ¡°You¡¯re all about feeling good. You should try both.¡± And yes, the market was smelly. But yeah, I did like it. She batted her lashes at me. ¡°I¡¯m only gay for you.¡± It was the third night of the Festival of Renewal, and with each passing hour, the sand in my hourglass seemed to drain faster. The city had ground to a halt for the festivities, leaving only the Grand Bazaar and the Entertainment District bustling with life. Everyone and their sister seemed crammed into the market¡¯s narrow paths. We had been sweeping every corner of Ironstone, desperate to locate Faedan before time ran out. Even with Titus¡¯s crew combing the city, we had come up empty-handed. We couldn¡¯t exactly break loose as a group and do our own sweeps, so I started heading out with me and one other; that way, if we got a hit, I could signal with a com crystal and keep an eye on her. Party chat only reached about a half mile, so we needed to be able to move as a small group while waiting for the rest of the party to get in range. Leoleth was the lucky contestant of the day. The move into Titus¡¯s place was smoother than I thought it was going to be. Heather settled into a room next to Lucy¡¯s, and I had to wrestle Leoleth out of the larger guest room so that I could share it with Gem. The boys settled in the brothel. We all partied with Titus¡¯s men so we could chat amongst ourselves. I also made sure to tip Lucy for all the extra work she had to take on because of a bunch of annoying girls moving into the nowcrowded set of rooms. I¡¯d been splitting my nights between Titus and Gem. With Titus, the tension had melted away after that first night of aggression. He understood what I needed from him, and he surrendered control without it being a contest. I happily rewarded him for his cooperation. With Gem, I let her do whatever the fuck she wanted to me. She was a general on the battlefield barking out orders, and I followed each one dutifully. When she wasn¡¯t verbal, she was physical, and my body was all about it. The idea that this could work out as a long-term thing with the three of us was something I would love to explore, assuming I was still alive at the end of the week. ¡°I like the outfits,¡± Leoleth muttered as we slipped through another narrow, crowded passage. ¡°We should be buying things, blending in better.¡± ¡°You mean I should be buying you things,¡± I grumbled at her. ¡°Tell you what, if we pull this off, I¡¯ll bring you back here and buy you something pretty.¡± ¡°You like dressing me up,¡± she said, examining a gorgeous blue silk dress. ¡°Then fantasizing about me while you touch yourself in the bath.¡± She was my best friend; I loved her; I learned to ignore the innuendo. I was at the end of my patience with everybody. We were down to a single day, and I was already planning my escape if this all went south. ¡°I like this, something nice with silk,¡± she purred, running her fingers over a rack of dresses. Suddenly, she froze. The coin in my hand vibrated in sync with hers, and I nearly dropped it in surprise. After days of fruitless searching across the city, we finally had a fucking hit. ¡°Gotta say it now,¡± I whispered. ¡°I had my doubts.¡± I looked at the coin. Faedan was from this neighborhood. It was in her dossier. This was home, where she grew up. I tapped the crystal in my pocket. Signaling the party to come. They knew which neighborhood we were searching, and when they got close enough, I could guide them by chat until they could access my map. Regan: Move across the street and let me know if it gets stronger. Leoleth: It¡¯s not a street. It¡¯s an extra wide, smelly gutter. She sidled across to the opposite rows of shops, keeping her eyes on the merchandise. We both knew better than to speak out loud at this point. Leoleth: Weaker. I moved out of the shop I was in and slipped into the crowd heading west. Regan: Stronger. We continued westward, the throng of people thickening around us. We could hardly make headway. We hugged the edges, pretending to browse while monitoring the coins¡¯ vibrations. We had no idea how close we were; it was just that the distance was getting shorter. It got to the point that the coin was vibrating so hard that it was buzzing. I slipped it into my inventory. We were at a three-way junction, and the crowd was flowing in all different directions, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I could spot her. I ducked between stalls, equipping my cleric robes and scaling a short roof to gain a better vantage point. Kneeling, I activated stealth, blending into the shadows. Leoleth pretended to shop while I scanned the mass of bodies. She was here, close. If Faedan moved, Leoleth would alert me since she still had her coin. It was buzzing, but she looked like she was humming to herself, covering up the noise. I activated Eyes of Death. The world plunged into shadow, with the ethereal life of the living illuminated by the magic spell. I focused on the figures that remained stationary. Faedan had to be among them. Regan: Move around the stalls. She¡¯s here, she¡¯s standing still, so she¡¯s not part of the flow of traffic. Leoleth: Ok good. I guided her around, calling out targets as she approached. Each one was a dead end until we neared a food stall. Leoleth: There¡¯s no one here. Regan: There is, right next to you, looking at the fruit baskets. Leoleth: Your magic eyes aren¡¯t working. Turn them off. It makes them all milky and gross anyway. I switched off Eyes of Death and took an essence potion to replenish my EP. The area I¡¯d zeroed in on was empty. Reactivating the spell, I saw a figure slowly moving around the stall. Regan: It¡¯s her. She¡¯s using stealth. She¡¯s right fucking next to you. Leoleth: The enchanted item could make her invisible. She¡¯s good. Regan: Move back. Give me some space. I pulled out my short bow, nocking an obsidian arrow. My archery skills were not the best in the world, but no one else was going to take the shot. The arrow would disrupt any magic it touched, and I had to trust my aim. I cast Target Lock on the invisible figure. Five seconds¡­ Regan: Get ready to move. I whispered a quick prayer to any of the three gods who might be listening and loosed the arrow, aiming just to the right of the invisible figure. It flew silently through the air, slicing above the heads of the crowd before pinning Verrona Faedan¡¯s cloak to the stall. She appeared in an instant, her stealth shattered. Target Lock activated. ¡°You sneaky little byatch,¡± I murmured. Leoleth tried to cast Grip of Death, but Faedan nailed her with a fistful of fury before bolting. The frost elf took a tumble, cursing as she tried to recover her balance. I started sprinting across the roof of the barely there building after her. If she hadn¡¯t read the notification of the Target Lock spell at first, she certainly would have by now. The woman that socked Leoleth in the face took off so fast, she was a blur, but I could see it was her. The short-cropped brown hair was a giveaway. She wore a light cotton shirt, leather vest, and tight brown trousers. She pushed through the throngs of people with ease. She knew the area well; she understood the crowds and how to move through them. She was practically sprinting while I jumped and leaped from building to building a story above. Regan: Get off your ass and follow. Try to keep about fifty yards distance, but don¡¯t lose us. She¡¯s on the map. Leoleth: This cloak is pretty, I¡¯m keeping it. ¡°Leoleth!¡± I barked out loud. Faedan had taken a sharp turn south, and I almost fell off a roof as I struggled to change direction. The original plan was to have me, Leoleth, Titus, Eric and Gem as the interception team. Titus¡¯s guys and the rest were going to be the backup in case Orixalim had planned on swooping in and taking her away from us. That plan had pretty much gone to the hells. It was time for some adjustments. Leoleth was my one and only backup now. I had the target lock on Faedan, but that would end after an hour. We also lost our ability to track her since she lost her cloak. This was some all or nothing shit. The chick was moving. The place was a fucking maze. I had no idea what I was doing. It seemed like she changed directions after every third step, and I was scrambling to keep up. Fifteen seconds into this chase, and I could feel her slipping away. There was a bare patch on the ground, where I had some empty space to land onto. After sliding down the side of the building, I aimed my body at her like a gun. Whomp! The world froze as I activated Time Dilation. The four second timer appeared in my lower right vision as I started moving through the tightly packed market street. The physics of moving in space like this was rough. I stepped past people, trying not to bump into them, each time I did, I bounced a little back as energy transferred. As I closed the distance between us, I moved on through like a slow-motion pinball. It was working, I was trying to organize a plan once I had her. Guess I should have been looking down as much as up. As the timer hit zero, I hit a basket someone accidentally dropped on the ground. Real-time came back, and I found myself flying forward Supergirl style straight into the back of Verrona Faedan. We tumbled off to the side, tangled in each other¡¯s limbs. My head hit stone, ringing my bell in what was becoming a regular thing with me. I shook it, trying to clear the stars and tinnitus. Faedan cartwheeled out of my grasp, flying into a stall selling, of all things, fucking cushions and pillows. Lucky bitch. I looked up just in time to see her take off again, this time in triplicate. She was limping a bit, so I guess that was progress. ¡°Fuck!¡± I shook my head, activating a health potion and swallowing it. The street had erupted in chaos anew. People were toppled over, bruised, and shouting. The air was thick with down feathers. I aimed for the middle version of Faedan and launched myself. She cut under a hanging curtain between two stalls, disappearing from view. She was moving slower now at least, which meant that I was able to at least keep pace with her. I hoped Leoleth had recovered. I followed her under the curtain and emerged into an empty, narrow alley space behind the stalls. She couldn¡¯t hide as she booked it south. I managed to keep up with her, wondering what I had in my little bag of tricks to slow her up again. But in the rattling of running and trying not to slip in the nasty bit of sewage at my feet, not a lot of brilliant ideas were forming in my mind. ¡°HEY!¡± I shouted. It was the lamest thing I could say. Obviously, my little trick of getting her to stop, turn around and say ¡°What?¡± was a bust. I cursed at myself for being lame as she darted to the right into a narrow gap we had to turn sideways to get through. ¡°THIEF!¡± I emerged from the gap into a crowded street. Faedan shouted and pointed at me. Her face was twisted in fury. The bruises and scrapes definitely sold the look as much as anything. The people followed her gaze and saw me: the black-cloaked, panting, and definitely guilty of something little half-elf that came bustling through the back alley. The group think came on fast. Over a dozen shoppers and sellers were on my ass in less than a second. They screeched, yelling at me and each other. ¡°HOLD HER!¡± ¡°FUCKING THIEF!¡± ¡°GET HER!¡± The hands were gripping at me. Knees were coming up and hitting me in bad places. I took a hit or two to the face. I was getting buried, and twenty-something strength wasn¡¯t enough to fight off a mob, especially since I was already getting tired. Four, Five, Six pairs of hands started gripping each arm, and I was lifted off the ground. I looked over at Faedan. She looked back at me, her eyes locked with mine. She smiled. The bitch fucking smiled before she turned and ran straight down the middle of the street. I was slammed into the hard stone ground. Again. This time, I managed to keep from banging my head for the umpteenth time. They were all over me now. Pushing me down, pulling at my robe, and kicking at me. Panic is a funny thing. Well, actually, it¡¯s not funny at all, but it¡¯s at these moments when you learn a thing or two about yourself. These people were going to kill me. On Earth, this would have been a problem, but in a murder world like Nya, a mob will rip you to pieces and then get ice cream after. I readied Black Rain. I could vaporize half the people holding me at this range and escape. But that was not the right move. They were crazy but not evil. I wasn¡¯t going to kill a bunch of people that were just looking after their own. I wasn¡¯t gonna just die though. I cast Fear of Death on the immediate area. A silence hit the crowd like hammer. All the hands holding me tensed with supernatural strength for a microsecond, then slackened. Eyes that glared at me or were wide with rage now looked confused. ¡°Oh gods,¡± someone whispered somewhere out of sight. A scream erupted from the mob. A single scream, voiced by about a dozen and a half people. It was one of the most terrifying things I had ever heard. All of a sudden, the hands were gone, along with the group¡¯s unity. There was a mad scramble to run as people screamed, cried, cursed in fear, and tripped over themselves to get away from me. Not me in particular, but the area I was in. I got to my feet. I took a bit of a beating, but it wasn¡¯t something that was going to slow me down, thank the gods. As the crowd dispersed, I glanced at my map and started to move again. Faedan had scooted over a couple of rows and was still moving at a fair clip, not at the mad dash that we started at. I picked up the pace and ran in parallel to her. I decided to close the distance and move on her from the side rather than behind like she would expect. Leoleth: She¡¯s right between us. I glanced at my map. Trying not to slam into things as I did. I zoomed out enough to see Leoleth¡¯s dot moving right along with Faedan¡¯s in a straight line south, out of the Grand Bazaar. She had something else planned, and we needed to catch her before she vanished. Regan: I¡¯m going to try to get ahead of her and jump her. Be ready to hit her when I do. Leoleth: Understood The bustling stalls of the Grand Bazaar fell away as we entered the outskirts of the Entertainment District. Faedan was still moving straight ahead, probably thinking she¡¯d lost us. The street she was on was approaching a dead end at the Royal Opera House. The massive building loomed ahead, wrapped in scaffolding. I must have been under renovation or decked out for the Festival¡¯s ongoing celebrations. Hard to tell. The place spanned three or four blocks, meaning there was no way through. The street widened here, with fewer people milling about. I quickened my pace, keeping my eyes on her as I moved. Glancing at my map, I realized I was pulling ahead. I downed an AP potion to keep my stamina up, veering sharply to the right and sprinting full tilt down a parallel block. My plan was to cut her off where the two streets converged. I couldn¡¯t count on completely blindsiding her, but if I timed it right, I could hit her hard with Powerful Strike, knock her off balance, and pin her long enough for Leoleth to catch up and seal the deal. I hit the corner and activated my martial skill. I was slammed in the chest with a blast of air strong enough to blow me off my feet. I tumbled head over ass and landed painfully on the ground. For what, the third or fourth time in the last fifteen minutes? Fuck my life. It was the Air Blade spell, which, luckily, didn¡¯t have any lingering effects. So, she was not expecting me to come from behind after all. We locked eyes again as she passed me. She didn¡¯t smile this time but looked at me with pure rage. She ran straight across the street and to the scaffolding of the Opera House. I got a glance of Leoleth out of the corner of my eye. Regan: Keep your distance and follow. I need you as backup. Leoleth: She¡¯s slippery and mean. I like her. Regan: You¡¯re weird. Faedan climbed almost as quickly as she ran. I scrambled to my feet and followed. It was at least eight stories, and she was almost to the top before I got my shit together. There was no way to catch her if I just climbed up; I¡¯m good, but not that good. I saw an old-school crane at the corner of the building and made a beeline for that. I wasn¡¯t exactly an expert on how the thing worked, but there was a counterweight and a bunch of levers, so I¡¯m sure I could do something stupid. Okay, so it wasn¡¯t all that complex. There was a break lever, which I gave a nice kick to, and then I cut the load rope with a dagger and held on for dear life as a ton and a half of counterweight launched me up. I¡¯ve been to college. I studied stuff. Physics, not so much. Most of my education in the field has pretty much been from personal experimentation. This was one of those experiments, and my knowledge of the physical universe increased slightly. In fact, I also learned a little bit about architecture at the same time. In the half second or so before I was to be yanked through the pulley at the top of the crane, I had the awareness to kick my legs and swing over to the roof, which was great. But my little eighty-five pounds was not much compared to the massive counterweight. I flew like nothing I had ever experienced in my life. The Royal Opera House is a domed structure. Interesting fact about domes. While they have rigid skeletons, their material is generally very thin and lightweight. These facts turned out to be very important. I landed in the upper quarter of the dome after flying about forty feet above the central rooftop of the building. Luckily, it was there, or I would have just kept going. And also Luckily, the sheet of copper used for the roof was thin enough to absorb the impact of my landing without causing me any harm. I punched a hole in the thin metal and sunk through to the waist. I landed right behind Faedan as she climbed.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She didn¡¯t look back as she scampered around the spire at the top. I pulled myself out and followed. I could hear her cursing between panting breaths. The spire had a cable that ran from the roof of the Opera House and a neighboring building about a hundred and fifty yards away. I thought it was used for stringing banners or something. What did I know? Faedan slung a hook over it and slid down. Sparks flew as she zipped from the dome down to the other building. I wasn¡¯t exactly a thrill seeker myself. Still, I pulled a grappling hook out of my inventory and followed. Hanging over the street, several stories up with no safety line, was absolutely terrifying. I was close to her as we started running across the rooftops of the block. We were still headed south, back to the area with the smaller venues. There were fighting pits and small arenas, mostly indoors, but I could still hear the whoops and hollers of sports stuff as we ran above the action. Faedan finally messed up. We were leaping from a high building to one about twelve feet lower. She jumped through an advertisement banner and accidentally landed blind on a skylight, crashing through. I would have been proud of myself if I hadn¡¯t made the same mistake. I did, however, summon my grappling hook, anchoring it to the ledge of the building and slowing my descent. She had landed hard on the sandy surface of an enclosure. She managed to tuck her legs in and rolled, hitting the cage wall hard. I slipped down and landed with way more grace. Fuck Yeah! ¡°We need to talk.¡± I managed to get out between breaths. She stood with her back to the cage wall, looking at me with wide, terror-filled eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She whispered. Then I realized she wasn¡¯t looking at me. That¡¯s when I heard it. There was something big behind me. I could hear it shift on the sand. Then came a grunt. And then a snort, and then more shifting. Faedan started inching to the right, very, very slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right in its blind spot.¡± She whispered. ¡°What blind spot?¡± I shout-whispered. ¡°Slag brute.¡± She whispered back. I had no idea what that was. ¡°It can¡¯t see you if you¡¯re right in front of it.¡± ¡°Ok, great.¡± She kept moving. I could see a gate about ten feet from where she was. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could tell me what a slag brute is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could shut the fuck up so we don¡¯t both die here.¡± She glared at me. ¡°It¡¯s about the size of a war wagon and likes to ram its big ass head into people.¡± ¡°You have a plan?¡± She nodded her head at the cage door. ¡°Be ready to jump to the right.¡± ¡°My right? Or your right?¡± ¡°My right, your left.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure!¡± She was barely keeping her voice to a whisper. The slag brute was starting to paw on the ground behind me. ¡°I mean,¡± I continued whispering. ¡°You already had me jumping the wrong way, so I just want to ensure you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Honestly,¡± she glared at me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I knew what I was doing. And you can jump either way, as far as I¡¯m concerned. I don¡¯t give a shit if it kills you.¡± She kept inching over until she was standing in front of the door. I considered scampering up the rope at that moment, but I suspected I couldn¡¯t get high enough in time. ¡°NOW.¡± She shouted, waving her hands in the air. I leaped to the left, her right, and learned what a slag brute was. There¡¯s this weird thing about the evolution of animals. I noticed it growing up. Like most kids, I went through a dinosaur phase and a stupid phase, where I was going to live in Africa and save all the animals. The formulas of evolution that are successful are often repeated. Some creatures can run fast. There are creatures with keen eyesight that can hunt prey. And then there are the creatures that can just ram their head into other creatures extremely hard. The Triceratops first came to mind when I saw the thing charge past me. The slag brute rumbled past like an eighteen-wheeler on I70 with no brakes. It was about eight or nine feet tall at the shoulder and dusty grey, like a rhino. Its head had the large bony frill of the dinosaur but a single massive horn on the front of its head. It was mammalian, with a body as wide as it was tall, huge, muscled back legs propelling it forward, and a tiny little tail. ¡°What the Fuck!¡± I bellowed as I cleared its path. I briefly wondered why I happened to fall into a building that had one of these things in it, and then I realized it was meant for an arena fight. Who could even fight this bastard? Faedan leaped to her right, my left, as the thing slammed into the gate. There was a satisfying crunch and grinding of metal as it planted its horn right where her head used to be. There was a moment when we just looked at each other, unsure of the next move. The slag brute had embedded its horn between the cage door bars and thrashed back and forth, trying to free itself. The chase was suspended for the moment. ¡°I like your hair,¡± I said, speaking over the grinding and grunting of the massive beast. ¡°This mop is all over the place and would look all crazy if I tried to wear it short.¡± She looked at me like I had just sprouted an extra pair of lips on my forehead. ¡°What the fuck is the matter with you? We are going to die in here if we don¡¯t escape!¡± ¡°Grab the rope!¡± I bellowed as the creature was getting louder with its struggle. I grabbed the rope and held it steady for her. Regan: You better be close. Leoleth: I¡¯m outside the building. You okay? Regan: You know what a slag brute is? Leoleth: Of course, I¡¯m not a child. Regan: You tell me then. Leoleth: Ass biscuits! ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Faedan barked at me. She pulled a short sword out of her inventory and held it up defensively. ¡°If I wanted to kill you, there¡¯d be an arrow in your chest right now!¡± ¡°You¡¯re after the necklace!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± I shouted over the growing noise. ¡°But I¡¯m not working for the Magistrate. We only have seconds! Come on!¡± She stashed her sword and ran toward me and the rope. She jumped, grabbed it a full three feet over my head, and stepped up on my shoulder, climbing like a gods damn monkey up the thing. I held it steady for her as she did. The skylight was about twenty feet up, so it would take her a moment or two before she reached it. Regan: She¡¯s coming up to the roof. Be ready. Leoleth: On my way up. There was a crash and the sound of metal ripping. Not good. The slag brute started turning around, shaking its head back and forth, trying to dislodge the ten-million-pound metal gate off its face. I wasn¡¯t in the thing¡¯s blind spot anymore. ¡°Ah, shit.¡± It bellowed and charged straight at me. I heard Faedan cursing as I let the rope go to get out of the way. I jumped, but not quick enough. It charged past, its horn clipping my right ankle with a nasty snap as I went down. CRIPPLED DEBUFF: FIBULA FRACTURED. RIGHT ANKLE AND ALL CONNECTED TISSUE REDUCED TO 10% FUNCTIONALITY. TIME REMAINING: INDEFINITE -218 VP It was like getting hit by a meaty train. I wasn¡¯t proud of it, but I screamed as I got knocked halfway across the enclosure and landed in all the bad ways. Beastie slammed into the cage wall, and the building rattled like a bomb hit it. Tears flooded my eyes as I tried to organize my ragdoll limbs to work with the new pain making it hard to get vertical. I tossed down a health potion and ran slash limped as fast as possible to where the gate used to be, but my optimism was waning. Behind me, not nearly as far as I wanted, there was grunting and snorting as the slag brute worked on dislodging its head from the side of the cage. It hit me that before the bastard turned around, I needed to not go straight for the exit because there was no way I would get out of this thing before it made another charge. I moved to the right of the empty space in the cage, hoping beyond all hope that I had at least one more jump left in me. The ankle was knitting, but the pain reminded me of how bad my life choices were. Then came the beastly bellow as the thing charged. I leaped to the left as hard as I could on one good leg. It wasn¡¯t enough. I barely made it about six feet. I was going to land and try to roll out of the way, but I wasn¡¯t gonna get out from in front of this thing. A blast of air knocked me another ten feet as the slag brute charged past, slamming into the enclosure next to the open gate. I managed to roll onto my feet, and the ankle was improving. Faedan was hanging from the rope about halfway up. She had cast the Air Blade spell that knocked me on my ass in the market earlier. We locked eyes with each other. I smiled. She flipped me off. It was back on. She scrambled up the rope, and I darted through the gate. Finally, the handlers were responding to the ruckus. Thank the gods; the beast would not get out of the building. ¡°What the hells!¡± One of them yelled as I darted past him on my way to the entrance. Various workers voiced other curses, many with words that even I, with my gift of tongues, didn¡¯t understand. I weaved through the different enclosures until I barreled out of the large, double-wide wooden doors of the building entrance. Above, I heard yelling as Faedan came sliding down the building using a drainpipe, with Leoleth still on the roof. I closed in, ready to grapple her, but she hit the ground and sprinted before I could close the distance. She darted between two shorter buildings across the street and into an alley. I started to spring after her when a shadow passed over me. Leoleth flew off the roof. Literally. I hadn¡¯t seen the Wings of Death spell before, and it was spectacular. She glided down from the top of the building, closing the gap between us. Her black, obsidian wings spread out, and her black cleric robes billowed in the wind. She looked like an angel. A scary, gothic vampire angel thing, but damn, it was impressive to see. Past the alley, we hit an open area between three low buildings, probably used for loading wagons or as a staging area for moving enormous beasts around, but it was one of the only wideopen spaces I had seen in the city outside of a park. It was about an entire block in size, and there was no place for anyone to hide. Leoleth had soared behind Faedan and let loose with a small barrage of Shadow Arachne webs. Catching the woman¡¯s legs up as she ran and tripping her as she got tangled in the sticky webs. It was my girl that finally ended this thing. ¡°Grip her!¡± I bellowed as Leoleth approached the ground. Leoleth landed and stretched out her hand, casting Grip of Death on Faedan. ¡°Girl¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± She smirked as the spell locked Faedan in an invisible, frozen fist that fed off her EP and AP. Verrona Faedan was finally captured. At least, that was what I was hoping. I felt a bit like a dog that finally got to sink its teeth into the bumper of a car. She was lying on her stomach, unable to move or speak, while the spell drained her of all her strength and power. My heart was racing. My skull was a bouncy house, and my brain was a four-year-old, buzzed on Hawaiian Punch and cake. I counted down from ten to one, cautiously approached her, and pulled the magic suppression manacles out of my inventory. There was no resistance, not with Leoleth holding her. Tears ran from the woman¡¯s eyes as I locked her arms up. ¡°No,¡± she whispered, all strength gone. There was no fight left in her. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± I quietly told her. Leoleth pulled her into a sitting position. Her face was ashen, and her AP and EP were almost completely gone. The magic suppression meant she couldn¡¯t access her storage devices, but I pulled them off her just in case. I was trying to get her to stand up, but she was either too weak or did not cooperate. ¡°Got someplace to be?¡± she grumbled. ¡°You think I¡¯m the only person looking for you? I got an asshole working for the Magistrate tailing me, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be here any moment.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± She looked up at me in defiance. ¡°You don¡¯t have the necklace, and there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll find out where it is before the Festival Gala. Who the hells are you anyway.¡± I sighed, ¡°My name is Regan Moon; I told you I¡¯m not working for the Magistrate. I¡¯m trying to stop what she¡¯s planning.¡± ¡°Then just let me go then.¡± ¡°She¡¯s blackmailing me.¡± It sounded so stupid when I said it out loud. ¡°I need to get you and the necklace, but we have a plan.¡± ¡°So, capturing me and turning me over was the plan?¡± ¡°No, the Church of Purity wants the necklace.¡± This caused Faedan to pause. She raised her eyebrows at this. ¡°They want to do something to it before I turn it over.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Do you even know what the Ruby Necklace is?¡± I stepped back and just raised my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything!¡± I barked at her. ¡°Look, I¡¯m fucked no matter what!¡± ¡°Well, if that isn¡¯t the understatement of the century,¡± came a voice dripping with smug arrogance from behind me. ¡°Elion Fucking Orixalim. Of course.¡± I¡¯d thought I had more time after that wild chase, but no, he and his crew had snuck up and assembled behind us. I had to hand it to them, but fuck those guys. I spun to face him, catching sight of that infuriating smirk even in the moonlit yard. He stood there, cocky as ever, twirling a rapier in one hand, a dagger glinting in the other. Another damn swashbuckler. His black leather armor hugged his frame, a dark hood pulled low over his face, with a blood-red scarf. Twelve other Red Hooks surrounded him. Three had crossbows on me, while the others rocked swords and maces. The melee fighters started fanning out, flanking us, not that I could do much with three bolts aimed at my face. ¡°Gotta say,¡± He started with a chuckle. ¡°You are so entertaining.¡± I hated his stupid arrogance. ¡°We could barely keep up.¡± ¡°And here we are.¡± I hissed. ¡°You¡¯re such a parasite.¡± ¡°We can make this easy.¡± He stowed his sword and dagger and raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m here for her. You and Frosty can just go.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°We can just up and leave until the Magistrate comes for us.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have a head start.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Make a run for it. You might even have a chance. It¡¯s the best offer anyone¡¯s given you so far.¡± I put on as much bravado as I could. ¡°Not really the running type.¡± ¡°Stick around then and see what happens.¡± He sneered. Gem: On your left. Regan: Thank the gods. Gem: I got the crossbows. Be ready with a distraction. Regan: I¡¯ll tell you when. ¡°Okay.¡± My voice was deflated. I eased my posture. I mean, I would be running after this for sure. So, the act wasn¡¯t hard to put on. ¡°You give me and Leoleth until dawn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a reasonable man. I¡¯ll wait until the Mistress Magistrate gives me the quest.¡± He smiled and stepped up to me. ¡°It¡¯ll make capturing you way more fun.¡± He entered my space, like in the suite and on the street. He loved to encroach, and I loved that he was nothing if not consistent. I took a half step backward, putting my hand up to his chest to hold him back. ¡°Wait a sec,¡± I said, giving him a pouty look. Regan: Now Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! One thing my girl could do was shoot quick. Two seconds and all the crossbow guys were on their way to the ground. I cast Black Rain directly into the chest of Elion Fucking Orixalim. He didn¡¯t even move as the obsidian shards blasted through his body; Sneak Attack compounded their effectiveness. They sprayed out at odd angles after passing through his body, hitting a few of the men behind him but only dealing minimal damage. Elion looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise, or was it betrayal? Didn¡¯t know, didn¡¯t care. He dropped to the ground as the death notice and a ton of XP scrolled across my vision. ASSASSIN JOB ADVANCED TO LEVEL 5 +1 DEXTERITY +1 CHARISMA Poisoner: Level 1 Unlocked. Poisoner: Level 1 (Intelligence, Luck) The art of poison is as old as treachery itself. With this skill, you can combine common and uncommon ingredients to create a variety of potent and deadly concoctions. All you need is a basic brewing set to begin crafting your toxic surprises. This specialization in alchemy focuses entirely on crafting substances designed to wreak havoc on the body. ¡°Hells Yeah!¡± Leoleth shouted and leapt over Faedan. She cast ice spikes at the nearest Red Hook to her, blasting him over as he got pelted with ice projectiles. Yells erupted as my people came charging onto the scene. Titus led with Kev, followed by Eric, Heather, and Maltz. Ramin and Jinx came up on the rear. I cast Grand Entrance on the area. The rest of the Red Hooks staggered in confusion, subjected to illusionary smoke and a blast of trumpets for three seconds. I fell back to cover Faedan, pulling out a rapier and dagger. Heather was quick at my side, with her energy sword summoned. She swung it at a mace-wielding Red Hook, blocking his attack as Maltz swiped him from behind with his claws before she stabbed the guy in the chest, ending him instantly. Titus Sword Danced across the field. Slashing with speed and precision that I never knew was even possible. His eyes were dark and dilated as the beast was let out. He tore through three of them like they were nothing. Their bodies were shredded, blood and gore splashed on the cobblestones under their feet as he pranced through them. By the time my three-second spell was over, so was the fight. Orixalim was crumpled on the ground with a large hole through his chest, his blood pooling on the ground. The three crossbowmen were down, arrows through their eyes. Titus had eviscerated three. Heather and Maltz took one out, and Leoleth stood over the one she perforated with ice spikes. Ramin left one literally melting in a puddle, Wicked Witch of the West style, as he bubbled and smoked with an evil smell. Jinx sprayed one with enough electricity to light up New York City, and Eric and Kev took out the remainder tag team style. ¡°Fuck me,¡± Faedan muttered weakly. She lay on her side, still too weak to sit up on her own. Titus came over to me. ¡°You all right?¡± He had slipped his sword and dagger away and put his hands on my shoulders. ¡°Doing fine.¡± I tried to sound nonchalant. I wasn¡¯t doing ok. That was some fucked up shit, but I wasn¡¯t going to let on that I was freaking out, even one bit. I bent over and looted Orixalim, taking his storage ring and everything but his messed-up armor. I turned to Heather, who was on her knees next to the man she helped kill. The ground was covered in blood, and the front of her robe was getting soaked, but she just sat there. Her face was ashen, eyes wide. Her lips were moving in what I believe was a silent prayer. She had a glowing hand on him like she was trying to heal his injuries, but there was no coming back from the dead. I knelt next to her and put my arm on her. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± She whispered, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡± She looked at me, tears running down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m a healer.¡± ¡°You are.¡± I pulled her into a gentle hug. ¡°The Goddess knows your soul. You defended Faedan. If you weren¡¯t there at that moment, the guy could¡¯ve killed her.¡± She wiped her tears and plastered on a fragile smile. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that again.¡± ¡°Sometimes we need to do horrible things so others don¡¯t have to.¡± I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s my solace. I take on that burden, but it doesn¡¯t make it easy.¡± ¡°I wish I knew how you can deal with it.¡± ¡°Looking at your beautiful face is all I need to keep going.¡± She let out a weak laugh. Gem came down from whatever perch she was on and joined the group. She cleared her throat and glared at the carnage. She stepped up next to Titus and stowed her bow. They had gotten used to the idea of each other over the last couple of days, and I was thankful there wasn¡¯t any drama stemming from the throuple arrangement I was trying to get going. The party moved into a defensive circle as Gem, Titus, Heather, Leoleth, and I moved to Faedan. Her strength was returning, but I kept her cuffed, just in case she got any ideas. I knelt to her. ¡°That was Elion Fucking Orixalim, who worked for the Magistrate.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she smiled weakly. ¡°Along with some Red Hooks. They¡¯re the militant branch of the Church of Granvul. She¡¯s part of that church. Did you know that?¡± ¡°I guessed it was something like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she has plenty of others looking for me.¡± ¡°Hello, Varona, I¡¯m Heather Elding.¡± Heather knelt and cast a healing spell on Faedan, who glowed slightly as her cuts and bruises vanished. ¡°I¡¯m a Cleric in the service of the Goddess Amania. She needs your help.¡± ¡°I never saw a Priestess of the Church of Purity with a sword before,¡± Faedan replied as the color returned to her face. ¡°I¡¯m not happy about it.¡± She held her right hand, and the healing light of magic glowed just above her palm. ¡°I want to heal people, body and soul, but my Goddess gave me a sword. I trust her wisdom, but I don¡¯t know the reason behind it.¡± ¡°What does the Goddess of Purity want with the Ruby Necklace?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Heather shrugged. ¡°Only we needed to bring it to the temple before handing it over to the Magistrate. If you can trust the Goddess, you can trust me. I will die before I allow it to be used for evil. And Regan is a person of integrity, despite her¡­¡± She paused, looking for the right word. ¡°¡­Tendencies.¡± ¡°That was a bit harsh,¡± I murmured. ¡°Please trust us.¡± Heather placed her hand on Faedan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have done so well, but you need help to carry this to the end. We are here to help you.¡± My girl had the magic touch, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°I want to get this over with so I can start running for the rest of my life.¡± I sighed at her. ¡°If you have a better idea, then spill it because laying low ain¡¯t a plan.¡± ¡°I have it back at my hideout.¡± Faedan looked down at the ground, almost ashamed. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would go out with it on me.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Titus stepped forward. ¡°We go get it and bring it to the temple.¡± ¡°Okay. But just you three.¡± She pointed at me, Heather, and Leoleth. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Titus glared at her. ¡°We¡¯ve spilled blood over this, and the Magistrate will still be on us. You need all the protection we can provide.¡± I stood and turned to him. He looked worried. I put my hand on his chest. I could feel his heart racing under my palm. I glanced at Gem, whose face was filled with the same look of anxiety that Titus had, but she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°We¡¯ll be okay. Too many of us shuffling around will draw attention we don¡¯t need. Fall back to the temple district, and we will get there as soon as we get the necklace.¡± I looked over at Jinx, Kev, and Eric. My boys. ¡°You guys got this?¡± ¡°You know it, love,¡± Jinx said. ¡°We got this.¡± ¡°To the end,¡± Kev said. Eric nodded and winked at me. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world.¡± ¡°There,¡± I said, looking at Titus. ¡°We¡¯re good. Just help me close the deal, Okay?¡± Titus sighed. ¡°Fine. Tap the com crystal if you run into trouble. We¡¯ll find you.¡± Chapter Thirty-Two: Maybe we can form a new A-Team. Chapter Thirty-Two: Maybe we can form a new A-Team. Nobody was happy. Faedan was understandably pissed and Heather was a wreck after killing a guy (can¡¯t blame her there). As for me, anxiety and I are kind of like childhood friends who never grew apart. And right now, my brain felt like a ball of yarn at a kitten convention. Only Leoleth seemed okay, but she was still a pain in the ass. Despite that, we were soldiering on with Faedan leading the way. We hustled back to the Grand Bazaar, practically sprinting through the crowded streets. I¡¯d taken the manacles off Faedan; she seemed okay, and honestly, I doubted she¡¯d run. Plus, I was too exhausted to chase anyone. Heather had probably convinced her we were her best shot at getting out of this mess. ¡°How did you find me?¡± She asked once she¡¯d caught her breath. ¡°You¡¯re sloppy with your rituals,¡± Leoleth said, sounding like a disappointed mom who just found out you didn¡¯t do the dishes. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t cleanse your space. We could track your cloak.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really,¡± Leoleth snapped. ¡°You did some good enchanting, but you must be more mindful of ritual space.¡± ¡°Well, crap,¡± Faedan muttered, shaking her head. ¡°I had the thing in storage until tonight. I just popped out to grab some food. Gods damn it. Do you know what happened to it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Leoleth said flatly. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at the lie. ¡°You¡¯re lucky it was us who found you,¡± I chimed in, trying to keep up as Faedan picked up the pace. ¡°You have no idea what that thing is or what they were planning to do with it,¡± she said, weaving through the market like a deer in the woods. We dodged past dwarves pulling handcarts, earning ourselves a few colorful curses. ¡°Evil stuff. That¡¯s my best guess,¡± I replied, trying not to trip over my own feet. Honestly, evil stuff was about as precise as my knowledge got in this world. We kept up the breakneck pace until we reached a stall about halfway through the western end of the market. A tall, gaunt elf with golden hair was selling dusty old rugs and tapestries. He looked like a teenager with the eyes of one of those ancient tortoises from the Gal¨¢pagos Islands. You know, the ones that live to be like a million years old. Faedan gave him a nod. He winked and pulled one of the rugs off the floor, revealing a trapdoor. She flipped it open and slipped down in one swift motion. We each followed her in turn. We descended a rickety ladder that looked like toddlers had assembled it with a questionable grasp of structural integrity. About fifteen feet down, instead of the sewer I was expecting, we found ourselves in something stranger. It was a cavernous old chapel, or maybe a forgotten community space, carved from the bedrock beneath the city. The ceiling soared above us, adorned with ornate arches rising from the corners where columns held the weight of ages. Shadows danced around carved friezes of humans, elves, and dwarves in a series of historical scenes. Everything was illuminated by swinging mage lights clanking on rusty chains overhead. While the Art History major in me was geeking out over the cool ancient art, the place wasn¡¯t exactly the Ritz. A lumpy mattress lay on the floor next to a solitary chair and a small table, while a bucket for, uh, unpleasant business sat nearby. Piles of clothes and other forgotten junk cluttered the space, and about a thousand years¡¯ worth of grime coated everything. Faedan flung herself into the chair, leaving the rest of us standing around awkwardly. We were all pretty much afraid to touch anything since I was pretty sure fantasy-world hepatitis was still a thing and probably came with extra curses. ¡°Your place sucks,¡± Leoleth wrinkled nose. Faedan glared up at her, reaching under the table with her right hand, fumbling for something. ¡°Keep your hands where I can see them,¡± I said, summoning Sick Stick into my right hand, which I held discreetly behind my back. She pulled her hand out from underneath. ¡°Relax, pinky,¡± she said, raising her middle finger at me and slipping a storage ring on while maintaining eye contact. ¡°You asked for it.¡± She plopped the Ruby Necklace on the table with a clunk. I had to admit, the thing was beautiful. The main jewel was an oval-cut ruby about the size of a chicken egg. The chain was adorned with at least eighteen brilliant-cut diamonds, each about four or five carats. It looked like it must weigh a ton. I cast my appraisal spell: Item: Ruby Necklace. Magical Necklace. Ruby gem with eighteen diamonds on a gnome-forged gold chain, crafted in the Kingdom of Brikru by the Church of Granvul. Ownership: None, currently stolen. Will become the property of the next person who picks it up. Previous ownership: Sovell Empire. Value: ??? Magical Properties: ??? ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± Faedan said grimly as we all stared at the thing on the table. ¡°Expensive,¡± Leoleth whispered. Faedan sighed, exasperated. ¡°No, you idiot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a control stone,¡± Leoleth hissed at her. ¡°Of course, I know what it is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a control stone.¡± Faedan gazed at the ruby, her face draining of color. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anything like this in the world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big fat control stone,¡± Leoleth insisted. ¡°Plenty of those things.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± I asked, my patients running thin. ¡°When I retired from the Legion,¡± Faedan started, ¡°I had a bunch of extra time on my hands and started to learn enchanting.¡± She leaned back in her chair. ¡°I was guarding the Imperial Treasury here in Ironstone, surrounded by enchanted objects. I started examining them to see what I could learn.¡± I sighed internally. I wanted desperately to shout, ¡°Get the show on the road.¡± Still, I figured this was one of those coin-in-the-jukebox scenarios where I had to listen to half the discography of Neil Diamond before finally getting to AC/DC. No diss to Mr. Diamond; I love Sweet Caroline. ¡°The Ruby Necklace was a bit of a mystery. I didn¡¯t have the skills to assess it. It had magical properties, and I saw that the Church of Granvul forged it, but other than that, I didn¡¯t know much about it, and the treasurer didn¡¯t seem to know or care. It was seized in a campaign to the north in Brikru and made its way down here. The gems are worth quite a bit, but not enough to get moved to the capital. So, it got shuffled into the treasury here.¡± ¡°A couple of months ago, Magistrate Eumenia started taking an interest in the Ruby Necklace. She would come in and examine the thing. She was also bringing clerics from somewhere to assess it. She started acting strange and repeatedly came in and locked herself away with it.¡± ¡°Nothing creepy there,¡± I muttered, trying to see if I could find a clean surface to sit on since this was turning into a Moby Dick kind of story. ¡°She had it moved to the secured vault and limited access. That¡¯s when I decided to start doing my own research. First, I started looking into the sects of Granvul in the Kingdom of Brikru.¡± ¡°Granvul is very big there,¡± Heather mused, shifting uneasily on her feet. ¡°There are gangs of slavers abducting Imperial citizens and shipping them north.¡± Memories of our abduction came flooding back; what they had planned for Heather was particularly insidious. ¡°The Kingdom of Brikru is the first country to have adopted the Church of Granvul as its official religion. They¡¯re pushed up against the Empire to their south, so they can¡¯t really expand in our direction. They¡¯ve started their expansions to the north and east, employing the tenets of Granvul as their justification for conquest.¡± ¡°So, are we looking at a potential rival empire?¡± I asked, trying to keep up with the geopolitical intrigue. Back on Earth, I could barely keep track of which celebrities were dating. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Faedan said. ¡°Only that they have taken the religion very seriously and have been creating rituals to appease Granvul and draw strength from his domain.¡± ¡°This thing isn¡¯t a control stone for one of those rituals, then?¡± Faedan picked up the necklace and flipped it over. ¡°Here, look at this.¡± She held it up, and we gathered around. She traced her finger over the back of the ruby, and a shimmering symbol appeared: a three-linked chain. It looked familiar, but I couldn¡¯t quite place where I¡¯d seen it before. ¡°This is a symbol for one of their basic rituals, but it¡¯s etched on this stone.¡± ¡°What ritual?¡± Leoleth asked, looking closely at the ruby. ¡°Servitus Hostiae Animi,¡± Faedan answered. ¡°Do you have a storage device from that guy you killed?¡± I pulled Orixalim¡¯s ring out and tossed it to Leoleth. She pulled a tiny, needle-thin control rod from her storage and started working on it. After we settled in Ironstone, Leoleth got sick and tired of paying for rings to get cracked and learned to do it herself, saving us hundreds in gold over the last few weeks. After a couple of moments, she cracked it with a satisfying pop and a puff of ozone. I slipped it back into my inventory and nodded at Faedan. She gestured at the necklace. ¡°If he¡¯s a follower of the church, he should have a control rod in there that has a wide end on it with the same symbol.¡± I sorted out the ring¡¯s contents without looking too deeply at what he had and sorted through the half dozen or so control rods, and sure enough, there was one. I pulled it out and examined it closely. As she said, it was a control rod about the width of a pencil, ending in a flat edge roughly three inches wide. An intricate and unsettling pattern of interlocked chain links was Etched into its surface. A faint scent of scorched flesh clung to it, barely perceptible yet profoundly disturbing. A sudden heat flared on the back of my thigh as the odor reached me. It was a searing pain that vanished as quickly as it came. The brief sting left me breathless, my stomach twisting inexplicably. I didn¡¯t know why, but a deep unease settled within me. ¡°What is Servitus Hostiae Animi?¡± I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Servitude of the Sacrificial Soul,¡± Heather answered grimly, her eyes reflecting deep-seated dread. ¡°It serves multiple purposes. Granvul is a god. Like all gods, he gains strength by acquiring souls.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Faedan continued, her tone heavy with concern. ¡°It rips out a fragment of the victim¡¯s soul and sends it directly to him. From that moment, the soul is essentially forfeited. Granvul can claim the rest when the person dies. No resistance. No escape.¡± A cold knot tightened in my stomach, threatening to split me in two. ¡°Why would anyone do that?¡± ¡°Granvul gets a taste of what¡¯s to come and rewards the one who sends the soul his way with a boon,¡± Faedan explained. ¡°The greater the soul, the greater the reward.¡± Heather sighed, a mix of frustration and sorrow. ¡°The more souls you ensnare, the stronger your chosen dominance skills become. Whatever tools they use will be more effective.¡± ¡°What tools?¡± I asked ¡°Some wield magic,¡± Faedan added. ¡°Others manipulate through politics, intelligence, charisma...¡± She trailed off, looking at the necklace. ¡°Oh,¡± I murmured, the harsh reality sinking in like a weight on my chest. ¡°Raw strength as well, I suppose.¡± My thoughts raced to Titus. He had admitted to following Granvul. Was he enslaving people¡¯s souls? Oh man, oh crap. ¡°Any tool used to influence and control,¡± Heather said softly. ¡°Granvul amplifies it as a reward.¡± ¡°And the other part,¡± she continued, her voice barely audible. ¡°The souls you¡¯ve captured are forced to serve you in his realm.¡± ¡°Kind of miss the world with subtle gods,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be nostalgic for Earth and its lack of soul-stealing deities.¡± ¡°So, what kind of ritual are they using the big rock for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s two parts, a summoning rite called the Ritual of Sylriad,¡± Faedan said. ¡°I smuggled the necklace out of the treasury two weeks ago and got it assessed by a man I know in the market. I couldn¡¯t exactly bring it back once I knew what it was used for.¡± ¡°Tell us about it.¡± ¡°Sylriad is a minion of Granvul. The ritual is like Servitus Hostiae Animi, but if it¡¯s done right, he will appear and do a massive harvest for his god. He¡¯ll pretty much capture souls from everyone within the range of the ritual. The rewards will be shared with all the followers in the area.¡± Heather tilted her head to the side. ¡°How big an area?¡± ¡°Maybe fifty yards or so,¡± Faedan answered. ¡°It has to be close.¡± ¡°Like a massive soul-sucking bubble of death, then?¡± I asked. ¡°Gods, the levels they¡¯d gain from that, but fuck me, that¡¯s some brutal shit.¡± ¡°Yup, the bigger the crowd, the better.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be all up and evil, taking people¡¯s souls, and then Granvul rewards them,¡± I said, getting with the program. ¡°What do they need to do the ritual?¡± ¡°It needs to be done in a seat of power on the last night of Renewal,¡± Faedan looked into space like she was reading an invisible list. ¡°You need five priests with power crystals and a cleric overseeing the ritual. The vessel must be an untainted or valuable soul.¡± ¡°Untainted?¡± I asked. ¡°A virgin or someone spiritually pure,¡± Heather said. She shifted uneasily. ¡°A rifter¡¯s soul is rare and would also be valuable.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯d be popular, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± I said, trying to inject some humor but failing miserably. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What else?¡± I asked Faedan. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it. It takes about thirty minutes or so to complete. But then there¡¯s the necklace¡­¡± Her gaze drifted back to it, her voice trailing off. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, resisting the urge to slap some sense into her. ¡°It¡¯s a soul crystal.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Leoleth barked. ¡°Those don¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°They do,¡± she insisted, her tone grim. ¡°And that¡¯s the first one I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± I said, frowning. ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t possible to capture a soul.¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t a way,¡± she admitted. ¡°But it seems the artificers in Brikru have been making progress in that area.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of capturing a soul in a crystal?¡± Heather paled, her knees nearly buckling as she sank to the floor. ¡°By the Goddess... They could use it to trap a Empress¡¯ soul.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°The energy locked inside it could power a permanent summoning,¡± Faedan explained. ¡°At least, that¡¯s the theory.¡± ¡°Some people are really into dragons¡­¡± I muttered, glancing at Leoleth. ¡°A minion of Granvul unleashed on earth, bound to serve whoever summoned it, wouldn¡¯t exactly be ideal,¡± Faedan said, her voice dry but heavy with meaning. Heather¡¯s eyes widened as realization dawned. ¡°The Festival Gala,¡± she whispered, her voice trembling. ¡°With the Empress, her entourage, the entire Rawen royal family would all be harvested. And the Empress herself trapped to be used to power the next apocalypse.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Faedan said. ¡°If Eumenia gets the Empress to wear that necklace at the Gala¡­ well, that¡¯s just the beginning. Members of the Church of Granvul could ascend to near god-like levels.¡± ¡°Most un-triumphant,¡± I muttered. Everyone just looked at me. I glared at each of them in turn. Seriously? Has anyone here seen Bill & Ted? Of course not. ¡°She could be the next Empress if she wanted,¡± Heather said. ¡°Or she could simply use it to plunge the world into chaos.¡± ¡°We need to book it to the Temple of Purity.¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, and...¡± I was dreading this, but I kind of had to at this point. ¡°Titus may be a follower of Granvul.¡± ¡°By the Goddess,¡± Heather said, the color draining from her face. Leoleth just shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s messed up.¡± ¡°He told me openly about it, and he left it behind years ago,¡± I said, though even to my own ears, it sounded weak. ¡°You are in a relationship with someone who has admitted to doing stuff like that?¡± Heather glared at me. ¡°What the hells were you thinking?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t understand what it meant when he told me about it. I didn¡¯t know it was a bunch of soul-stealing crap,¡± I protested. ¡°Back on Earth, people change religions all the time.¡± ¡°I suppose the fact that I was going to be sold to the Church of Granvul as a sacrifice just slipped your mind, then?¡± ¡°It was in his past.¡± ¡°I know that you didn¡¯t believe in gods and magic where you came from,¡± Heather was shaking with anger, ¡°but you should have figured out by now that you don¡¯t walk away from a fucking god in this world. You can¡¯t just wake up one morning and decide to switch. Gods get angry; they are vengeful. You can¡¯t sign on one day and quit the next!¡± ¡°He¡¯s still a follower,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Leoleth. ¡°You walked away.¡± ¡°My religion was bullshit. There wasn¡¯t a god; they worship a stupid dragon.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Titus?¡± Faedan asked the group. Heather was too angry to say anything, and I was too busy trying to wrestle my brain back into a functional state. ¡°The big, pretty pirate man,¡± Leoleth answered. I didn¡¯t want to believe the worst of Titus. He helped me find the Ruby Necklace and kill Orixalim. I felt so safe with him. He made me feel strong and confident when we met and was generous and good to me. The dangerous parts of him were exciting, but they didn¡¯t scare me. I was ready to ignore his past because I liked what I saw in front of me. But now, I just wasn¡¯t sure either way. ¡°Oh,¡± Faedan said. ¡°Crap. Do you mean the big guy who gutted three people in less than two seconds? Great.¡± ¡°The Magistrate gave me this quest because she knew I would fail. She put her lackey on it to ensure he could swoop in if I succeeded. Titus helped me beat him.¡± ¡°How many neighborhoods did you search looking for Faedan?¡± Heather asked. ¡°I only looked in the Commercial District. It¡¯s where she was from and the most likely place she would be hiding out.¡± ¡°She is right here,¡± Faedan said, annoyed. ¡°Right,¡± Heather glared at Faedan. ¡°You are the one that found her. We would have succeeded without his help at all.¡± Leoleth snorted. ¡°Maybe he helped, maybe he didn¡¯t. But we need to do the rest of this without him. Too bad; he does have that hot cat-kin that works for him.¡± ¡°Well, crap.¡± I grabbed the necklace and slipped it into my storage space. We couldn¡¯t trust him. ¡°Back to plan B.¡± I looked over at Leoleth, eyebrows raised. ¡°Plan B is good.¡± ¡°What¡¯s plan B?¡± Heather asked. ¡°Jump the wall,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Grab and go,¡± I said. ¡°We head to the river, grab a boat, and head south. We put the city behind us and make a run for it. We could start a new life somewhere without the Mistress Magistrate and all her evil minions. Maybe we can form a new A-Team. ¡°What¡¯s the A-Team?¡± Faedan asked. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°What about our quests?¡± Heather jumped in. ¡°My quest was a freaking trap. I was set up to fail.¡± ¡°My quest came from my Goddess, from her own lips,¡± Heather protested. ¡°You were ordered to help me finish mine, but it¡¯s pretty much tits up at this point. I don¡¯t think Amania will mind if we bail on the whole thing as long as we keep the ritual from taking place.¡± ¡°She had a reason for us to bring it to her. She also tasked me with making sure you finished.¡± ¡°Well, crap.¡± I wanted to sit down, crisscross applesauce, in defeat, but the place was too nasty. ¡°Look,¡± Faedan said. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m here talking to you right now¡­¡± She pointed at Heather. ¡°Is because she said that you guys had a plan.¡± ¡°I mean, we had the concept of a plan.¡± ¡°We had a plan!¡± Heather barked at me. ¡°Now that half our group is compromised, that¡¯s pretty much out the window.¡± ¡°So now we need plan C,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°I mean, plan A wasn¡¯t all that sophisticated,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°We were just counting on having help getting to the temple.¡± ¡°But if we can¡¯t trust that help, we¡¯re stuck.¡± I looked over at Faedan. ¡°Is that the only way in or out?¡± I pointed at the hatch over our heads. ¡°The sewer.¡± She exited the chair and pushed me aside, pulling a dusty old rug off the floor where I stood. It covered what looked like an old manhole cover. ¡°Will it get us all the way there?¡± ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°The system doesn¡¯t link with the rest of the city, but it will get us to the edge of the Commercial District.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m a thousand percent sure someone is watching us,¡± I said. ¡°If Titus is an asshole, then he would make sure there was someone on us to make sure we don¡¯t make a break for it, and if we stay down here too much longer, they may come looking for us. He¡¯d still be watching us if he¡¯s not a bad guy, probably to ensure we¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°We can split,¡± Heather suggested. ¡°Two of us can go up the ladder and head towards the temple to draw the tail. Two can go through the sewer and head towards the district via a different path.¡± ¡°Any private entrances to the temple?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a service entrance at the back; it¡¯s not really private, though.¡± I pulled off my cleric robes, tossing them to Faedan. I equipped a set of black leather armor. ¡°Put these on.¡± I looked at Heather. ¡°Do you have another set of robes that Leoleth can wear?¡± ¡°Please, no,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°The color is all wrong.¡± Heather pulled her robes off and tossed them to Leoleth, who grabbed them and held them out like she was holding a dead fish. ¡°There¡¯s blood on them.¡± I was treated to a nice view of Heather in her underwear, but I quickly turned away, feeling my face heat up. Focus, Regan, focus. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take your shoes off.¡± I pulled out a tunic and pants for Heather to wear. ¡°Guard lady¡¯s too tall to be you,¡± Leoleth pointed out. ¡°Guard lady has a name,¡± Faedan said. ¡°We just have to gamble on the possibility that the knuckleheads who may or may not be following us don¡¯t have an eye for detail. It only has to work long enough for us to get out of here and seal up the lid before they come here looking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dumb plan,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Second that,¡± Faedan agreed. I looked at Heather. She smiled weakly at me and shrugged. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s dumb,¡± I growled. ¡°This whole thing is dumb. My life is dumb, and this whole fucking world is dumb.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re all dumb for listening to you,¡± Heather said. ¡°Fine,¡± I nodded at Leoleth. ¡°We fall back to our temple if things go south. Copy that?¡± Leoleth looked at me with total confusion. ¡°Copy south what?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Get with the Earth lingo, girlfriend. Head to the Temple of the Unnamed God if things get bad. Got it?¡± Faedan looked at Leoleth and me with more than a concerned look. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°All right, team...¡± I just kind of petered out at that point with my hands outstretched like I was going to say something grand and inspiring. I was trying to come up with something catchy. ¡°Let¡¯s go be dumb.¡± The three women groaning at me was all I needed to hear. Chapter Thirty-Three: They鈥檒l call us the Hottie Hobos. Chapter Thirty-Three: They¡¯ll call us the Hottie Hobos. The manhole cover slid aside easily enough. ¡°I just want to say,¡± Faedan said as I eased onto the first step of the ladder. ¡°The sewers are extremely dangerous. No one really knows what¡¯s down there, so good luck.¡± ¡°Not afraid of doing anything stupid,¡± I replied. I looked up at Heather as I descended. ¡°Not too late to get some shoes.¡± ¡°Nothing will be between me and the ground I walk.¡± She said reverently. We slid down the slimy ladder as Faedan moved the cover back into place. When we reached the bottom, I pulled my mage lamp out of my inventory and handed it to Heather. The sewer was lined with stone bricks in a tube shape with a walkway on one side and a river of the nastiest smelling shit you can imagine running down the middle. Well, maybe you could imagine it if you can imagine a dumpster behind an Arby¡¯s, with a couple of dead cats and the crap and vomit from a thousand demonic hobos in one-hundred-and-fifty-degree heat, crammed into a shipping container bound for stink town USA. Needless to say, it hit us like a brick wall. Got to love my life. I think if I squinted, I could see the stink. ¡°The mapping ability,¡± Heather said. I hadn¡¯t thought about it, but she was right. We were partied with Titus and his people, as well as each other. When we started getting close, we could be tracked with my own navigation. ¡°Shit.¡± I couldn¡¯t exactly kick him out of the party. That would let on that we were on to him if he was really a bad guy. I didn¡¯t want to think that, but I had to take precautions. I pulled the magic-suppressing manacles from my inventory and dropped them on the walkway with a clank. I had a small hatchet in storage, so I summoned it into my right hand and hacked at the chain that bound them together. From my experience in the slaver cage, I remembered having to take both off before my magic was no longer suppressed. I took a final look at my map, planning a route out of the Commercial District. I was happy to see the tunnels paralleled the streets above. I¡¯d crawled all over this city long enough to fill in my internal map. At this point, I felt like I could find my way almost anywhere with my eyes closed, which was pretty much what I was doing now. It took a couple of minutes of whacking at the chain, but I finally got them separated. I tossed one in my storage and picked up the other in my right hand, ready to slap it onto my left wrist. ¡°Wait!¡± Heather put her hand on my arm before I clamped it on. ¡°Are we going to be smart about this?¡± I groaned. Smart, I was not. Maybe it was the stink. Perhaps it was the accumulated misery of my life at the moment, but I almost clamped an object around my arm that would completely cut me off from magic and my storage. I sighed, summoning stuff from my storage space and putting it on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re not just another pretty face.¡± I pulled out a rapier, a couple of daggers, a healing potion, and a bag to put stuff in. Most importantly, I pulled out a set of lock picks to take the thing off. I pulled out a sheath for the sword and hooked it to my belt with a dagger. The rest went in a knapsack. I locked the heavy iron manacle around my left wrist. I could feel the EP drain from me. It left a pit in my stomach and a shot of pain behind my eye. The map in my vision and the rest of my HUD disappeared. The world looked ordinary again. ¡°Oh Gods,¡± I muttered. Not only would Titus be cut off from the shared navigation, but so would my friends, but it was what I had to do to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to track us when we came out of this hells hole. We marched in the general direction of the Entertainment District. It was just straight south. There would be no more than two or three turns as long as we kept ourselves pointed the right way. The place wasn¡¯t dark, which was weird because we were about twenty-five feet under the city streets. The walls were coated with green, bioluminescent moss, algae, or, I don¡¯t know, lichen, maybe? What the hells did I know about damp stinky shit cave plants. The place was otherworldly, and being cut off from my magical abilities left me feeling like I was buried alive. I watched Heather. She strode next to me, her head high, seemingly oblivious to the waves of stink from the river below us. The heat and humidity were also stifling, like the stuff was simmering on the burner of the world¡¯s nastiest stew. I envied her at times like this. Not just her, but I was genuinely envious of anyone of faith. Even with gods that are all up in your face, it was hard for me to wrap my brain around putting my trust in them. But seeing what she got from Amania, the trust she had, and how it boosted her confidence and gave her a sense of purpose made me feel like a kid who didn¡¯t get invited to the birthday party by the cool girl¡¯s parents. I wanted that comfort, I guess. ¡°This place is dangerous.¡± She whispered. She looked at me, worried for the first time since we arrived. I had never really gotten into the lore of the city¡¯s sewers, but being a geek about all things fantasy, I figured Murder World would have a bunch of nasty shit down here. Ok, shit is not exactly the right word, but gods, everything about this planet was about killing and eating you. ¡°Yeah,¡± I whispered back. I grabbed her hand for a second and squeezed. As quiet as we were, our whispers seemed to echo forever in this place. And really, the only sound was a calm, steady sloshing from the river of I¡¯m-tired-of-saying-it, punctuated by some drip, drip, drips. I hated to see what this place was like during halftime on Nya¡¯s Superbowl Sunday. We crept along, as silent as we could. I activated Stealth, but Heather, a cleric for The Church of Purity, was all about being visible. Not the best person to bring on a covert mission. Her church was about standing on the hillside and shouting, ¡°Repent Sinners!¡± Somehow, my girl managed to make bare feet sound loud. I cursed silently to myself. The tunnel curved to the right up ahead, where I saw the first shadows of something that would be a problem. I held my hand out at Heather, and she froze, practically in mid-step. Shadows from a distant light source danced on the wall. There were lots of shadows. At first, it looked like we were dealing with many big, nasty things based on the height of the shadows on the wall. Thank the gods, I briefly thought, for the low light angle. The dudes were only about eighteen inches long as they bound around the corner. I lifted my rapier and dagger. Heather whispered. Which, in the stone tube, might as well have been just shouting. ¡°Rot Rats!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I murmured, taking a defensive stance before her. ¡°These dudes aren¡¯t too big.¡± The little bastards were ugly. They reminded me of the bog rats I saw on the Imperial Highway. They were bipedal rats, just smaller, uglier, and smellier. My olfactory senses were pretty much blown out at this point, so I was guessing on that last part. About twenty feet out, the little wall of rodents stopped, and the tallest one of the group spit at Heather. She ducked, and the spittle flew past and hit the wall, which hissed. ¡°Uh, is that acid spit?¡± I asked. Part in shock, and part kind of impressed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oops¡± I pulled out my sword just as one of the spit on my hand. DEBUFF: RAT ROT VENOM. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE 2% SLOWER FOR THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. -2VP DEBUFF CANCELED BY POISON RESISTANCE. ¡°You have poison resistance?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Heather had her hand up over her face. ¡°The acid can still burn you.¡± The sewer pipe was starting to fill up with the things. And the spit started flying. Clothing and armor offered some protection, but after a few moments, the acid would burn through, and we would get the notice: DEBUFF: RAT ROT VENOM. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE 2% SLOWER FOR THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. -2VP DEBUFF CANCELED BY POISON RESISTANCE. And it burned like a mother fucker. ¡°Shit!¡± I cried, backing up. DEBUFF: RAT ROT VENOM. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE 2% SLOWER FOR THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. -2VP Ah, hells! I thought. The resistance was a percentage chance, which meant that roughly a third or more of these attacks would land and cause me to suffer paralysis. I peeked under my arm to see dozens of these stupid things. We shuffled backward as the wall of rot rats started firing off acidic loogies at us. It wasn¡¯t hard to dodge the attacks since they aimed at our faces, but charging in, swinging a sword, didn¡¯t seem like the best move. I charged in, swinging my sword. I raised my left forearm over my face, protecting it from the snotty projectiles, and swung low. I didn¡¯t get a visual on the things. Based on the scraping of my sword on the ground and the little rat screams, I was reasonably sure my attacks were hitting home. My arm and body, on the other hand, were erupting in burning, stinging, and pain as I was pelted with the little corrosive projectiles. The notifications flew across my vision as the rot rats were beating me. As the sole target, I was pelted with all the spittle the things could muster. It was just as I thought, compounding. But I was going to martial through. Each swing delivered a little chorus of rat screams. I plowed through, half-blind, while my body felt more and more like a sack of wet cement. My legs started giving away, and I was down on my knees, which made swinging the sword harder. My hands, arms, and body were numb; even the burning of the acid stopped hurting as I swung my sword blindly at the hoard. My breathing started to become labored. The paralysis didn¡¯t just affect motor function. The rats began to move in closer, the barrage of acid spit not letting up, but I could see how they managed to secure large prey if the prey was stupid enough. Lucky me. I had seconds. There was no EP to work with and no spell I could fire off to kill or even just beat them back. I could barely breathe at that point; I was getting lightheaded as my body started to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation. Heather was shouting, but I couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying. I hope she was falling back while they kept their attention on me. At least if I died here, The Ruby Necklace would be lost in this pit of despair. Parts of my character sheet appeared in front of my vision, as if my mind was going through a series of troubleshooting options about not dying. Black Rain: No Nudge: No Shield of Draining: No Time Dilation: No Fear of Death: No Wait a second, I thought to myself. The description of Fear of Death came up in my head: Fear of Death Cast the fear of death. All affected targets in the area will become paralyzed or flee with fear for ten seconds. Higher-level targets can resist and or partially resist and suffer different levels of the effect. Targets may be picked as a group or individuals. Activation time: Instant. Range: twenty yards. Cost: 0 EP. Cool Down: 1 Hour There was a zero EP cost for casting the spell. Holy crap! Before I could test my theory, a light flashed around me. It was brilliant and blinding, and it filled the dark space as brightly as midday, and there was a crackling of electricity. I was pretty much lying on the ground by that point, with my face buried in my arms. So I couldn¡¯t see what was going on. The sound of thousands of tiny, distant lightning strikes started going off like fireworks, and the rats started losing their shit. ¡°Thank the Goddess.¡± Heather breathed. She was above me, leaning down with her hand on my back. The debuffs disappeared, as did the pain as I started to glow from her healing. Within seconds, I was only left with phantom pain from the attack, but the sting was still fresh in my head. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said as I pulled myself up to sit. ¡°I should have thought of that earlier.¡± A rat apocalypse, with dozens and dozens of the little things dead, surrounded us. The smite was a bit overkill on the swarm, but that didn¡¯t bother yours truly at the moment. ¡°You did amazing. That was kind of terrible.¡± I set down my healing potion next to her. She picked it up and slipped it into storage, smiling weakly at me. ¡°It just hurts.¡± She put on a brave face. ¡°It¡¯s not going to slow me down.¡± ¡°Save it then.¡± I stood and stepped away from her, stamping my feet and trying to loosen my body up. My armor was toast, pitted with holes burnt into it. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more nasty stuff ahead.¡± Heather¡¯s outfit was looking about the same way. We moved along more cautiously at this point. Dead rats surrounded us, and I kicked a few in the stream as we cleared the area, not wanting to step on any of them. We stayed close together, and I had the rapier out in front of us, ready as we hugged the wall. Heather had her hand on my shoulder, and to her credit, she actually kept things quiet. There were, things, in the water. Stuff we couldn¡¯t see. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed to me. The stream would swell from time to time. Waves would ripple like tiny flash floods, and the level would rise until it sloshed over our feet before quickly retreating. I wanted to cast Eyes of Death to see what was invisible to us, but I didn¡¯t want to pull the shackle off. We followed the streets above. I tried to keep track of time as I moved. We started the chase in the early evening, and it was getting on to be about the middle of the night. Dawn would be in about four hours. This would be the last full day I had to complete the quest. However, it was a quest I had no interest in finishing. It seemed strange to me to just say fuck it. I could live with the consequences and tank the whole thing. Leoleth was okay. I was okay. The Magistrate didn¡¯t have much sway over me if I decided to run. Sure, I would¡¯ve made an enemy out of an extremely powerful person, but I could chuck everything I owned into my storage and just run for it. It was a big world; if you could run fast enough and far enough, you could escape almost anything.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. However, something lingering in my mind wanted me to see this through. I¡¯ve said that thwarting her plans was a noble thing, saving lives, saving a nation that seemed like a halfway decent place to live, helping the helpless, and all that shit, but there was something else under the hood that I could not quite place into words. I was compelled to do it. The blackmail was bullshit. The threats were slight to nonexistent since I killed off her main minion. But for some reason, the lizard part of my brain wanted to stand in that office and win this quest. Fucking her over by removing the magic from the necklace that Amania had in mind would have been icing on the cake. I wanted to stand in front of her, triumphant in winning the quest and beating her simultaneously. Faedan put a lot of trust in me and Heather to do the right thing and succeed. I wasn¡¯t sure how brazen the agents of Granvul would be if we carried this thing into the Temple of Amania. Would they charge in with swords and magic to take it by force, killing a whole building full of pacifists to seize the artifact? Gods, I hoped not. Titus was the other problem. My trust in him seemed to vanish with a few words from my friends. The nature of gods here made sense, but I didn¡¯t even consider it a possibility because I¡¯m not from this world. Joining a religion here was like joining the mafia. You can¡¯t just walk away. Amania seemed okay with someone not joining her religion if the fit wasn¡¯t right. The Unnamed God didn¡¯t seem to care if you did anything other than just acknowledge that he exists. What was the deal with Granvul? Did he care if you decided you were done conquering others and settled into a nice, quiet life? The damn tenets kept coming back to me every time the question in my head came up: Power is the right of those who dare to wield it. No resting on laurels with this god, I suppose. Was there ever a retirement from that? Until I had a chance to speak to him or see if there was the possibility of stepping away from The Church of Domination, I would have to treat Titus as an enemy. It was hard. I felt so good around him, and I trusted him. But objectively, that trust came on quickly, extremely quickly. I accepted his invitation within minutes of meeting him and was doing naughty things with him the first time we were alone together. I guess it could be part of my biology. But despite what my friends said about half-elves. I wasn¡¯t out banging everything and everyone, I was horny like a teenager, but I wasn¡¯t being promiscuous in any way. But it was easy to fall into his bed. If he was part of the same hierarchy as the Magistrate, then there was a solid chance he was doing her bidding. Or was it the other way around? ¡°Is this it?¡± We reached a dead end. The tunnel of shit ran under a metal grate, and there was a long ladder heading up. I climbed it, tucking my dagger into my belt. The alley above was clear, at least. The cool air of the city washed over us as we emerged. I pulled myself out of the hole in the alley and rolled onto my back, taking in the night air. I flopped my hand over to Heather as she climbed up after me. She took it, and I weakly helped her up. ¡°I could live a thousand years and never do that again.¡± She gasped as she breathed in her first clean lungful. She slumped down next to me, her body just as gelatinous as mine. ¡°Shit.¡± I croaked. ¡°My metric for filthy just shifted.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said with a slight chuckle. ¡°I would eat off these cobblestones.¡± Above me, sandwiched between the two buildings, the sky glowed pinkish red above me, and the city¡¯s smog reflected down a thousand torch and mage lights, painting everything a rusty dark sepia. I loved it. Everything city to me seemed beautiful. We were alone, and for some reason, it was reasonably quiet. There was some sound, distant cheers, music, and overall revelry on the second to last night of the Festival of Renewal. But, in our little alleyway, we were in an oasis of peace at this exact moment. ¡°Let¡¯s just stay here,¡± I gazed at the shifting smog. ¡°We can just scoot over to the side and never leave. They¡¯ll call us the Hottie Hobos.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said. She sat up, holding her arms out. ¡°I mean, we already look the part.¡± ¡°You still manage to pull it off.¡± I smiled at her and lecherously ran my eyes all over her. She did, of course. My straight girl crush managed to crawl through a sewer, get herself covered head to toe with muck, get pelted with hundreds of acid loogies, and still could be featured on the cover of Vogue. ¡°Sure.¡± She got to her feet first with a little grunt. It was her turn to offer me a hand. I took it and stood. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°This is going to be a bit of a challenge.¡± I groaned as I pushed the cover back over the manhole. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°We have to stick to the alleys and side streets, which means¡­¡± Unpleasant memories of the strangler star came rushing back. ¡°Oh,¡± she moaned. ¡°Lots of less than savory elements.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have spells.¡± I pulled out my rapier and checked it over. The spit didn¡¯t do anything to it, thank the gods. ¡°But I have my martial skills, which can hold up against most streetlevel trash.¡± ¡°I can use my sword.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Glowing sword of the gods is a bit too high profile.¡± I pulled a dagger from my bag and pushed it into her hand. ¡°If the wrong person gets too close to you, just poke them with this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She slipped the dagger into her belt. We were on the edge of the Entertainment District and needed to cross it before getting to the temples. Most of the prominent streets were well-lit and hopping with activity. Vendors were selling party supplies of all kinds, musicians were on every corner, it seemed like, and a different medieval fantasy rave was happening on each block, complete with psychedelic light shows, glowing makeup and paint, and thousands of people jumping up and down. Luckily, the alleys and side streets were the cool-down spots, where people pulled themselves out of the fray, smoked a pipe, made out with a drunken partner, or just caught their breath. At least the ones close to the party streets. We slipped through them quickly enough. I was tempted to do some pickpocketing, but I was worried about some karmic backlash. However, getting away from the larger boulevards, the dark of the night seemed to close in. Even in the Entertainment District, some streets were completely deserted, and I could hear our footsteps echo on the cobblestones as we moved south. Some of the spaces we passed through were so narrow that we brushed the walls with our shoulders as we walked side by side and even had to pass a single file through a few of them. ¡°Thought you vagrants would be bedded down by this time.¡± A croaky man¡¯s voice met us as we emerged from one of the alleyways to a small courtyard. A small equine statue of a dwarven warrior stood in the middle, covered in bird crap and graffiti. No business windows were facing the small outdoor space, so I had a feeling they just dropped the statue down there in hopes of making it all a little less depressing. We had been sailing through at a fair clip up to that point. I was secretly hoping that we could keep it up. But as we got toward the district¡¯s edge, our luck seemed to run out. The man was flanked by six others, four men and two women. It was dark, but my night vision could easily make out their features. All were human, wearing random bits of armor under dark cloaks. Weapons were a mix of maces and swords, all sheathed, which was a plus. ¡°Just headed home.¡± I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. ¡°Bit partied out for the night.¡± ¡°Lots of folk thinking the same as you.¡± The man answered, his friends moving around, blocking the exits. ¡°But you have a toll to pay if you want to pass through our little courtyard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the coin isn¡¯t going to maintain the statue, is it.¡± I nodded at the filthy thing. ¡°Who is that anyway?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, Don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s your courtyard, why wouldn¡¯t you want to know?¡± ¡°Drop your sword and your bag there, and I won¡¯t be hanging you and your friend from that ugly statue.¡± ¡°See,¡± I started walking into the space. I slipped my left hand behind my back and gestured at Heather. She got the hint and stepped back a few steps into the small alley we had just exited. ¡°I kind of need the sword.¡± ¡°Regan,¡± Heather said quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this.¡± I sighed, reaching into the knapsack and pulling out my lock picks. I tucked them in my belt. ¡°You guys are lucky I¡¯m with her.¡± I tossed it onto the ground at his feet. The man huffed and bent to pick it up. I didn¡¯t move but kept my eyes shifting around the group. ¡°Nothin¡¯ in here,¡± he said. ¡°Just a dagger, a lamp, and a couple of potions.¡± ¡°What can I say,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Been a night.¡± ¡°Guess we¡¯re gonna need that sword then.¡± He dropped the bag to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to admit that I am not at one hundred percent tonight.¡± I held up the manacle and showed it to them. ¡°No access to my spells, but I don¡¯t think you want to take on someone that is stone fucking sober right now and perfectly okay killing a courtyard full of fools.¡± ¡°Doubt you could kill all of us.¡± ¡°Alrighty then, how about this: let¡¯s say I only manage to kill half of you.¡± I swept my hand toward the seven thugs lined up in front of me, watching their faces shift between bravado and doubt. ¡°Now, do me a favor. Everyone, take a good look at the person to your right.¡± Predictably, they hesitated, some even fumbling over which side was their right until someone corrected them with an annoyed nudge. The one furthest to the right just gave me a helpless shrug. I sighed. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± I continued, ¡°I¡¯m right-handed, which means the lucky soul to your right will probably be the one who survives.¡± I swear to the gods, one of them tried to shuffle sideways, squeezing into her neighbor¡¯s spot. ¡°You wanted some easy coin tonight, but it won¡¯t come from me and my friend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be craven, you idiots!¡± The leader guy barked. ¡°It¡¯s just a tiny little elf with a sword too big for her to swing!¡± He unsheathed his and held it up with a roar. He ran towards me, having to go around the statue as he did. The rest did the same. Swords and maces in the air. Very theatrical. I swooped in, sword and dagger out, activating Sword Dance. I had practiced the martial skill during my downtime in the last couple of days, but this was the first time I had to use it in the field. My body became limber as time seemed to slow down. Not quite like time dilation, but more like my senses were enhanced so that I could see objects, not where they are, but where they will be. True, with this group of losers, there wouldn¡¯t be much to anticipate, not a lot of skill or imagination in use. I moved to an unheard song, my torso and limbs twisting and turning as the leader approached. His sword painted strokes in my vision of where it was to fall, and my body slipped around the path while I slashed with my rapier, not once or twice, but three times under the seam in his cheap leather breastplate. My dagger followed, piercing him under the arm as it penetrated to the hilt. He spasmed in pain and injury, and I left the dagger under his arm and spun on my heel as the first of his lackeys attacked. The woman came at me with a mace, swinging it down at my head. I turned right, just enough to have her miss me by less than an inch, the thing almost tapping me on the nose. I hooked my left arm under her right as she brought it down and bent backward while twisting, flipping her over my body as I combined the momentum of her movement and my own to send her flying into the path of her approaching friend. They slammed into each other with grunts and cries as both forms merged into a quivering bundle of limbs that crashed down on the cobblestones. I allowed the movement to continue as I rotated back around and jammed my rapier into the thug¡¯s heart next to them. He didn¡¯t even have his weapon up. I gave him a swift kick in the chest as I pulled my blade out. And he was dead before his body hit the ground. I pivoted on my heel again, this time having to parry an attack from one of the gang members on the other side. Three were left, but they weren¡¯t fighting together. However, he had closed the space between us too quickly, and my rapier wouldn¡¯t be very effective. I could see the lines in my vision where his short sword would come down and dropped my own to free both hands. I grabbed his sword hand with both of mine and slammed my shoulder under his arm. There was a satisfying pop as it dislocated. He cried, releasing the grip on his weapon. I grabbed it with my right and spun, jamming it into his gut as hard as I could. He fell to the ground, impaled on his sword. The martial skill stalled at this point. Sword dance required a rapier to work, and I had to abandon mine. The world shifted back into reality, and I faced two armed enemies, one with a broadsword almost too big for him and the other with a mace in her right hand. She was holding it back, ready to bring it down hard. ¡°Stupid elf.¡± She smiled, stepped forward, and swung for the fences. She had a point. I was caught up in the sword dance and danced myself out of having a weapon. Heather had my other dagger, and everything else was either planted in a bad guy or on the ground. I was out of options. I cast Fear of Death on all the living combatants. It was like swinging an invisible wrecking ball against everyone who wasn¡¯t already dead in the courtyard. The guy with the broad sword spun and fell straight down, losing his footing. The two tangled on the ground, screamed, and seemed to get more wrapped up as they tried to free themselves from each other. The mace-swinging woman looked at me as her weapon hand slacked, losing her grip on the weapon. Her eyes were wide with fear, and I could see tears glistening. I leaped to catch the falling weapon and grasped it before it clattered to the ground. I rolled once and got to my feet, keeping my momentum and swinging the mace around, connecting with the forehead of the broadsword guy. There was a satisfying crunch as it exploded, spraying the cobblestones with blood and gray stuff. I slipped a dagger out of his belt. The woman I disarmed was back in it. She lunged at me, grabbing for her old weapon. Of all the directions one could run¡­ I lunged at her, abandoning the mace, and slammed the dagger into her chest with both hands. Her look of fear never changed as she went down. I grabbed my rapier off the ground and ran to the two squirming villains. My first thrust went into the eye of the woman, ending her quickly. I pulled it back out with a grunt since it had wedged into the bone. ¡°Regan!¡± Heather stood in the courtyard now, shock on her face. She held the dagger limply in her hand and just looked at me. ¡°Sorry.¡± I turned and stabbed the man in the heart, pushing so hard my blade went through his entire body and into the cobblestone underneath. The life drained from his face as tears ran down his cheeks. In his early twenties, he was young, with a scruffy beard and collar-length, dirty blonde hair. His head tilted back. His eyes glazed over. He was gone. There were no notifications. I was cut off from magic, and really, it seemed all I got were debuffs. But they were all down. I started moving through them, pulling at purses and bags and weapons, tossing everything into a pile next to the ugly statue. Two of them had cloaks that were in pretty good shape. I pulled them off, tossing one to Heather. ¡°How can you do this?¡± she asked. She gripped the dark green fabric in limp fingers. I looked up at her and sighed. ¡°Someone has to.¡± She was so beautiful, a Helen of Troy-level beauty that could bring nations to war if she were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her kindness was reflected in that beautiful face. ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me once that we need to do the hard stuff sometimes.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She dropped her dagger on the pile of weapons. It clattered as it bounced. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t look that hard for you when you do it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± I yanked my sword out of the blonde guy. ¡°Look at all this crap they¡¯ve collected.¡± I gestured around. ¡°How many people do you think they may have killed or hurt to get all this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± I glared at the bodies around us. ¡°What if a family with kids walked through that alley after us?¡± ¡°Look,¡± she frowned at me. ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad you got it. Because you need to know that I don¡¯t love doing this shit. But I must be the person that guts these mother fuckers because there¡¯s no one else to do it.¡± I found a knapsack on one of the thieves. I set it down next to the statue. There was some gold and a few trinkets that they must have pulled off other victims. I stuffed them in, along with everything that looked valuable. I shoved the knapsack into Heather¡¯s arms. ¡°For the temple.¡± I hooked one of the maces to my belt, tucked in three daggers, and sheathed my sword before pulling the other cloak over my shoulders. I cursed, yanking it off. It was so long it had dragged on the ground. I dropped to one knee, pulled out one of the daggers, and started cutting about a foot and a half off the bottom of the garment. Heather just watched as I bitched quietly to myself. I could hear her sigh as I worked. ¡°What?¡± A growled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For saving me.¡± I chuckled, but then I realized she was serious. I looked up at her. She smiled at me. It was warm and kind. I smiled back and winked. ¡°You and me to the end.¡± We headed off again, hoods up, moving quickly and cautiously through the alleys of the entertainment district. We kept to the side streets but tried our best to avoid the neighborhood¡¯s alleys and spookier parts. I kept my daggers out, making sure they were visible. More than once, I got a nervous look from more than one passerby. Unsavory types were around, but the visible blades kept them at a respectful distance. The presence of the City Guard was virtually non-existent. It was a holiday, after all, and if calling out were a thing in the Empire, then who was I to act surprised? It was a city-wide street party, that was for sure. It was virtually every main street that was shut down. We pushed through, but my dear, sweet Heather was still laying hands on the more drunken and passed-out revelers as we passed, healing them of their inebriations and curing the world of future hangovers with the blessing of the Goddess Amania. We passed The Grand Coliseum. The games had been running for days, and there was no sign that things were stopping. I could hear the crowd roar and the sound of amplified voices even in the middle of the night. Vendors yelled at us as we passed, trying to get us to buy everything from fruit and snacks to seat cushions and miniatures of the most notable fighters. We slipped through the Capital District without incident. With The Festival in full swing, all commerce in the city was shut down. Even the alleys were abandoned. All the action was in the entertainment district, so even the dodgy people were either taking the week off or were in more populated areas. The sky to the east was glowing yellow and orange when we made it to the Temple district. The predawn streets were quiet, but we made our way through slowly, trying to keep our heads down. ¡°Here,¡± Heather whispered as we approached the Temple of Amania. She directed us into a narrow alley, barely wide enough to fit a small hand cart. It is not exactly a service corridor, but it is more like a secret entrance. We reached the back of the massive building. The small wooden door was a discreet entrance. She gestured for me to wait while she approached the door. I could feel a pinch on my back. Then, there was a surge of burning pain right below my belly button. Heather looked over at me, and I guess I made some kind of noise. Her eyes grew wide. I tried to step towards her, but I couldn¡¯t move. A Red Hook stepped up from behind a crate in the back of the temple and slipped a bag over her head. I could feel a cold feeling come over me as I started to lose all sense of consciousness. I tried to move again, I cried out, but my voice caught in my throat. I looked down and saw a narrow blade of a rapier poking out of my lower abdomen. With a flash of agony and a small spurt of blood, the blade vanished. My legs gave out when I tried again to step forward. Heather was being pulled away as another member of the gang grabbed her, helping his buddy get control of the priestess. She cried out, but my ears rang so severely that I could barely hear anything. I fell, clutching the hole in my body like I could keep the blood from coming out. It was pouring by this point, and I was pretty sure there was not anything I could do. I thought about reaching into my bag and pulling out my lockpicks. An arm reached under me, keeping me from hitting my head on the cobblestones for the umpteenth time. I was lowered and looked at the owner of said arm. Titus looked down at me. A smile on his face. It wasn¡¯t his charming, roguish grin that I loved. It was the same kind of smile a shark had when cornered a harbor seal. Cold, emotionless, and terrifying. I tried to say something, but his fist came down, smashing me in the face. Chapter Thirty-Four: Ya basic. Chapter Thirty-Four: Ya basic. Q W# U D***T: &R#B E&F M D*E S %%%%%%%%%%@@@@@ *********FI&&&&24&&&&## ¡°Oh gods.¡± My brain jolted back into consciousness, like waking up from a nightmare. My body, on the other hand, wanted to hit the snooze button on the world. Before I even opened my eyes, I instinctively reached for my stomach, the center point of pain in my body. The wound was gone, replaced with a scar about an inch and a half long. I was naked, chained, and on a hard stone floor. It was a stone floor I knew all too well. Opening my eyes confirmed it. I was in the same tower the Magistrate had held me several days ago. It may have been the same cell, but it is hard to tell. I wasn¡¯t really an expert. The sense of Deja Vu was pretty much there, except my body hurt and not my head. Images of what happened started to come together in my head. We made our way to the back door of the temple. The back door! Then the stab, the pain searing through my body as I watched twelve inches of steel punch its way through my stomach and the shredded armor I was wearing. The sound was worse. I did a fair amount of stabbing in my time here, but hearing it, seeing it, and feeling it in my own body was a new thing that I didn¡¯t want to experience again. She was right about Titus. He did that to me. And they took her. He was with the Red Hooks and The Magistrate. And all of them were balls deep in The Church of Domination. I had to get out of this place and quickly. I had nothing on me and was wearing the same shackles and collar that I wore the first time. ¡°Hey!¡± I stood and barked out the window. ¡°McGruff!¡± I know the guy¡¯s name wasn¡¯t McGruff; I made it up in my head, but it was all I had to work with. ¡°Steadman!¡± he barked at me from down the block. As I suspected, the scruffy guard was nearby. And apparently, named Steadman. Good for him. I still liked McGruff more. ¡°The Cleric!¡± I cried out as he came up. ¡°Where is she?¡± He tossed a prison poncho into my cell. ¡°No priestess, he said, ¡°Unless that¡¯s the goat girl.¡± He nodded at the bundle on the floor next to me. He averted his gaze as I yanked the thing over my head. ¡°They brought her in with a ginger guy, a bald guy, and an orc.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the Cleric of Amania,¡± I grabbed the bars and rattled on them. ¡°They grabbed her. When they caught me.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Red Hooks. Led by Titus Sybo.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the big guy, right? Turned you over to the Imp guard. Said there was a warrant out on you and your friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horseshit.¡± ¡°I imagine it¡¯s some kind of shit,¡± Steadman said. ¡°Imperial shit.¡± He folded his arms and gave me a grim look. He had no love for the Empire or at least the Magistrate. I took a step back from the door. He slipped his key in and turned, unlocking it deliberately and slowly. ¡°Go get Chainbeard.¡± I pleaded. ¡°Or at least talk to him.¡± ¡°Chainbeard knows you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Then go get him.¡± He opened the cell door and stepped back. ¡°He ain¡¯t coming.¡± I backed to the cell¡¯s rear, almost tripping over something on the floor. He tilted his head and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You know what I have to do. So don¡¯t go and make it difficult for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take me to her.¡± I pleaded. ¡°I need to find Heather.¡± ¡°You know if I don¡¯t, someone else will.¡± He stood, easing his posture. ¡°Just make sure you make your way back here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He sighed. ¡°Just make sure you do.¡± He turned to the side, giving me space to walk past. It was a Dead Elf Walkin¡¯ kind of stroll down the cell block and then the stairs. Steadman moved sluggishly. It was like he didn¡¯t want me to go, either. I took the opportunity to memorize the turns as we made our way down and out of the tower. The guard was dead silent as we moved. Also, the checkpoints were all absent from guards. They must have been operating on a reduced crew because of the festival. ¡°The Empress is arriving today.¡± Steadman saw me looking at the empty chairs and unlocked gates. ¡°The staff is out watching the God¡¯s damned parade for the next couple of hours.¡± He sounded disgusted. Whatever attitude he had the first time we met was gone. I don¡¯t know if Chainbeard was on him about being nice or if he was warming up to me. ¡°Not much love for the Empire?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he grumbled, pulling me along after a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t like the people they send here to the city, though. They get their taxes, but for some reason, they don¡¯t trust us enough to run our own damn city. Every magistrate that¡¯s been here has to prove how wonderful they are. Which is stupid because the bastards are just supposed to file paperwork, but every single one that¡¯s been here has done nothing by shove their fingers up our asses so we can only shit when they let us.¡± ¡°Lovely imagery,¡± I muttered as we went on. The tower was eerily quiet. I didn¡¯t see any of my friends as we passed through the blocks. ¡°Where are my friends?¡± We pushed our way down the main floor at that point. Again, there is nobody in sight. Steadman didn¡¯t answer until we passed through the gate into the courtyard. ¡°Floor above yours.¡± He mumbled, barely audible. It was quiet. Ugly Naked Guy fountain was there, and I was tempted to ask who he was. All the statues didn¡¯t seem to have any placards to tell a newcomer who they were. I wondered about that for a moment as we passed. The sun was well over the roof of the administrative building, and we trudged towards it. It was late morning already. I was unconscious for hours. Anxiety rose inside me; a million terrible things could have happened while I was out. He nudged me up the stairs and to the hallway. No guards were posted outside this time. I froze in the doorway leading in. I didn¡¯t want to have to go in there. ¡°Keep moving,¡± Steadman grunted. He mostly grunted when he was talking. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can just tell them I escaped,¡± I said with my best pouty face. ¡°And then let me escape.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t just let you escape.¡± He pushed me up to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be out here.¡± He pounded hard on the door. It was a heavy wooden thing with carvings that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. Images of war, legions of imperial soldiers fighting little lizard-kin on one panel, Imperial soldiers fighting elves on the next, and so on. Lots of Imperial soldiers fighting and killing lots of non-Imperial people. Great stuff if that¡¯s the kind of thing you¡¯re into. The door opened smoothly with no creaking or squeaking. Titus stood there with his hand on the knob. His predatory smile was on full display. ¡°Bring her in.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t work for you.¡± Steadman barked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to fucking do.¡± Magistrate Eumenia¡¯s voice floated lazily out of the room somewhere. ¡°He works for me.¡± Her voice darkened. ¡°Do as he says, or I will have you flayed.¡± Steadman led me into the office. The place elicited some odd sensations. I could smell dirt and dust, practically taste it, and the pattern in the black and red carpet seemed to burn my eyes as I looked down at it. A pain seared on the back of my leg for a brief moment. My knees hurt standing there, my head throbbed, and every inch of my body felt like it was recoiling from the space. I wanted to run out of there. Consequences be fucking damned. ¡°Good enough?¡± Steadman asked. His voice dripping with venom as he sneered at Titus. ¡°Can I go now?¡± ¡°You can go,¡± Titus said with a broad smile that didn¡¯t touch his eyes. Steadman backed out, watching him the whole way. Titus slammed the door in a dramatic flourish and turned to me. ¡°I like you like this.¡± He reached down and grabbed my ass in a hard pinch. ¡°Chains suit you.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Heather?¡± I asked, ignoring the pain he left with his assault. ¡°Which one is Heather again?¡± Eumenia asked. She sat at her desk, the same green dress she had the first time we met. She adjusted the pin on her lapel. Her beautiful blond and grey hair was held up with a mix of clips and pins on top of her head. ¡°That the animal girl or the pretty one?¡± ¡°The priestess,¡± Titus said. He stepped back and leaned against the right chair that faced the desk. He kept looking at me. I felt dirty with his eyes on me. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Eumenia stood, straightening her dress, and walked around her desk. ¡°She is a stunning girl.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you,¡± Eumenia said. She walked up to me, her hips swaying seductively. She was a beautiful woman, but I hated her with every fiber of my being. ¡°I am going to fucking kill you if you hurt her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already hurt her.¡± Titus chuckled. ¡°I mean, this is a rough business.¡± I lunged at him, my shackled hands up to, I don¡¯t know, strangle the middle of his chest or something. It was stupid and useless, especially since all he had to do was give me a gentle shove. I rolled awkwardly onto the floor, banging my knees on the stone beside the chair. ¡°Fuck.¡± I grunted. I had a trick up my sleeve still, but I didn¡¯t want to use it yet, since it would do me zero good until I had a way to get the shackles off, but I still wanted to put up some fight with these assholes. Titus dug his massive fingers into my shoulders and lifted me into the chair he had been leaning against. I plopped in, the upholstery burning the back of my naked thighs as I was forced into the seat. Eumenia smiled at me. She was cool as shit in this situation. She had me, she knew it. I knew she had hostages, and I had absolutely nothing, just the Ruby Necklace that she desperately needed. A realization hit me, sitting there in that seat, looking at the beautiful, nasty face of Magistrate Eumenia. No one said anything about Faedan or Leoleth. Not a word. Did they make their way to the Temple? I¡¯m sure they would have mentioned them to me if they had them. Maybe, but for all I know, they did and haven¡¯t gotten around to it yet. But the idea that I had some allies out there, running around, was comforting. ¡°Let them go,¡± I said. ¡°Let who go?¡± she smiled smugly. ¡°My friends.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I smiled. ¡°You¡¯re getting the necklace.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have it.¡± She glared at me. ¡°We cracked your storage ring, you have nothing.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. You didn¡¯t find it, and Faedan¡¯s gone again.¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone all right,¡± Titus said smugly. Eumenia gave him an admonishing look. ¡°If you were just anybody,¡± Eumenia said, opening her desk drawer. ¡°We would hold your friends hostage until you turned it over.¡± She dropped my token on the desk. ¡°You think I need that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with the play-acting.¡± She picked up the token and tossed it onto the floor before me. ¡°On your knees.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± She stood up and stepped out from behind her desk. With a wicked smile, she touched her Magistrate badge. ¡°On your knees, bitch.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± The words came out; where they came from, I didn¡¯t know. But I slid out of the chair awkwardly and slunk onto my knees in front of her. My mind screamed, but all I could do was follow her words. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I whispered. Flashes of memory started lighting up in my brain like little sparks. Memories of pain, humiliation, arousal, all kinds of small bits of events began bouncing around in there. ¡°You belong to me.¡± She said, walking over to me. ¡°He brought you to me, and I gave him a piece of your soul as payment.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I pushed against the words. Hard enough that my eyes started to water. Amania saw this. The damage to my soul. What did they say? That my soul was claimed? Oh gods, the pain on the back of my thigh was the brand. I couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± Titus said. ¡°You get to serve a mistress of power. And those of us that Mistress Eumenia has taken will have an exalted rank in his domain when this is over.¡± ¡°You sick piece of shit.¡± I turned and glared at Titus. . ¡°Mistress Eumenia knows I love tiny little things. So, she let me play with you for a while. She knew you were too stupid to find the necklace on your own, so I got to help you with that.¡± ¡°Tiny little things? Compensating much?¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± Mistress Eumenia said. ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± I said. Fuck! I turned back in my chair, looking at her. Titus touched my right shoulder, his fingers gently caressing the skin. My body shivered. ¡°You will not lie to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°Where is The Ruby Necklace?¡± ¡°I have it.¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± My stomach lurched as I spoke. ¡°It¡¯s in my storage.¡± ¡°We took your ring,¡± Titus said. ¡°We cracked it, and there¡¯s nothing in there.¡± ¡°Fuck you, asshole,¡± I said over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one fucking you.¡± He said with a snarl. ¡°I¡¯m going split you in half and break every bone in your body while I do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± I growled through gritted teeth at him. I was furious but couldn¡¯t even move out of my seat. ¡°Enough!¡± Mistress Eumenia shouted. She backhanded me across the face, almost knocking me out of the chair. ¡°Where is the necklace?¡± Tears welled in my eyes as my cheek stung. ¡°In my personal storage space, Mistress.¡± ¡°You have a personal storage space?¡± She looked me in the eye, her body frozen like a statue. ¡°I do, Mistress.¡± ¡°Titus.¡± She said, looking up at him. She looked back at me. ¡°We will remove your shackles; you will pull The Ruby Necklace out of your storage space. Only the Necklace. You will cast no spells.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± It was easy to say that to her. My body was compelled to follow her instructions, but my mind was in full rebellion. But I knew that I couldn¡¯t pull anything else out or cast spells no matter what. I wanted to blast her in the face with a thousand shards of obsidian, but I couldn¡¯t. Titus gripped me by the left wrist, inserting the key to unlock the manacle. It opened with a click and fell into my lap. He roughly pushed me aside and did the same with the right. Nothing happened. He pulled me by the hair, tilting my head back, and shoved the key into the lock on the metal collar. A flood of notifications flooded my vision: YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xpThe author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED ROT RAT. +25xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANG MEMBER. +500xp CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 11. +1 DEXTERITY +1 STRENGTH +1 INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY NOW ASSIGN 3 POINTS TO YOUR ATTRIBUTES AT ANY TIME. QUEST UPDATE: RUBY MADNESS PARAMETERS OF QUEST HAVE CHANGED: VERRONA FAEDAN HAS BEEN KILLED BY A MINION OF MAGISTRATE CALVISIA EUMENIA. QUEST PARAMETER NO LONGER REQUIRED. To complete the quest, you must:
  1. Deliver The Ruby Necklace to the office of Calvisia Eumenia.
Rewards:
  1. If you don¡¯t think you need your head, then nothing.
  2. The return of your Residence Token
  3. XP, lots of XP
  4. You will receive 27GP.
My mind was racing. I had the notifications, along with the realization that Faedan was dead. Killed by a minion of Mistress Eumenia. I sifted through them. I had three points to distribute. I felt like the universe was out to kill me, so I threw all three into Luck without a thought. Stupid? Maybe. But smart wasn¡¯t an option right now. While shifted through my storage space, my attributes showed up in my head: Base Attributes: Strength: 21 Dexterity: 27 Spirit: 20 Charisma: 23 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 22 Luck: 25 ¡°Focus!¡± Another slap from Mistress Eumenia brought the world back into my mind. I waved the notifications away, focused on what I had to do. The Necklace dropped to the stone floor with a clink after sifting through my inventory. I wanted to pull out a dagger, but I couldn¡¯t do it. The bitch told me to only pull out that stupid thing. QUEST UPDATE: RUBY MADNESS, SIDE QUEST YOU HAVE FAILED THIS QUEST QUEST COMPLETED: RUBY MADNESS Rewards:
  1. If you don¡¯t think you need your head, then nothing.
  2. The return of your Residence Token
  3. XP, lots of XP
  4. You will receive 27GP. ITEMS ADDED:
  5. IMPERIAL RESIDENCE TOKEN
  6. 15,231 XP
  7. 27 GP
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 12. +1 DEXTERITY +1 STRENGTH +1 INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY NOW ASSIGN 3 POINTS TO YOUR ATTRIBUTES AT ANY TIME. Well, Shit. I thought, looking at the notification. I had my token back and advanced to another level. I tossed the points into Strength immediately. Base Attributes: Strength: 24 Dexterity: 27 Spirit: 20 Charisma: 23 Intelligence: 24 Endurance: 22 Luck: 25 There was a click. Before I could dive deeper into my levels, Titus had locked the right shackle back on my wrist. ¡°Shit!¡± I yelled, pulling away from him. His strength was way over my more than respectable twenty-four. He slammed me back into the chair, grabbed my left arm, and clicked on the other. ¡°I swear to the fucking gods¡­¡± I started, but he yanked me hard on the hair, breaking the stream of thought. ¡°Swear all you want, little whore.¡± He growled. ¡°The gods don¡¯t give a fuck about you.¡± Mistress Eumenia, on the other hand, was silent. During my altercation with Titus, she held the necklace reverently, looking down at it. She stroked the massive gem sensuously. ¡°You delivered.¡± She whispered. ¡°You brought The Ruby Necklace back to us.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress,¡± I said. ¡°Tonight,¡± she said. ¡°We will bring Sylriad into this realm, and he will bless us with power, and we will capture the soul of an Empress.¡± She looked at me. ¡°I will have power like no one has ever seen.¡± ¡°As you rightly deserve,¡± Titus said. ¡°¡­the frail, unable to defy, shall be bound to serve.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the frail mother fucker.¡± ¡°You are the frail, my little pet.¡± Mistress Eumenia said. She had a matronly look as she gazed down at me. ¡°And you will serve me and my faithful.¡± Titus started to get a little handsy with me. I squirmed and twisted away as he began to reach below the neck on me. ¡°What will you have my little pet do?¡± Mistress Eumenia asked him. ¡°The little cunt can suck my cock.¡± He said with a smile. Like she did the first time we were together.¡± ¡°Suck Titus¡¯s cock.¡± Mistress Eumenia said to me. ¡°And remember that it is his right as my servant. Make sure you please him and thank him for the privilege.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I looked at her. There was no way I could fight this. I had to do as she told me. Suck his cock, be a whore for him and her, and anyone that she wanted. Fuck you! I thought. My body shifted in the chair. I was ready to unleash whatever Hell and fury I could on them both, but I had no real power. ¡°¡­Mistress.¡± There was a problem with what she was doing. She could control my actions but not my mind. My body was hers, but fuck, my mind was all on fire at this point. She could fire off all the commands she wanted, but she couldn¡¯t compel me to want to do them. She must have spent an hour programming me to do the quest, and I almost squirmed out of it as it was. ¡°Crawl to him.¡± I got out of the chair on all fours. I smiled, looking up at her. ¡°May I ask you a question, Mistress?¡± ¡°What do you want to know, slave?¡± ¡°Why do I have to wear these shackles?¡± ¡°Because you are a traitorous bitch.¡± She said. ¡°Even while you licked my pussy the other day.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°You wanted to bite me.¡± My stomach lurched when she said that. Those fragmented memories started to clump together. She forced me to¡­Oh gods! A new rage erupted in me. ¡°Some girls need to get bitten, Mistress.¡± I gritted my teeth, looking at her. ¡°I would gladly do it if you would let me.¡± ¡°We have a lifetime and the rest of eternity to work on you.¡± She hissed at me and returned to her desk, sliding the necklace into a drawer. ¡°Now, go crawl over to Titus and suck his cock as you were instructed.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy crawling with my hands chained up to a collar around my neck, but I did as I was told. It wasn¡¯t like I had a choice. The bitch had complete control over me, and Titus was not a guy that was concerned with consent. I looked up at him after working my way around the chair. ¡°You¡¯re a sad little man.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Ya basic.¡± He unbuckled his massive codpiece, letting it drop to the floor, and his stiff and over-eager dick bounced in front of me. I looked up at him and opened my mouth wide to go and chug down on his thang. Just as I touched the tip of my lower lip, I cast Fear of Death. Titus froze, falling backward against one of the shelves that lined the wall of the Magistrate¡¯s office, knocking books off and all around him. He looked like he wanted to say something but could not form any words. I maintained eye contact as instructed, and his look was absolute terror. His arousal was gone, to say the least. It was a brief spell, about ten seconds or so, but he wasn¡¯t going to be sticking his prick in my body for a bit, at least. Eumenia, herself, managed to shlep the spell off. Probably a part of the control she had over me. She looked confused for the first time since I had known her. She stood up just as speechless as dumbass Titus Sybo. The spell seemed to cancel the orders she had given me, however. I took advantage. While I doubted I could make the door¡­I might could try something else? I leaped onto the desk and then grabbed her hair. I managed to get a good yank, pulling her down while bringing my knee up into her face with a satisfying crunch. She grunted, blood gushing from her nose and all over the stupid green dress. I flopped down onto my butt and planted two feet into her chest with a solid kick. The twenty-something force knocked her backward and over her chair and slammed her against the wall. I stood, striking a pose, pushing my hair up with both hands. The madness of my actions wasn¡¯t lost on me, but I wanted them to keep guessing what I was up to. I then spun around and made a futile dash for the door. The shackles didn''t make it easy and I almost fell over. ¡°STOP!¡± She bellowed, her voice slurred with a bit of spit, snot, and blood. I stopped, of course, being as how I was a slave and all, but I did feel good for the first time since I walked into this damned office. ¡°Turn around and look at me, you little bitch.¡± She growled, her voice still sounding wet and slurry. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I turned and looked at her. A trail of blood was running down her face, and her nose smashed to the side from my attack. Her hair was all over the place where I grabbed her. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You are going to pay for that.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I just let the words out, no fighting this shit. I was halfway to the door, and the spell ended. Titus managed to compose himself, pulling the codpiece over his flaccid penis. ¡°Not in the mood anymore?¡± I asked him. He stared daggers at me. Followed by the drawing of real ones. He took a step in my direction. The rage on his face made me shiver; I had seen that look before. Those were his killing eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± I whispered. I was too rattled to speak out loud, but the words were coming to me. ¡°Not yours to kill.¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Eumenia said. ¡°Not sure I want to keep you.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°Tell me the truth.¡± She opened a desk drawer, pulled out a red towel, and started wiping her face tenderly. The blood disappeared like it wasn¡¯t even there. The nose was still broken, and her eyes were beginning to darken from the bruising. ¡°Did you think you were going to get away with something?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°Did you think you were going to escape?¡± ¡°No, Mistress.¡± ¡°You will not use a spell on me or Titus. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°Let me fucking kill her.¡± Titus gasped, his hands gripping his weapons so tightly that his knuckles were white. His breathing was getting faster and faster, like a bull about to charge. ¡°No.¡± She said sternly, looking at him and adjusting her badge. ¡°Like I said,¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Not yours, big guy.¡± The daggers clanked on the floor, and he swung a ham-sized fist at me. I had enough time to put my hands to the side of my head as he made contact. It was a massive blow, and stars were dancing in my vision as I started to drop to the floor. I fell to my knees and tipped onto my side, keeping my hands up. I pulled everything in, anticipating the kick that was sure to come. It came. His boot slammed into my side. Notices started scrolling through my vision: debuffs. Lots of them. He followed up with more kicks that crushed my ribs. And then he brought his foot down on my head. That was the last real thing I remembered in that office. I remember shouts. Everything sounded distant, like they were in another room. Steadman was yelling, Titus was laughing, and Eumenia was barking at both of them. I couldn¡¯t make out words, only intonations and a vague concept of volume. Rough hands gently picked me up. My body felt like it was on fire, but I couldn¡¯t scream. I could barely breathe. Steadman¡¯s grunts were constant. He was talking to someone, not from the strain of carrying me. I tried to hold on. The world came and went. Mostly went. And then it went for real¡­Call it sleep, or call it brain damage. Either way, I was officially a fan. Then, I was back in the cell. Though I didn¡¯t have a handle on things, I was sure time had passed. The light from the window was gone. My whole body hurt this time. Head, chest, legs, arms, and anything that could feel pain stepped up to the challenge. I kept my eyes closed and just listened to the world around me. There was someone by the door, breathing hard and angry. Not difficult to guess who that was. I tried moving, but a burning pain on my side told me to hold still. Broken ribs, maybe even all of them, hard to tell. I opened my eye. Umm yeah. Just one was working. The other was too busy being swollen to do anything. ¡°I stuck up for you.¡± I moaned as I tried to shift around on the floor to face him. ¡°They all said ¡®once a slaver...¡¯¡± I swung enough of my body around to get Titus and his massive form into my vision. ¡°And you went and made a liar out of me.¡± ¡°Stupid elf.¡± He glared down at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know your place.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m all kinds of stupid that way.¡± I laughed, but it hurt, and then I started to cough, which hurt, too. The blood in the mouth was just icing on the cake. Spasms of pain shot through me as my body convulsed. This one was bad. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so high and mighty. You¡¯re a bitch, just like me. I¡¯m sure you have one of her brands on you, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think?¡± He knelt by the door, getting close. ¡°We have a relationship. Something you would never understand.¡± ¡°Oh, I hope not. You¡¯re just a simp. She doesn¡¯t give a shit about you.¡± ¡°She let me play with you for as long as I wanted.¡± ¡°Lucky you.¡± ¡°So,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m just going to leave you here. Broken and bleeding. If you survive until tomorrow, we may just come and collect you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I turned painfully onto my side, getting a better look at him. ¡°No explanation as to how I ended up where I am?¡± He chuckled, kicking at something on the floor. ¡°You know, you are lucky.¡± ¡°I would beg to differ.¡± ¡°The ritual requires a pricy soul. I kept little Lucy all safe and innocent at my place.¡± He smiled. ¡°But when Aymen came to me with a rifter? Well, I just had to get my hands on you.¡± ¡°Eumenia¡¯s hands shithead.¡± I croaked. He kicked the cell door with a loud clang. ¡°Shut up!¡± The sound echoed in the empty cell block. ¡°A rifter¡¯s soul is a powerful thing. The Mistress even branded you to send a taste to Granvul.¡± ¡°So, how does that make me lucky?¡± ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m the lucky one here.¡± He knelt with a mean smile on his face. ¡°You went and handed me something way more valuable than your scrawny little ass.¡± My breath caught. No. ¡°A cleric from The Church of Purity is way more valuable than you. And a virgin on top of that.¡± ¡°Fuck you,¡± I growled, trying to get up; the pain exploded in all the places. I could feel waves of nausea as my body and mind went into shock. ¡°We will rip the soul out of her body.¡± He whispered. ¡°And feed it to Sylriad. Her empty shell will be his vessel for fifteen minutes.¡± He stood again. ¡°And after tonight, when I am filled with new power, I¡¯ll go home.¡± ¡°Good for you, asshole.¡± ¡°And then I¡¯ll take all that rage and anger I have for you and turn it on my worthless little house girl. She¡¯ll be good and broken by the time I throw her into the brothel with the rest of my whores.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a catch,¡± I grumbled. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I thought you were cool.¡± I wanted to kill that bastard, but right now, I barely had anything in me. Heather, Lucy, Gem, they were all on the other side of the door, and I couldn¡¯t do a thing. ¡°Better get moving, got things to do.¡± ¡°I will.¡± He turned and strode away. ¡°Wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± I sing-songed at him in my best mean girl way. He stopped and gave me a look. I winked at him. But then I realized that it just looked like a blink with only one eye working. I waited until the sounds of his footsteps were gone. A slamming metal door assured me he wasn¡¯t coming back soon. Deep cleansing breaths. Okay, bad idea. I was pretty sure one of my lungs collapsed. One agonizing coughing fit later, and I was positive about that. A new round of hacking kept me occupied for a few minutes. I finally got control of my body. I tested the depth at which I could pull air in without everything feeling like it was on fire. But there wasn¡¯t much of that sweet O2 that I loved so much. I could waste the whole day trying to breathe and stuff, but I had real work to do. I ran my fingers through my hair. Yes! They were still there. Three hair clips and a pin fell onto the stone floor with some very satisfying metallic plink sounds. I¡¯m sure the Mistress Magistrate wouldn¡¯t miss them since several clumps of her hair were piled on her desk. I didn¡¯t lie; I wasn¡¯t trying to escape, at that moment. Another round of coughing reminded me that I was up against the clock on this. Not to mention, darkness was starting to push in from the periphery of my vision. I grabbed the first clip and bent it straight, pulling down the end to make a little hook. Suitable for the first one. I took another, did the same, and pressed the end as flat as possible. These were two picks as good as anything I could hope for, and I had already done this trick before. Push with one, pull down with the other. Alternate back and forth as needed and¡­Click. ¡°Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy,¡± I whispered as I worked on the next one¡­Click. And then the collar¡­Click. The heavy metal fell on the stone floor. I lay back, reading all the notices in the cell as the sun rose outside. They mostly had to do with injuries and debuffs. We had some internal bleeding, some internal injuries, comprised this, reduced that, fucked up the other. My inventory gloriously availed itself to me, and I down a high-potency health potion, almost choking on it as I swallowed. Now, some me time. I closed my eyes, or eye rather, and watched as red and green flashes blinked and bounced around inside the lids. Painfully, my body knitted itself back together. Regan: Hey boss. Unnamed: Ah! Yes, yes¡ªhello there, my little champion. Mmm, hello! You, uh... You seem a bit... Oh, how shall I say... distressed? Regan: Um, I guess my soul is kind of broken. Unnamed: Ooooh, yes, yes¡ªI noticed that. A teensy-weensy fracture in the old spiritual department, if you will. Regan: Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Unnamed: Oh, I didn¡¯t want to worry you, you know. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sort of a laissez-faire deity. Let you mortals figure these things out, keep things interesting. Regan: It would¡¯ve been good to know. Unnamed: Mmm, yes, yes, absolutely. My apologies. I tend to¡ªoh, how shall I put it¡ªleave the eternity puzzle for you to piece together. More fun, yes? Regan: I don¡¯t get it; I¡¯m your champion. Unnamed: Oh, indeed you are! Quite a champion, yes. But unlike some other, shall we say, overbearing gods, I don¡¯t exactly have a handy little afterlife realm waiting for you. I let you¡ªum¡ªchart your own cosmic path. Regan: So, is this thing with Granvul a problem? Unnamed: You know, I¡¯m not entirely sure. Not my area of expertise, mm-hmm, yes. Granvul, big, fiery, dramatic¡ªquite the show. But, uh, I¡¯m no connoisseur. Regan: Okay, thanks. Nice chat. Unnamed: Always a pleasure, dear champion. Always. Keep up the good¡ªuh¡ªwork, yes! Oh, one more tiny request. Regan: What? Unnamed: The ritual tonight¡ªcould you, oh, how do I say¡ªstop it? It would be... Oh, quite bad if it went ahead. Terrible, in fact. Regan: No problem. Unnamed: See, I knew you¡¯d say that! Perfect. You¡¯re wonderful¡ªyes, wonderful. Catch you later, my little champion! Chapter Thirty-Five: IT鈥橲 BETTER TO BURN OUT, THAN FADE A WAY! Chapter Thirty-Five: IT¡¯S BETTER TO BURN OUT, THAN FADE A WAY! How could I keep from smiling? My world was on the brink of exploding in a fury hotter than a billion red-hot suns. Souls shredded like confetti; virgins defiled; empires reduced to ash; the forces of darkness rampaging through my city and laying waste to the whole continent; couples breaking up because, well, one¡¯s a murderer and the other¡¯s just a tad too rapey. I¡¯m sure I missed more tragedies there. My grand experiment in Nya, that epic journey full of promise and adventure, was about to end in glorious, catastrophic failure. The irony? I could just hop the wall and disappear, and nobody would fucking know. For all the importance I thought I had, skills, levels, this delusional sense of importance was all bullshit. I was just as insignificant here as I ever was back home. I could vanish into the ether, and the world would keep spinning, blissfully ignorant of the fact that I even existed. I closed my eyes. I counted down from ten to one in my head and opened them again. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I was still standing in the cell, naked as the day I was born. My body was covered in blood and filth from getting my ass kicked in some of the finest and worst parts of this city. Everything was spiraling. How was I, little Regan Summer, supposed to stand up to the might of an Empire? How could I stand toe to toe with Titus Sybo or a Magistrate who could control my mind? How could I let them destroy Heather and enslave a nation? Why the fuck was it me that had to deal with this? Yep, still smiling. Fuck. Right now, as I tried to focus my thoughts and devise any plan to actually take on an army of evil, the same mind-blowing conclusion came to me every time: Nothing. I stabbed people. That was what I did. I was good at it. I could sneak around, do some jumping and cartwheels, and throw out some witty one-liners to try and cover up a lifetime of insecurities with self-deprecating humor. The cell block was deathly quiet. I closed my eyes again. I imagined my room at home. I remembered every detail of the house I grew up in and walked through the hallways and rooms in my mind. For twenty-six years, I lived there. Over a quarter of a century of life, I could pack all that experience into a single afternoon in this world. I had loved, lost, talked to gods, and danced across the rooftops of an impossible city. I felt my body get torn apart, only to have it stitched back together again. I fought monsters and hung out with death. I had him in my chat. Everything about Murder World was supposed to grind poor little Regan Summer into pieces. But for some reason, I needed the murder world. It made me strong, powerful, and beautiful. I was afraid, though, of this fight. It wasn¡¯t fear of failure. Not really. I knew failure was a real possibility. Hells, it was a guarantee. I understood it like we were old friends. I had a whole world where I did not achieve any goal I set for myself. It was more like I spent twenty-six years of my life standing in line for the most incredible roller coaster in the universe, and I just fucking got on. I wasn¡¯t ready for the ride to end. Not today, maybe not ever. But as strong as I¡¯d become, as much as I¡¯d grown, I could still feel the edges of my limits pressing in. It would never be enough. Le Sigh. I pulled a pair of black stretchy pants out of my storage space and dropped them on the stone floor. I searched through my inventory, but all my armor was toast, and Faedan had my robes. I found a loose-fitting black cotton top, a belt, and a pair of soft soled boots that I picked up way back on day one. I don¡¯t know why, but just tossing them on the floor made me feel good. I pulled out Silent Night and Silent Passage, admiring the magical steel as they glistened in the dim light, and dropped them on the pile. I had Sick Stick, too; it felt like an old friend. I tossed it on the heap with the rest of the stuff. There was a rapier, several other swords, a couple of maces, and a dozen other sharp objects, half of which still had dried blood on them. Everything went onto the pile of weapons, ropes, hooks, and tools of the trade. I don¡¯t know why I was dropping everything down. I could put them on and do something with them or leave them behind and do something else. Maybe this cell was something like a sacrificial altar, a tribute to the gods to say: Fine, take your shit back! I looked at the pile of clothes and crap. I thought about something I said to Jinx about leaving home with nothing but a pile of laundry. A zero-sum. Fuck you, Murder World. Fuck you, Magistrate. Fuck you, Titus. Fuck you, Granvul. Fuck me. Maybe Nya did grind me up into pieces. But so did Earth. I was beaten down to almost nothing in my old world, even though I never faced anything worse than a messed-up Grub Hub order. But here, I had to fight to stay alive. I flexed my little elf hands and looked at them. There was the scar from the fight on the road. Heather healed the wound, but there will always be that scar. The guy who made it said he would break me into a thousand pieces, but he didn¡¯t. I was scared but held a sword I could barely use and fought someone I had no business fighting. It was stupid, but it was an easy decision to make. I lost that fight. And I came back. I learned from the experience, and the next time I stood against someone, I made sure I was the one who walked away. Back in my old home, that would never happen. There were no real fights. There was no need to be brave, face down enemies, or even face my insecurities. I didn¡¯t need to fight, so I didn¡¯t. I just sat in that fucking room, getting soft. I was wishing I was more than I was. I didn¡¯t have people that I loved who needed me. I didn¡¯t have anything worth fighting for. I didn¡¯t need to win because there was nothing to lose. But that was Earth. This was Nya. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of being unimportant. I had to fight, but this wasn¡¯t the fight I would win. I stomped my bare feet on the stone. I would lose. I would die. There was no path to victory tonight. If I ran, just hopped the wall, and left this place behind, I would have sacrificed a person I loved for the privilege of a few meaningless years of existence. I was going to lose, no matter what I did. Twenty-six years is more than enough time to be alive. I picked up the black pants from the pile and pulled them on. Fuck it. They don¡¯t get to leave me to die in a cell in the fucking tower. They don¡¯t get to sacrifice my friend. They don¡¯t get to do whatever the fuck they want. Not in my fucking world. In my fucking world, people like that get their asses kicked. I have to stand between them and the rest of us because there isn¡¯t one else who can do it. And gods be fucking damned, if I can¡¯t stop them, then this ain¡¯t my fucking world. I¡¯ll just move on to the next one. After putting the clothes on, I pulled the items back into my inventory. There was something else there. Under the poncho, I almost missed it. It was a little purple velvet bag, not something of mine. I opened it up and had a peek inside. Cool! The lock on my cell was child¡¯s play. Locks were easy, at least. I hummed to myself for the three seconds or so it took to pick it up from the inside. Before I knew it, I was vaulting up the stairs two at a time to the next floor, which was not easy with my little elf legs. At this point, I was sure the city guard had withdrawn entirely from the tower, so I wasn¡¯t worried about getting caught. They were all there, just as Steadman said, and they were all sad and gloomy. I tossed the bag to Jinx. He caught it and fumbled a little awkwardly. ¡°I have something to say.¡± I addressed the group quietly. I couldn¡¯t help myself and belted the rest: ¡°IT¡¯S BETTER TO BURN OUT, THAN FADE A WAY!¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Jinx chuckled. The rest just looked at me like I was nuts. He was in a cell with Kev; Eric and Gem shared the one opposite them. It was the standard issue of prison shackles and poncho for everyone, and I got to see way more of Kev¡¯s lower body than I had seen before, and oh yeah, that would be a mistake I would be happy to make. Focus your mind you little freak! Jinx pulled his storage bracelet out of the bag and clicked it on. He held up his shackled hand. ¡°Not a whole lot of good with these on, love.¡± He handed the bag to Kev, who dug a ring out and slipped it on his finger. I smiled and got to work. First, the door, and then I pulled off Jinx¡¯s and Kev¡¯s restraints. I did the same for the other two, and in less than thirty seconds, I was kissing and embracing Gem. She felt good. Oh, so good. Everything about her was perfect: the arms that were strong and could hold me tight; the lips that were soft and gentle no matter how hard we pressed together; and her smell that was like nothing I had experienced in this world or the last. We came up for air after an awkward throat clearing by Eric. ¡°They have Heather.¡± I pulled away from Gem, and she equipped her armor. While the other three just stood in a circle around us. ¡°They figure a virgin purity priestess is the perfect vessel for a summoning.¡± ¡°Titus cut down Faedan,¡± Eric said. ¡°Right in front of us.¡± ¡°What about Leoleth?¡± ¡°She got away.¡± Gem smiled. ¡°But not before spiking Ramon through the eye.¡± ¡°My Girl.¡± ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± Kev asked, sliding up next to Jinx. He was clad in his leather armor, and his helmet with the ears cut out. ¡°Not really a ¡®we¡¯ thing.¡± I said, air quotes around the ¡®we.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to rescue Heather. Or, more precisely, die trying to rescue her.¡± There was a quiet moment when the group started to process what I said. It was Eric who spoke up first. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose not dying in a futile rescue attempt is something you considered?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I crunched the numbers. Titus can probably kill all of us with just his little finger. Plus, the Magistrate has branded me as her slave and can control my mind and body. Plus, the Red Hooks will be there, I¡¯m sure. Not to mention, the bulk of the Imperial Legion she has direct control over will be between us.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a magistrate,¡± Jinx said. ¡°She ain¡¯t no general. Legion ain¡¯t ¡®ers to control.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be real,¡± Gem said. ¡°Every Imperial with a sword will be there, and if the Eumenia tells them to attack us, they will.¡± ¡°This is a no-win scenario,¡± Kev said glumly. The group grew silent for a moment. They were where I was a few minutes ago in my cell. It was something that I would have to let them work their way through. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Kev,¡± Gem said. ¡°Heather is one of us. We can¡¯t let her soul be decimated by these mother fuckers.¡± ¡°Can we stop that from happening?¡± Kev said. ¡°They kill her, and we will die watching them do it?¡± ¡°Then we fucking die!¡± Gem bellowed. ¡°Hey,¡± Jinx said to the group. ¡°Turn that shit down a couple of notches.¡± ¡°Seriously,¡± Kev said. ¡°Turn what down?¡± ¡°This is Nya,¡± Jinx said. Eric looked at him, his hands out. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The try means something,¡± Jinx said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean shit,¡± Eric said. ¡°We need to do more than try.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know her as well,¡± Kev said, looking at me. His little orc eyes looked like they were a thousand years old. ¡°Heather would do this for us. She would sacrifice her soul for any of us.¡± ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Eric said. ¡°She¡¯s an idiot. It¡¯s a bullshit sacrifice, I like living as much as the next asshole, but her dying just so that we can run around killing monsters, drinking cheap booze, and fucking? What legacy would that be for someone who sacrificed her immortal spirit for us?¡± Eric looked at Kev. His face was still. That was the argument I had had with myself. Only I didn¡¯t have Eric to say the vital shit out loud. ¡°But hey,¡± Eric chuckled darkly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± I finally chimed in. ¡°I came from another world and landed here, where I could live a life that I never thought was possible, and I was just starting to get good at it.¡± ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have to,¡± Kev said. ¡°It¡¯s a ritual. All we have to do is disrupt it.¡± Jinx looked at me. He had the slightest trace of a smile on one side of his narrow, cricket-thin mouth. ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to measure success.¡± He stepped up and put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°I told ya I was with you before, and I¡¯m with ya now.¡± ¡°We need to save Heather,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Kev said. ¡°We all in agreement?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eric said. ¡°But I¡¯m only in if it¡¯s a stupid plan. Those are the only ones we come up with that seem to work.¡± He stepped up and kissed me. It was unexpected, inappropriate, and completely out of place. ¡°For luck.¡± He said. I pulled him in and kissed him back. ¡°Don¡¯t go and return that luck I just gave you.¡± He chuckled. I threw my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as possible without draining his VP. I wanted to hang onto him, to all of them. Despite everything awful right now, I felt lucky. ¡°Not the hug!¡± he groaned with a smile, tilting his head back. ¡°Anything but the hug!¡± I chuckled at our inside joke. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose,¡± Kev said, impatient with us. ¡°That there is a way we can do this without dying?¡± ¡°I suppose there¡¯s a way we could.¡± Gem stepped over to me and put her hand around my waist. She put another around Eric. ¡°We need a strategy.¡± ¡°Right now, I¡¯ve got nothing,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe we should walk and talk,¡± Jinx said. We moved cautiously through the stairs leading down. I was confident the place was abandoned. There wasn¡¯t anyone around when Steadman led me out earlier, but the rest of the crew wouldn¡¯t be as optimistic as I was. I said a silent word of thanks to Chainbeard. He was good to his word that the City Guard would stay out of my way. I knew one way out of the tower, but it would lead us straight to the front door. Even without the guards around, it seemed like a bad idea to walk out of the main entrance for the whole world to see, so that meant cutting through the courtyard and leaving via the loading dock, which I got tossed out of the other day. That shit was scary. It would be a disaster if Titus or Eumenia were around, but I didn¡¯t have to go anywhere near that office to get out. We came through the service entrance onto the loading dock. Me, Gem, Eric, followed by Kev and Jinx. All of us looked more than a little disheveled. The morning sun warmed my face, its rays shooting straight down the alley. The world was awash in color, the red stones glistening with morning dew, the government buildings rising around us like the canyon walls. Not a soul within sight. It was a moment of peace that we all seemed to hold onto, knowing that it was fleeting, that shit was going to get really real, really soon. But fuck all, this was going to be a moment that the world was gonna just be, I don¡¯t know. Nice? ¡°Well,¡± Eric smiled. ¡°That was easier than I thought it was going to be.¡± ¡°Where do we go next?¡± Kev asked. I sighed. At this point, I was just a cheerleader. Jinx had more experience with doing Nya shit than I did by far. They all did. But all eyes were on me. ¡°¡¯ k,¡± I said. ¡°The fallback point.¡± ¡°Temple of the Unnamed God.¡± Eric groaned. ¡°My day just gets better and better.¡± ¡°He¡¯s nice,¡± I said with a smile. I winked at him and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. ¡°I could make you all clerics in the church if you want.¡± We passed government buildings, crossed Circle Boulevard, and stomped through green spaces. It was quiet except for the birds chirping and the breeze blowing through the trees as we walked past them. No one was talking. The group fell in behind me, fanned out, and took up half the street. Everyone was on high alert for obvious reasons. But there wasn¡¯t anything to fight right now. No minions of evil, no muggers, no monsters, just us. It was like the world was empty. Chapter Thirty-Six: It was really hard the first couple of days. Chapter Thirty-Six: It was really hard the first couple of days. Everyone was tense. Well, they were, but I wasn¡¯t. I had been on the edge for the past two days and felt like, no matter what hit us, I could at least run away. And I was pretty confident that if I made it to the temple, I could hold off an army there. I¡¯m also pretty sure the place had more than one secret exit we could use if necessary. The Temple District was mostly quiet. There were a few people, mostly the vendors, who operated there daily. Festival or not, the places that always seemed to be hopping were shopping and entertainment; the Temple District offered plenty of both. The nice thing about it being reasonably early in the morning was that everyone around was focused on setting up and not trying to sell us any of their crap. My stomach did give me a growl. The yummy smells of cooking street food reminded me that it had been over a day since I ate. I pushed thoughts of eating down as we moved west through the narrow streets. The party seemed just as unimpressed with the less-than grand storefront entrance of the Temple of the Unnamed God as I was when I first saw it. I just started pounding on the door, and Peter¡¯s grizzled old face poked out of the door after about three minutes of knocking and a set of sore knuckles. ¡°By his grace,¡± he whispered, backing up and opening the door for us. ¡°I feared the worst.¡± ¡°Still to come,¡± I said with as brave of a face as I could reasonably pull off. I stepped in, the rest of the group holding back at the doorway. The reality that the world of Nya was not like Earth was still sinking in. At least, as it pertained to religion, people didn¡¯t just walk into the temples of gods they didn¡¯t worship. The other gods take that shit personal. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drag you all here, but it¡¯s our only safe place right now. Most other gods don¡¯t have a beef with The Unnamed God, and he doesn¡¯t actively recruit followers, so being in the temple should be okay.¡± ¡°All faiths are welcome in this place,¡± Peter kind of whisper shouted from his place next to the door. ¡°The Unnamed God does not proselytize or solicit followers. Please enter this place of sanctuary for all.¡± Gem was the first to actually seem to relax. She was devout to Dryphine, but Peter¡¯s words set her at ease. She stepped over and took my hand. Jinx didn¡¯t seem to worship anyone, and I didn¡¯t know about the rest. He followed her, and the other two lined up behind him. ¡°Sister Leoleth is here,¡± Peter said, shutting and locking the door after entering. We stood in the absurdly grand entry hall. My companions¡¯ eyes widened, taking everything in, from the statue in the middle to the sinister-looking black marble architecture. The place was awe-inspiring, even if it was mostly abandoned. ¡°Everyone, Peter Gallois, Head Cleric. Peter, this is everyone.¡± I said. But then quickly added: ¡°ish.¡± Heather wasn¡¯t here, of course. ¡°A pleasure.¡± Peter gave the group a bow. My peeps all gave a smattering of greetings in return. Jinx was the only one who didn¡¯t look completely terrified. ¡°Ya¡¯ll need to understand something.¡± I snapped my fingers to get everyone¡¯s undivided attention. ¡°The Unnamed God is cool. Not a dick. So, lighten the fuck up.¡± ¡°He is very cool,¡± Peter said reverently. There was another pause. ¡°Maybe we could have a little breakfast? I¡¯ll fetch Sister Leoleth, and we can put something together.¡± Peter dashed off before I could say anything. We all stood around in a half-circle. Conversation was not easy to come by, and the slightest sound easily shattered the silence of the entrance hall. The native Nyans were all tense. ¡°This is the most terrifying place I have ever seen,¡± Eric whispered, breaking the silence. He was looking up at the central statue. ¡°Seriously?¡± Gem hissed. ¡°Have you seen the Temple of Granvul?¡± ¡°At least there¡¯s some color there.¡± ¡°Darlings!¡± Leoleth appeared in the doorway. She was adorned in large, flowing robes with silver and black vestments. She wore a large, pope-style hat with the symbol of The Unnamed God on the front; the masked skull was terrifying but still very fucking metal. She glided over to us with her arms spread wide. I knew her well enough to know that she was reflecting genuine feelings, but my crew hadn¡¯t spent the last seven weeks or so living with her as I did, and they were understandably terrified as she embraced us all in turn. She was all smiles, trying her best to look graceful. The problem was that she was absolutely terrifying in the outfit. Her long arms made her look spiderlike in the flowing robes, and the hat put her at a height that towered over Kev. ¡°Thanks be to him,¡± she said in a hushed tone. ¡°You¡¯re all safe.¡± ¡°Not all of us,¡± I said. She looked at the group, taking it all in for the first time. Her smile faded as she realized who was missing. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°They have her,¡± Kev said. ¡°Shit.¡± Leoleth stepped back. The extra inches of height she had seemed to drop off. She looked at me ominously. ¡°And The Ruby Necklace?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°With a virgin priestess to sacrifice, so fuck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for now.¡± Peter interrupted from the doorway. He had gotten his robe on, doing his best to look good for company. ¡°Time for some breakfast. We need to feed our bodies so our minds can work better. Then we can plan a course of action.¡± He led us back to the lounge, where Gretchen was waiting with a cart of rolls, pastries, coffee, and tea. We all sat on the facing couches, awkwardly adding butter and jam to rolls and sipping at our hot drinks. The forced silence was a good thing. I knew everyone was thinking about our predicament and coming up with ideas, but none knew as much as Leoleth and I did about the ritual. ¡°So,¡± Peter said after we had a chance to finish off at least one pastry each. ¡°We have a problem on our hands.¡± He took a sip of his tea. ¡°Not everyone here fully understands what our adversaries have planned, so let¡¯s make sure we are all caught up.¡± ¡°Heather is the perfect sacrifice,¡± I said. ¡°Part of the ritual is to summon Sylriad, Granvul¡¯s minion.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of that?¡± Eric asked. ¡°You said it was some kind of sacrificial summoning, but why would they do it?¡± ¡°Servitus Hostiae Animi?¡± Gretchen asked, looking at me. ¡°Is that the ritual she used on you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been studying the ritual,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°It marks you as her slave, but it doesn¡¯t allow mind control on the victim.¡± ¡°Then why was I doing all kinds of nasty things to her?¡± ¡°She has some other method of control,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°The ritual would have certainly lowered your resistance, but it wouldn¡¯t have forced you to do anything against your will.¡± ¡°It was like my body was performing outside of my control, but my mind was still straight.¡± ¡°She¡¯s using magic to control people.¡± ¡°Magic amplified by Granvul when she gives him a piece of a soul, then?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Peter stepped in. ¡°Servitus Hostiae Animi marks you as her property, but she still has to exact her will over you. She doesn¡¯t get just to brand you and have you. Granvul is about dominance but is also a stickler for a strong work ethic. He gives his followers boosts to their abilities. He doesn¡¯t just give them total control of someone just because they manage to tackle someone and poke them with a control rod. There is¡­¡± he continued with a darker tone to his voice. ¡°The issue is with the afterlife. You are bound to her.¡± ¡°What if I kill her?¡± ¡°I wish I knew.¡± He said glumly. ¡°You might want to consult the Unnamed God about that. I suspect that even killing her won¡¯t change the hierarchy established in the afterlife, but like I said, I just don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°But this Ritual of Sylriad is something different,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°What have you learned about the necklace?¡± ¡°The Ruby Necklace is a soul crystal,¡± Leoleth said. That killed whatever mood we had going in the room. Everyone was looking at her. The party members were understandably shocked. Peter and Gretchen looked downright horrified. ¡°Guard lady figured it out.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. All eyes shifted to me. ¡°She said it came from Brikru.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be calling bullshit on that,¡± Eric said with a grim smile on his face. ¡°But somehow, you seem to keep making the impossible a regular thing with you.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no reason for soul crystals,¡± Jinx said. ¡°¡¯less they¡¯ve come up with one.¡± ¡°Permanent summoning,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Not proud of it, but the sisters were working on something like that.¡± ¡°But they were all crazy,¡± Kev said. ¡°Crazy is just thinking that impossible shit is real,¡± I said. ¡°Once it isn¡¯t anymore, then you¡¯re a genius.¡± ¡°By his grace,¡± Peter muttered. ¡°Trapping a soul¡­¡± ¡°Summonings based on human vessels is already an atrocity,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°But to go as far as to capture someone and hold their consciousness captive?¡± She shook her head. ¡°What would it be like to be in that thing?¡± I asked. ¡°Agony,¡± Peter said. ¡°The soul is not meant to exist in this plane.¡± ¡°Eumenia wants to trap the Empress¡¯ soul,¡± Eric said. He smiled, pleased as punch that he was starting to get it. ¡°And the Sylriad guy can make that happen?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gretchen said. ¡°With the power and will of Granvul¡¯s minion providing the ability to do it. The ritual will also allow a massive soul harvest for Granvul.¡± ¡°So,¡± Eric said. ¡°To simplify, this is all bad.¡± ¡°Pretty much all of it,¡± Peter said. ¡°And a permanent summoning of Sylriad at a future date would spread the forces of chaos across the world. Forget just The Empire.¡± Gem spoke for the first time since we started the session. ¡°So, if the ritual goes through successfully, we lose everything?¡± ¡°Heather,¡± I said. ¡°We lose Heather. That should be enough.¡± ¡°But it ain¡¯t just that, love,¡± Jinx said. ¡°We really will lose everything.¡± ¡°Not this round,¡± I said. ¡°A canned soul is not a today problem. Heather is a today problem.¡± Peter was watching us talk with a degree of satisfaction. ¡°So,¡± he said finally. ¡°We need to form a plan, but first, we need to outline our goals.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°We need to rescue Heather,¡± I said. ¡°That is one of the goals.¡± Kev chimed in. ¡°Stop the ritual from taking place.¡± ¡°Kill Eumenia and Sybo,¡± Gem said with a nasty look. ¡°They need to go down.¡± ¡°Not dying is nice too.¡± Said Kev. ¡°Tha¡¯s, like wot? The third time you said that?¡± Jinx glared at him. ¡°Big on life,¡± Kev said. ¡°But I think all these goals are kind of tied together.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± Peter interjected. ¡°Our Goals: Save Heather, stop the ritual, and not die.¡± He looked at the group. ¡°Not dying is easy enough. Just run away.¡± ¡°Craven,¡± Jinx said. Peter smiled. ¡°I just want to point out that multiple paths lead to different favorable outcomes. Running will achieve one of our goals. Blowing up The Royal Palace can achieve another one.¡± ¡°Stopping the ritual and saving Heather is pretty much the same thing,¡± I said. ¡°Are they?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Saving Heather is important, but they can just do the ritual again with another vessel another time if we just rescue her.¡± ¡°That would be good enough for now. Heather is not an ¡®if.¡¯ We will save her.¡± ¡°Seize or destroy The Ruby Necklace,¡± Kev said. Jinx chimed in. ¡°This¡¯s all just a load o¡¯ rubbish, innit? If we can¡¯t get into that ritual space, what¡¯s the bloody point?¡± ¡°The one inside the Royal Palace,¡± Gem added. ¡°You know, the one surrounded by hundreds of soldiers and guards.¡± Gretchen was the next to speak. ¡°There might be a way we can help with that.¡± She smiled. ¡°One of our followers works in the Royal Palace.¡± Peter pulled a parchment out of storage and jotted down a quick note. Without hesitation, he pressed it into Eric¡¯s hand. ¡°Why me?¡± Eric sighed. ¡°You¡¯re the most dashing.¡± Peter grinned, gesturing to his wife. ¡°Now dash.¡± ¡°The stable,¡± Gretchen said, grabbing Eric¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go handsome.¡± ¡°She thinks I¡¯m handsome.¡± He said to me with a wink as they left the room. We kept up the discussion, albeit one missing all specificity. We didn¡¯t have a plan. Peter cracked out the good brandy and passed snifters to everyone. He said our brains were getting gunked up, and it was time to start greasing the gears. We sipped quietly, waiting for Eric to return with whoever it was that was supposed to help us. Gossuli, the dwarf, made his appearance about an hour later. He was slim for a dwarf, slightly taller than average, and had an impressive, braided beard that stretched down to his waist. His dark eyes seemed in open conflict with a pair of heavy, dwarven eyebrows. Gretchen led him into the planning session with a panty Eric. ¡°The palace is locked up tighter than a bride the night before her weddin¡¯,¡± he smirked. ¡°But ye can slip in with the staff so long as ye know how to play the part.¡± ¡°Not a problem with humans, elves, and an orc?¡± I asked. ¡°Not a problem for the most part. Even with... whatever she is,¡± he gestured at Gem. ¡°Just keep yer heads down, and the guards won¡¯t be any the wiser.¡± ¡°There needs to be a room somewhere in the palace with lots of space to perform a ritual. Any ideas?¡± Gossuli paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m part of the maintenance crew, see?¡± he said, his thick fingers stroking his beard in thought. ¡°Below the ballroom is the staging area. Once dinner¡¯s cleared and the dancing kicks off, it¡¯ll be mostly empty, aye?¡± He glared at me, his eyebrows briefly taking over his face. ¡°It¡¯d be easy enough to seal off, keepin¡¯ outsiders out for a good couple o¡¯ hours before anyone even noticed.¡± ¡°Right below the ballroom?¡± Kev asked. ¡°Nothing between them but twelve inches o¡¯ lumber.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like Eumenia can just go into the basement when the Gala starts,¡± Gem said. ¡°She would need to attend part of it and make sure everything is set up. How long is the ritual?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Short.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to be in place before they get down there. That¡¯s not a big window of time.¡± Kev said. ¡°We also need to make sure we catch them in the act.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Because if we just bust in and start cracking skulls, then no one would know anything wrong was happening, and we would be beheaded by dawn.¡± ¡°We have to let the ritual start.¡± ¡°Kind of hard to cover up a ritual circle,¡± Leoleth said. ¡°Especially with a sacrifice tied up in the middle.¡± ¡°A Purity Cleric held captive would be a pretty good witness for the defense,¡± I said. ¡°We find her, we kill everyone and get her back. Fuck the consequences.¡± ¡°Second that,¡± Jinx said. The planning session rolled on, and Gossuli proved invaluable. He seemed to know every entrance and exit of the palace and was eager to help. As a local with no love for the Empire and even less for the Magistrate, his loyalty wasn¡¯t hard to secure. He¡¯d follow me without question as the Champion, but the hatred in his eyes whenever her name came up told me he didn¡¯t need much convincing. He had a plan to get us inside, but with the heightened security, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. ¡°You¡¯ll need to wear suppressors,¡± he said, pointing to his wrist. ¡°Magic-suppressing cuffs?¡± I asked. ¡°Aye. The help ain¡¯t trusted a hundred percent, ye ken?¡± ¡°Not a problem, as long as we can take them off.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a key. Won¡¯t be an issue.¡± Eumenia¡¯s plan was a masterpiece of logistics. She needed the Empress to wear the Ruby Necklace, the ritual space perfectly prepared, Heather and the priests in position, and every guard moving like clockwork. This was all good for us. More moving parts would lead to more points of failure. The plan was basic. Monitor the bad guys, and stay out of sight until the right moment. We took turns heading to the baths to clean up while hammering out the details. My turn came, and Gretchen led me through the temple to a beautifully decorated room. As we walked, she rested a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I know he made you his Champion because he sees your soul,¡± she said gently. ¡°I can sense how scared you are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± ¡°For yourself? No, of course not. But you¡¯re not here for yourself or our Lord.¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± I stopped, meeting her eyes. ¡°She deserves rescuing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared for her.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. She¡¯s better than me. Heather would sacrifice everything to save me and my friends.¡± ¡°Even her soul?¡± ¡°She would. But I don¡¯t think any of us are worth that high a price.¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± Gretchen removed her hand, and we started walking again. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ve been tempted just to run. As far and as fast as I can.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°No,¡± I admitted with a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t fair for him to choose you for this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about fairness. Something tells me I¡¯d have ended up in this mess somehow.¡± I smiled as we reached the door to the baths. ¡°Like Eric said, I get my share of impossible. I¡¯ve learned to roll with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad he chose you.¡± She smiled and gave me a brief hug. ¡°He¡¯d want to see this through to the end.¡± Lunch showed up somewhere in the middle of our planning session. It was a beautiful tray piled with sandwiches, ale, and fruit. Fancy stuff, too. A full belly went a long way toward steadying the nerves. I glanced around at the party, taking stock. Kev had doubts, of course. That was his way. A thinker and planner to a fault, he could map out every side of a problem, even if he sometimes missed the obvious when it was right in front of him. Jinx? No questions there. He was a rifter like me, and there wasn¡¯t a single thing in this world that could make him back down. Eric? gods bless my cocky boy; he didn¡¯t even know what ¡°no¡± meant. Gem? She loved me, and I knew she¡¯d do anything I asked. Leoleth? She¡¯d die for her sister. And me? Little Regan Summer? I was on this boat no matter the destination, be it a lake, rapids, or straight over a gods damned waterfall. Nothing could make me jump ship. We were solid. By the time Gossuli gruffly announced we had to leave in fifteen minutes, it was already mid-afternoon. We were as ready as we could be. Gossuli had a wagon for transport, a stack of magic-suppressing bracelets, and a pile of staff uniforms. ¡°Wait!¡± Gretchen¡¯s voice echoed through the hall as she rushed toward me, huffing and puffing from the lower depths of the temple. She shoved a bundle of clothing and armor into my arms, nearly toppling me with the force of it. ¡°You lost your robes,¡± she said, coughing as she caught her breath. We were gathered in the entrance hall, and final preparations were underway. Before I could even protest, she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me aside. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need¡ª¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± she cut me off sharply. Her tone brooked no argument. ¡°These artifacts have been wasting away in the vault, collecting dust.¡± She softened, kissing my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re the Champion of the Unnamed God, Regan. You¡¯re not going into battle dressed like a palace servant.¡± I shook my head, a small, reluctant smile tugging at my lips. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± Her stern expression melted as she pulled me into a warm, firm hug. ¡°He believes in you,¡± she whispered. ¡°That¡¯s why he chose you.¡± Before I could respond, she spun on her heel and strode purposefully down the hallway, leaving no room for further discussion. Peter sidled up to me, a wide grin plastered on his face. ¡°Quite the outfit she picked out for you.¡± I glanced down at the bundle in my arms, curiosity mixed with dread. I slipped on the pieces one by one, their weight settling against me like a second skin. New Item added. Armor of the Ollera Eel Armor type: Ollera Eel Leather Armor weight: Light Armor Condition: Excellent Armor Pieces, Coat, Breastplate, Pauldrons, Pants. Description: Made by the Church of the Unnamed God, the Ollera Eel is durable and self-healing. The Eel famously resists magical attacks, and that property is passed to the wearer of this armor. Properties: Resistant to cutting, slashing, and stabbing at the same level as metal scales. Reduces damage from magical attacks by seventy percent while armor is fully equipped. Eel Leather resists grappling attacks by fifty percent. Armor will fully heal outside combat within 24 hours. New item added: Shadow Arachne Boots. Description: Woven from the silk of the Shadow Arachne, the boots resist slashing and cutting damage at the same level as scale armor. The soles of the boots are woven from tarsus hair, allowing the wearer to grip vertical surfaces. The outfit was black, which was good when sneaking around, although Daisy the Orc seemed to think I needed to wear more color. The look was sharp, almost out of place in this world. It reminded me of something from The Matrix, a sleek, long coat with tails in the back. The eel skin had a faint sheen, resembling latex but with the unmistakable texture of something that once swam in the depths. I squatted a few times, testing the fit, and rolled my arms through the sleeves. The coat was snug across the shoulders, the sleeves just this side of too tight, but the material stretched and moved with me, surprisingly pliable. Not bad. Functional, intimidating, and a hell of a lot more stylish than I was used to. If nothing else, I¡¯d at least look the part of a Champion. Four feet, six inches never felt taller. I unequipped the armor, got into the servant garb, and shuffled out to the waiting wagon, feeling slightly ridiculous. The outfit was bright blue and yellow, the Empire¡¯s colors. I was as far from conservative as you could get. Nya was the place for skimpy fashion. The yellow satin dress plunged low, with undergarments designed to hoist the girls up for maximum effect. Let¡¯s just say mine were a bit bouncier than I was used to. The short skirt left very little to the imagination, showing off a lot of leg, while the tied blue-and-yellow stockings ran up to mid-thigh. Shiny slippers completed the look, and a blue waist apron pulled it together. The final result? I felt like a wench at some medieval Playboy Club. Before we left, I had Gem check the back of my thighs and my ass for any sign of the Magistrate¡¯s brand. Nothing visible, thank the gods. It must¡¯ve been a hidden mark, like the one from the Unnamed God. The last thing I needed was a nasty slave brand for the world to gawk at. I wasn¡¯t taking any chances, though. I shoved a lockpick into each slipper, tucked one in my cleavage, and slid another under the garter of my stocking. My hair went up in a tight bun and was stuffed into a white bonnet that mercifully covered the tips of my ears. Leoleth used a charcoal pencil to darken my eyebrows because, let¡¯s face it, cotton candy hair wasn¡¯t exactly inconspicuous. The ride was not a cheery ride to Disneyland by any stretch. The mood was grim, faces were long, and I couldn¡¯t think of any whimsy that would lighten the mood. Not that I was a particularly jolly bitch at the moment. ¡°I love you,¡± Gem whispered in my ear. I turned to her, eyebrows raised, my brain scrambling for something clever to say. What was it Han Solo said in the carbonite chamber? Oh yeah. ¡°I¡­¡± Before I could embarrass myself, she kissed me, thankfully cutting off my awkward attempt at a response. It wasn¡¯t one of those deep, sultry kisses; it was simple and sweet. It was just an ¡®I love you¡¯ kind of kiss. I kissed her back, letting myself sink into the comfort of her embrace. We clung to each other for a few moments as the wagon rattled and groaned through the Temple District on its way to the Capital District, where the seat of power was located. The Royal Palace was very much a dwarven building. Its brutalist design was harsh and unwelcoming, with narrow windows on the lower floors and wider, longer ones higher up. The octagonal structure widened as it climbed, six sinister towers jutting up from its corners like spikes on an evil crown. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the city, making the whole thing look like a malevolent fortress of doom. Balconies jutted out at intervals, each crawling with crossbowmen and archers. The towers weren¡¯t just for show, either. Each sported a fully armed ballista, their enchanted bolts glowing and crackling with destructive magical energy. ¡°You know,¡± Jinx said, breaking the heavy silence as we stared at the Palace, ¡°I once joined a nudist colony.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Eric ventured hesitantly. ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jinx continued, gazing up at the palace as we circled to the back. ¡°It was really hard the first couple of days.¡± The groans from the wagon didn¡¯t come from the wheels this time. Chapter Thirty-Seven: At least you made some good coin tonight. Chapter Thirty-Seven: So, if I¡¯m completely crazy, then at least you made some good coin tonight. ¡°Fall in.¡± The dwarven guard grunted. He had the severe look most dwarves had but was young, his auburn beard only to the middle of his chest. ¡°Ye should¡¯ve been here an hour ago.¡± We were lined up at the service entrance, ready to get cleared to enter. ¡°We would¡¯ve been early, but it was this lass¡¯s fault,¡± Gossuli threw me an admonishing look. ¡°Takin¡¯ her sweet time gettin¡¯ ready.¡± ¡°Worth it?¡± I asked the guard in my best dwarven accent. I batted my eyelashes and turned to the side. I kept my little display up, as I swayed my hips and giggled as girlishly as I could. ¡°It¡¯s ma first time at a fancy party; I wanted tae make sure I was as bonnie as I can be.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say gettin¡¯ bonnie shouldnae be that hard for a lass that looks like you.¡± the guard said with a grin. He ogled my breasts as I bounced a little for his benefit. ¡°Maybe come back oot here if ye get the time.¡± ¡°Migh¡¯ just.¡± I smiled. I reached up and ran my hand down the sleeve of his uniform. ¡°I¡¯m Voselin.¡± ¡°I good Dwarf name.¡± He stepped up to me. His hand reached around my waist. ¡°Frae ma mum,¡± I pulled him close and whispered all breathy in his ear. ¡°Dad was an elf.¡± He raised his heavy eyebrows at this. Half-elves had a reputation, of course. Dwarven Elves even more so. ¡°An¡¯ what might yer name be?¡± I asked him as sweetly as I could. ¡°Nazzead Whitgrip at yer service, fair one.¡± He stepped back, taking a comical bow at me. ¡°Head Guard fer this entire door.¡± ¡°I kent a handsome Dwarf like yersel¡¯ wid have a strong name,¡± I gave him a curtsey. ¡°An¡¯ I¡¯m the head servin¡¯ wench fer the whole twelfth table,¡± I added with mock pride. ¡°An¡¯ what a fine wench ye are.¡± He said, taking my hand and planting a kiss on it. I giggled, my cheeks on fire. ¡°For the love o¡¯ the gods!¡± Gossuli bellowed from inside the doorway. The rest of the group had already shuffled in. ¡°Get in here, ye insufferable wench!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± I whispered, kissing Nazzead on his bearded cheek. ¡°See that ye do,¡± He patted the spot where my lips touched him. ¡°I¡¯ll be needin¡¯ tae return that kiss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be lookin¡¯ forward tae it.¡± I turned with a hop and flourish, and Nazzead gave me a playful spank on my butt as I scurried into the doorway and down the hall. I let out a goofy hoot and giggled. I gave him one last look and a wink before turning the corner. ¡°Think he¡¯ll remember me?¡± I asked Gossuli as we powerwalked down the corridor out of site. He snorted and grinned, which was as close to a laugh as I was going to get. ¡°I dinnae think he¡¯ll ever forget ye.¡± It was all good; I mean, flirting with a handsome dwarf was always fun, but now there was no way he was going to remember the who and how many walked into the door he was guarding, just the lusty girl that kissed him on the cheek and promised to come back and see him at some point. I smiled as we hurried. ¡°One more thing.¡± He said with a grunt. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That accent made my ears hurt.¡± ¡°No more accent then.¡± ¡°Get a spell or add a lot more points to charisma before you go and try talking like that again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not, like, offended, are you?¡± ¡°The only one who should be offended is that idiot guard who fell for it.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I sighed. ¡°Poor Nazzead, he is pretty, though.¡± The rest of the crew were waiting at the first door. I forgot that this palace was built by dwarves, for dwarves, which meant that all the doorways were going to be set at much lower height in the back corridors where grandeur was not a priority. All five of my friends were taller than the actual doorway. Okay, maybe it was not the planet¡¯s best plan, but we managed to get inside. I was the only one that didn¡¯t tower over the rest of the help. It was worrying since we had to monitor the banquet hall at some point. But these five couldn¡¯t be circulating in public view. Shit. ¡°You do realize I am the one that has to go into the banquet hall,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, Eric said. ¡°Kind of figured.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kev asked. ¡°Kev.¡± Jinx tapped on the doorframe. Kev just looked at him and shrugged, clearly not getting it. ¡°I can cast Face in the Crowd,¡± I said, patting Kev sympathetically on the shoulder. ¡°It should keep focus off me.¡± The spell was pretty much designed for this kind of situation. I had been successfully using it as a pickpocket until now. ¡°Rogue shit,¡± Gem said with a smile. ¡°Right then,¡± Gossuli said, taking me by the wrist and unlocking the magic-suppressing bracelet. ¡°Take the first left, then straight on tae the staging area. Plenty folks¡¯ll be tellin¡¯ ye where tae go frae there.¡± He gestured at the rest of the party. ¡°The rest o¡¯ ye, with me,¡± He started unlocking bracelets, and one by one, my friends appeared on my map. ¡°See you down there.¡± I winked and bounced through the door. I was trying to get myself jazzed up, thinking roguish shit and all that. I wanted to put forth confidence, even if I wasn¡¯t feeling all that swell about things. I don¡¯t think they expected us to be coming. At least, that was my hope. I was left to live or die in the tower, and I am sure that the City Guard wouldn¡¯t have been in cahoots with The Magistrate and Titus and let us walk out of the prison. Maybe she was aware that I had stolen some of her hair clips? Who knows? But the thing about assholes is this: they tend to think everyone is an asshole. If I had escaped that tower and could not stop them, as they very arrogantly believed, they would have expected me to make a run for it. That¡¯s what an asshole would do. Titus walked out of there with the impression that I was thoroughly beaten. He was at least half right, and to his and The Magistrate¡¯s credit, I did consider jumping the wall today. But not being an asshole has a way of fucking with your head. You just can¡¯t let shit go that you should. So I was here, hatching a half-baked plan to save my friend and the rest of the Empire, I suppose. ¡°Aye, wench!¡± A dwarven man in a much nicer version of the uniform than mine barked as soon as I turned the corner into the staging area. He had something that looked like a riding crop in his hand and was pointing it at me. ¡°Table seven,¡± He then pointed it at a tray of small brandy snifters filled with a green liquor arrayed on a serving cart. ¡°Be quick aboot it!¡± I froze for a second as I processed the request. ¡°Aye, sir.¡± One of the serving wenches beside me said, pulling me by the arm and leading me to the tray. She was a tallish, dwarven girl, barely out of her teens, dressed in a uniform like mine. The white bonnet tucked her hair away, though the gentle rise beneath it hinted at the thick, textured crown it contained. Her deep, dark skin, smooth and luminous, seemed to drink in the light, a perfect complement to the crisp, bright blue and yellow of her uniform. Even in the silly costume quality of a wench¡¯s dress, she moved with effortless grace. ¡°You heard the butler,¡± she said sternly, shoving the tray into my hands. ¡°Bad enough he¡¯s in a mood; don¡¯t go and make him angry.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Table Seven?¡± She looked at me, her eyes wide with exasperation as she pointed up the wall and a large map of the banquet hall. Map Added: Royal Banquet Hall My map populated the banquet hall and all the tables within. A marker indicated table seven. There were at least a hundred tables, if not more. Seven was a lot closer to the front than I wanted. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, a goofy grin on my face. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°Come on then,¡± she said, grabbing her own tray. ¡°You don¡¯t want a taste of that crop, do ya?¡± ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good, ¡®cause we¡¯ll be doing this all night. I don¡¯t want to be unable to sit down at the end.¡± She spoke with a much softer accent than other dwarves, and as we walked, she was half something, human, I guessed. Her body was thick but not dwarven thick. Good curves in the right places to keep a pervy little half-elf like myself distracted from the horrors of my life. We rushed along the curving corridor towards the banquet room as fast as we could with a tray of drinks. My companion was a skilled server who moved with grace that defied her stature. I kept up pretty well, happy Dexterity was over twenty because we were navigating a minefield of carts, staff, and trays. I felt like I was in a procession of ants, full trays of full glasses going out and trays of empty glasses coming back. All of us were marching, pretty wenches in frilly short dresses, handsome swains in matching tight pants and sleeveless shirts. We quickly emerged into the massive banquet hall; I wasn¡¯t sure how Face in the Crowd worked if I cast it right next to someone paying attention to me, so I gambled on holding off the casting until I knew where the Magistrate was. Music trickled down from the orchestra above us, classic style music. I wasn¡¯t any kind of expert, but it sounded just like the classical stuff from Earth but played with slightly different instruments. There were horns, woodwinds, strings, and percussion, just like from home, but I don¡¯t know; they were different. The crowd noise clashed harshly with the orchestra, but the musicians just played on, indifferent to the fact that the voices of the party guests were drowning them out. Each table had about twenty guests, so this was a full-on gala event. Dwarves were the primary race of attendees, but all the other familiar races were represented. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Women wore massive sparkling gowns of different colors, representing their respective houses. Men wore everything from tuxedo-like outfits and hot man skirts to robes and military-style uniforms, all decked out in colored sashes and lots of costume medals and jewelry. We made our way to table seven. This was probably the third round of drinks or so, and the partygoers were definitely loosened up. I moved as quickly as I could, putting down full glasses and pulling up the empties. Some of the men, along with some of the women, definitely needed to get the memo from HR about inappropriate touching, as I did get more than one hand grabbing or slapping my backside. I looked over at the other wench, and she just looked back at me with a shrug. Status had its privileges, I guess. After pulling my last empty off the table, I stepped back out of groping range and surveyed the room. The empress and the royals for the kingdom sat at the long, raised table at the front of the room. The Magistrate was not there. She was a servant of the Empire, not a royal, so she got to sit down somewhere with the other help. I started walking around the room, looking for where she would sit. The Empress sat on a red throne-style chair in the middle of the main table. She was younger than I¡¯d pictured. I knew she was twenty-three, maybe twenty-four, but when you hear ¡°Emperor,¡± ¡°Queen,¡± or ¡°Empress,¡± you imagine someone older, someone draped in years of power and authority. But there she was, human, of course, her Asiatic features soft yet striking, her large, almond-shaped eyes warm with an easy, welcoming smile that made her seem almost familiar. Her hair, though, man, oh man, that was a spectacle unto itself. A mane of fiery ginger-red that towered at least eighteen inches over her head, clearly a wig-and-crown concoction encrusted with glowing gems, sparkling jewels, and ribbons of gold and platinum, woven in a wild yet artful display. Her gown was just as bold. A magnificent deep crimson and gold, far from the official imperial colors. But she was the Empress; who was going to tell her no? The fabric clung to her form, especially at the bust, pushing her cleavage up in a display as opulent as the gown itself. The dress practically pulsed with magic, gems crackling with energy, protective enchantments woven into every stitch. It made sense. She was power embodied, wrapped in layers of wealth and magic. And there, nestled in that temptingly lush valley between her breasts, hung The Ruby Necklace. She wore it with such casual extravagance that it was reduced to a mere accessory. I silently cursed myself. I had my hands on it. I could have taken the damn thing and run for the hills rather than follow a quest that just handed it to the enemy. If I had just Frodo Bagginsed that shit, I wouldn¡¯t have been standing there. ¡°Come on!¡± my companion said. ¡°No dallyin¡¯, we need to get the next round out.¡± She balanced the tray on her right hand and poked me with her left. ¡°If you start laggin¡¯ behind, we¡¯ll all get it.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I pretended to catch my breath. ¡°It¡¯s just, you know, the Empress.¡± She smiled up at the table. ¡°Aye, that she is.¡± She winked at me. ¡°And a fair and grand one she is.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her before.¡± ¡°Yer new to this,¡± she said as we returned to the winding corridor. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s sittin¡¯ up there; we¡¯ve got a job to do. The dinner¡¯s where we have to hustle, but after that, we can relax and work on side income.¡± ¡°Side income?¡± ¡°How many hands did ye have grabbin¡¯ at your sweet little behind?¡± ¡°Hard to keep track.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she said with a mischievous grin. ¡°Some of those hands have a few gold coins ready fer a bit more than just a quick feel.¡± ¡°During the dancing portion?¡± ¡°After the meal service, we get to work our second job, which pays a fair bit more.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I said with a grimace, ¡°looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t judge. The coin¡¯s good, and it don¡¯t hurt a thing earnin¡¯ it.¡± We entered the staging area and were directed to another couple of trays and a new table. The butler was looking increasingly agitated, but he was holding it together. Food would start coming after this last round of drinks, and we needed to keep the pace up, or the whole party would collapse into a black hole. He explained this to the hustling group of wenches and swains, using much more colorful metaphors than I could imagine. ¡°I was wondering,¡± I asked as we marched through the procession. ¡°I mean, I heard the Magistrate likes girls.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she said. ¡°Is that what ye fancy?¡± ¡°I like gold,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°But I don¡¯t mind a woman¡¯s touch. Wanna make sure I get a chance. I bet she¡¯d pay well.¡± ¡°Ye can try,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been at this since I was sixteen. I¡¯ve never heard of her buyin¡¯ time with a girl.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t met me yet.¡± I turned and winked at her. ¡°Careful!¡± she barked, and I spun back around, narrowly dodging an incoming snack cart. Again, I floated a quick thanks to the gods that I¡¯d invested in Dexterity. ¡°Sorry,¡± I laughed. ¡°Ye¡¯re dangerous.¡± She giggled at me. ¡°She an¡¯ her Imperial friends are at Table Two.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass by on my way back if that¡¯s okay with you.¡± ¡°Maybe ye fancy a bit o¡¯ the Butler¡¯s crop on yer behind, too.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a problem with a little bit.¡± We moved quickly and efficiently at the table and had completely swapped out glasses in less than a minute. I was about to make a pass at the table when my companion grabbed my elbow. ¡°Dalalda,¡± she said with a cheerful smile. ¡°Voselin.¡± ¡°Ya know, Voselin,¡± she said in a voice barely audible over the crowd noise. ¡°After tonight, if yer still lookin¡¯ for a woman¡¯s touch¡­¡± She gave me a wink. ¡°Oh,¡± I gasped a little. She was gorgeous, and I was very receptive, but by the gods, the timing was terrible. ¡°I might just take you up on that.¡± I winked back at her and squeezed her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I cast Face in the Crowd and approached Table Two. Before I got too close, I could see it was fully occupied. I held the tray close to my face, even though I was supposed to be unrecognizable. Having her already familiar with me may or may not be effective. All I had to do was keep a visual on her and let the group know when she left. I moved in close, approaching from the rear and the left. With Titus at her side, she was there, facing the Empress directly. She was very sociable, sipping her drink and chatting with the table¡¯s other occupants, none of whom I recognized. Titus seemed smaller next to her. His massive form looked like it had deflated. I was enraged, but I had to keep my face calm. ¡°Girl!¡± One of her table mates, an Imperial officer facing me directly, raised his hand, waving me over. I just looked at him, trying to keep my face behind the glasses. ¡°You! He barked. I moved over cautiously, keeping the wall of empty glasses between me and the evil couple. ¡°How¡­¡± My voice caught in my throat. ¡°How may I help you, master, sir?¡± I moved close to the table so he wouldn¡¯t have to shout. ¡°I like this one.¡± He said with a chuckle to his companion, another officer. ¡°She uses all the right words.¡± He looked back at me. ¡°Ale.¡± He pointed at the spot in front of him. He had barely touched the glass of the green stuff. I guessed he wasn¡¯t a fan. ¡°As you wish, sir,¡± I said. I spun around, looking for a source of ale. I found a table of mugs across the hall, with the swain working hard to fill up empties for the staff to grab and deliver to the tables. I balanced my tray of glasses and headed over. I met the eyes of the pourer, and he gave me a sympathetic nod and smile as I grabbed a mug with my free hand. I moved quickly, wanting to get rid of this tray and start monitoring the table as soon as possible. I crossed to Table Two, passing a row behind, trying to stay as far from Eumenia and Titus as possible. The mood at the table was boisterous, the men and women enjoying their drink and company from the looks of it. I walked behind the officer¡¯s chair and placed the mug over his shoulder. The movement caught the eye of the officer across the table. He looked up at me, not catching my eye but letting loose a little male gaze across my body. Dark skin, braided hair, and a dot and line scar pattern on his forehead. I knew this asshole. He quickly turned and was talking to his friend. I ignored the conversation. He had been the guy that led the attack on me, the one where I killed a whole bunch of his guys. I said a silent prayer to the gods for delivering me the Face in the Crowd spell because it just saved my life. I fired off a message to the rest of the party on my way back to the staging area: Contact Established. From here, it was my job to keep an eye on the table. I counted heads; twenty-one were seated, including The Magistrate and Titus. Party Chat: Regan: There¡¯s twenty-one total that I think we will have to deal with. Jinx: Assuming there¡¯s not more elsewhere. Regan: The Magistrate, plus five to perform the ritual. That leaves sixteen for security. That¡¯s a lot of muscle, and I don¡¯t think they could have brought in more than that. Also, I don¡¯t see Maltz anywhere around here, but I¡¯ll keep looking. Kev: We need to plan on him being here somewhere. Regan: Unless he really is just hired muscle and has nothing to do with the ritual. Jinx: Too many unknowns. I had made my way back to the staging area. Dalalda stood in a corner, balancing two trays of full glasses. ¡°You gonna get to spend some private time with The Magistrate?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said coyly, giving the pretty half-dwarf a wink as I grabbed the second tray of drinks from here. ¡°I hope we might get some alone time later.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I feel a little jealous.¡± She said as we marched down the corridor with the other wenches. ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± I said. ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll be much fun.¡± We continued moving back and forth. After two more passes with drinks, we started serving the next course. It was a cold soup with a beetle floating in it. Gourmet shit for this place, but I wasn¡¯t raised to appreciate the delicacy of eating bugs. The pace also lightened. We moved to four servers per table, with two serving the soup and two serving wines paired with the course. We all picked up empties and brought them back to the staging area as we moved along. We were rushing to get the food out, but it wasn¡¯t a battle to get as many glasses in and out of people¡¯s hands as it was before. We worked the forward tables to the back, and I kept a distance from Table Two while keeping a visual. I was more sure than ever that we would be finishing the dinner service before The Magistrate made her move. Party Chat: Jinx: We have a visual of Maltz. He¡¯s down here, keeping an eye on the ballroom staging area. Regan: Is he wearing a uniform or anything? Jinx: He¡¯s dressed as an Imperial Guard. Regan: You know the drill: keep out of site. Gossuli described the staging area under the ballroom during our planning session. It was accessible from doors on both the south and north sides, along with stairs from the west end of the massive ballroom. It has almost as much real estate as the room above it and was used to store furniture and decorations, all of which were used for the event. Before the dancing portion of the gala, it was used to stage the drinks and buffets currently assembled in the kitchens for use during the dance. Everything would then be moved up before the guests arrived in the dance hall, and then it could be sealed off, and that would be it. Regan: Any sign of Heather? Jinx: Nothing yet, love, sorry. Regan: You see her, and you get her out. Jinx: You know I will. I sat with Dalalda during a short break while waiting for trays to carry. She bumped up against me playfully and told me about working at the palace and other events. Her older sister worked at the palace as a serving wench. Dalalda didn¡¯t want to do it for a living but was happy to come and work special events like this one. She had been doing it since she was sixteen, which is a little young to be earning the side money that she said was what made the whole thing worth it. Who was I to judge? I was a virgin for twenty-six years. She worked as a barmaid at an upscale place near the Green District and did the parties as a side hustle. She had a room above the inn and was saving her gold so she could learn a trade. She wanted to be an artificer, maybe an alchemist. It was about the most normal ass story I¡¯ve heard since I got here. Telling a version of my life story that was mostly true worked well enough. I lived with my mom and dad in a quiet town in the mountains, and one day, I ended up leaving for a life of adventure in the big city. I fell in with some mercenaries, made a little money, and hustled around town to keep my room at the inn. A guy I knew got me the gig. My story was a fantastic one, and I found I had to keep a lot of the details rolled back and tried to focus on aspects that were less homicidal and more mundane. I don¡¯t know why I sat there, snuggling with a pretty girl on a bench in a dark corner of the palace. I had tons of work to do. My friends were hiding in the shadows, stalking a bad guy and preparing to launch an attack to save the world. I needed to keep an eye on the monsters out to do it, But I was flirting with a cutie who worked in a bar. She was as much a person from Earth as I have seen since getting here. There were dark deeds ahead, but it was nice doing something normal people do for a few moments. She leaned over and kissed me. It was a remarkably unremarkable kiss. Just a little gentle feeler to test the temperature of the water. It was like a little question with no words. I could feel my cheeks glowing red as I looked at her face, full of anticipation and a little afraid of the bold move she just made. I loved Gem with a passion. But Satyrs are creatures of passion, and she and her father didn¡¯t stick around. They would go and come back, though, but that was all anyone could get from them. It was so strange that after living my entire life in self-isolation, I would be with a lover who was as different from human as I could imagine, and I was ok with it. Gem was the first lover I took and would be someone that, by her very nature, would not stick around. I kissed Dalalda back, answering her unspoken question: Yes. Her smile lit our dark little corner up like a one-hundred-watt light bulb. ¡°Well now,¡± she whispered, ¡°that was somethin¡¯ I wasn¡¯t expectin¡¯ tonight of all nights.¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve no idea.¡± I was thankful that Gossuli waved me off using my lousy accent. I was starting to get stupid ideas. We kissed again. Not the deep, crazy, heavy lip and tongue smacking that I was used to with Gem. She was all soft, with no hard edges; it was nice having a bit of that in Murder World. The kisses kept coming back and forth, not really going anywhere, like playing on a seesaw. We just enjoyed the taste and feel of each other without throwing our entire bodies into it. ¡°Swains! Wenches!¡± The Butler bellowed to the room. It was time for the next course. We bounced up and grabbed trays. Back to work. We streamed into the banquet hall. Little yellow dresses and blue aprons bounced and bopped with trays of some kind of lizard meat that smelled like a cross between roast beef and gingerbread. Don¡¯t ask me how it worked; it just did. I guess the first course was bugs, and the second was lizards. Sadly, my knowledge of Earth cuisine wasn¡¯t much better than what I knew about fine dining here. For all I knew, this is what people in New York ate. I kept my eye on Table Two, seeing no changes to the people sitting there as we rolled out the plates and paired alcohol. Gem: Having fun? Regan: Do you know what the girls here do to earn extra money? Gem: Looking to get some gold? Regan: No, it¡¯s just kind of, well, I don¡¯t know. Gem: I think you want it to bother you, but it doesn¡¯t. Regan: I guess not. Found a pretty girl I like. Gem: Lucky, all I have is Eric and Kev. Regan: You could do worse. I snorted as Dalalda and I moved back with our empties. She gave me a sideways look. We kept moving, dropping off empty trays at the cleaning station and grabbing full trays for the tables. On each trip out, I kept an eye on the table. In between services, I sat with my new friend and chatted. It was a twelve-course meal, following a culinary pattern I was unfamiliar with. Next came shellfish, as large as the entire plate, its shell sparkling like a disco ball. It was steamed and smelled like garlic and butter. We were ushered out twice as fast to keep the dish fresh. Next came a bread course, a soft cheese course, and a salad course. We marched in and out of the tunnel with military precision. I kept my surveillance with no changes. I dropped off the last of my salad plates and quickly looked at Table Two when I saw Titus rise from his seat. And march off toward the west end of the hall. I glanced back over my shoulder at Dalalda. She was watching me as I watched him, with a dark expression on her face. I smiled at her and nodded toward the corridor. She shook her head no. Shit. Group Chat: Regan: Titus on the move, heading to the west end of the hall. Jinx: Keep an eye on him. Regan: I can¡¯t. Something¡¯s come up, and I have to break contact. He might be heading down. I stepped up to Dalalda and smiled as I gave her a gentle squeeze on the arm. Her look didn¡¯t change as she marched toward the corridor. I followed right behind. She moved fast, dodging in and out of the incoming traffic and passing the slower wenches as they moved along. She dropped her tray at the cleaning station with a rattle and dashed to the bench where we were stealing our moments. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, taking a seat next to her. She looked up at me, steely-eyed. ¡°Ye were eyein¡¯ that man, Sybo?¡± ¡°I was eyeing a handsome man; I don¡¯t know his name.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to scare ye, but the girls need to stay away from Titus Sybo.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because a fair number o¡¯ them don¡¯t come around anymore after that.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I gasped. ¡°What happens to them?¡± ¡°He has a brothel,¡± she said, still worried. ¡°Some think they end up there, but no one knows. The only thing we know for sure is he has a thing for young girls, an¡¯ not all o¡¯ those that bed with him make their way home the next day.¡± ¡°Oh, gods.¡± ¡°The problem is, new girls don¡¯t know to steer clear.¡± ¡°Well, Shit. Thanks. I wasn¡¯t exactly eyeing him. What about the rest of the table?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about the Magistrate, an¡¯ I don¡¯t know who the rest o¡¯ her friends are.¡± ¡°Maybe I should find a better date for later tonight.¡± ¡°I think maybe ye should be considerin¡¯ that.¡± As hot as the goss was on my old boyfriend, I started feeling a squeeze of panic. Up until Titus left the table, things were making sense. We even had one of their guys ensure the space was secure and ready. I messaged Gossuli and the group to ask if there was a suitable place off the exit Titus was used. Group Chat: Gossuli: Aye, there¡¯s a larder directly under the banquet hall, but it¡¯s too small for the ritual you described and have any guards in place. Regan: Well, shit. Jinx: What¡¯re you thinking, love? Regan: I think we just got fucking played. Jinx: So how do we fix it? Regan: Leoleth, get on Titus. You¡¯re my ace in the hole. Leoleth: I¡¯m an ace hole? You mean like an asshole? Regan: Yeah, sure, what the fuck ever, you¡¯re an asshole. But you¡¯re my asshole, so get the on it.! Leoleth: Sure thing boss, I¡¯m your asshole! Regan: Jinx, can you take Maltz? Eric: I can take him with style. Regan: OK, Eric, keep on Maltz; take him out if he tries to leave the space. The rest: over to where Titus is heading. But stay clear of the area; you¡¯re the backup. ¡°I gotta¡­¡± I tried to come up with something to say to Dalalda. I liked her, but not the mission I was on here. ¡°I gotta go.¡± I finally managed to blurt out. ¡°Right now?¡± she asked, looking a little shocked. ¡°We¡¯re almost done with dinner service.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± it was tough to get this out. ¡°Something kind of came up?¡± I looked at her face to see if she was buying anything. ¡°I need to take care of some stuff.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± she looked a little hurt. She must have thought I was bagging on her, not the Gala. She got up and moved to the trays to grab another one. I jumped up and followed her. I needed to exit through the banquet hall anyway. ¡°Not what you think,¡± I said, trying to catch up with her. ¡°I really like you.¡± I spoke to the back of her head, but she was listening because she paused, turned, and gave me two raised, full, dwarven eyebrows and an expectant head tilt. ¡°I¡¯m working a job tonight,¡± I said. ¡°Something is happening that I have to deal with.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, trying to see if she was receptive. ¡°What Pub do you work at?¡± ¡°The Silver Scepter. And what do you need to be doing right now that means you have to leave during dinner service?¡± ¡°A bit hard to explain.¡± She didn¡¯t believe me. I needed to spin up something so she wouldn¡¯t sound an alarm. Then again, how bad would that be? I wanted to warn her to get her to leave, but she might get so spooked. I didn¡¯t need the guards and the Imperials coming down on us while we tried to stop this. I nodded at a small alcove about three-quarters of the way to the hall; it was big enough for us to stand in and be out of the line of traffic. She moved over cautiously. I scooted in after her. ¡°I¡¯m kind of caught up in some palace intrigue. Something to do with that Titus Sybo guy and The Magistrate.¡± ¡°Yer not servin¡¯ wench then?¡± she said, eyes narrowing on me. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be hard for you to believe. I mean, I suck at this.¡± That prompted a little laugh, and she smiled. ¡°So, what is it that¡¯s got ye all mixed up in the business o¡¯ the high and mighty?¡± ¡°They¡¯re thinking about starting some trouble tonight,¡± I said, screaming at myself for all the stupid. ¡°And I¡¯m trying to keep them from doing that.¡± ¡°And why would ye be concerned with all that?¡± I sighed, took a deep breath, and let it out. ¡°Because They have one of my friends, and they¡¯re going to hurt her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lyin¡¯?¡± She looked me in the eye. ¡°No.¡± I leaned in. ¡°I just met you, and I don¡¯t have a clue as to how this might end, except...¡± I didn¡¯t want to start a panic. ¡°¡­Except I would suggest getting out of the banquet hall for a bit, at least fifty yards back.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the middle o¡¯ the service.¡± ¡°I think we should be okay for about twenty minutes. After that, I would clear out and take as many of the boys and girls with you as you can. Just for a few minutes. They are planning on disrupting the Gala anyway, so there won¡¯t be anything happening after the dinner service.¡± ¡°Yer talkin¡¯ pure daft.¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°Otherwise, ye¡¯d be goin¡¯ to the guards.¡± ¡°Her guards,¡± I said. ¡°They have my friend, and they are going to kill her.¡± I glanced around the area, making sure no one was listening. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to believe me. Just clear out for a few minutes.¡± I pulled a small bag of gold coins out of my inventory and slipped it into the front of her apron. ¡°That¡¯s one hundred GP right there. Better than you could have dreamed for the night. So now you can go if you want.¡± She reached down with her free hand and gripped the pouch; it was heavy in the little blue apron. Her eyes went wide when she got it open and could see it was the real deal. ¡°So, if I¡¯m completely crazy, then at least you made some good coin tonight.¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t know what ta say.¡± ¡°Say you¡¯ll get out and try to get as many to go as you can without causing too much trouble. I mean, I hope I can fix all this shit, but I don¡¯t know.¡± I had a feeling, after working as a wench for the last couple of hours, that even if she did say something, by the time anyone took her seriously, the world would come crashing down. ¡°I will.¡± She kissed me on the cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s get these trays emptied, then.¡± She bolted down the corridor, and I followed her. The traffic carried us along, and we entered the hall in seconds. We were halfway through the vegetable course, and the routine was pretty steady. We dropped off our plates and grabbed the dirties. I nodded at Dalalda, and she came over to me. I handed her my tray. ¡°He¡¯s back,¡± she said, looking over my shoulder. ¡°Who¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Titus Sybo.¡± I turned and saw that he was sitting next to The Magistrate. It didn¡¯t make sense. Panic gripped me for a moment. Leoleth. She didn¡¯t tell me he was back. Regan: Leoleth, where are you? Leoleth: Right where you told me to. I have eyes on Pirate Man. Shit. I moved over to where I had a good view of the table and cast Eyes of Death. The world turned dark, and I could see the life forces of the people in the room. There was always a bit of vertigo when I activated the spell. Around table two sat eighteen men. I snapped off the spell, and the image of Titus and Eumenia was back. ¡°Fuck Shit Fuck Shit Fuck Shit Fuck Shit,¡± I murmured. ¡°What¡¯s it now?¡± I turned and looked at her. Trying to keep my cool. ¡°You need to go now.¡± Chapter Thirty-Eight: She likes you simping. Chapter Thirty-Eight: She likes you simping. Dalalda looked at me, confused and scared. ¡°If you were ever going to trust me,¡± I whispered to her. ¡°Trust me now. This whole place could be going up at any moment, and you don¡¯t want to be here.¡± ¡°All right,¡± she said. She gripped onto both trays and spun around. She zoomed out of the hall faster than I thought anyone could do gracefully. Group Chat: Regan: Titus and Eumenia aren¡¯t in the banquet hall. They are using an illusion spell. Jinx: Shit, now what. Leoleth: Titus is outside the food room, standing guard. Regan: Then I guess you and I are up. Everyone else: there are the officers at Table Two; they are Red Hooks and the backup. Be ready to hit them because they will be on us as soon as we make our move. Jinx: We¡¯ll be there. Regan: Eric, kill that asshole and get over here. Eric: On it. I cast Face in the Crowd, tapped into my heavily depleted pool of inner coolness, and started moseying over to the west entrance that Titus went through. I crossed to the wall and then casually moved to the door, hoping the table of assholes wouldn¡¯t notice me. Keeping my eyes locked on the door, I plastered on a goofy face and even bounced a bit, trying to stay in character. I placed my hand on the knob and allowed a glance back at the table. No eyes seemed to be on me. I imagine they were on chat with their own party and waiting for instructions. Those bastards were coming. I just didn¡¯t know when. ¡°Oy!¡± A man shouted from behind the door I just opened. I had just slipped through the door and on my third step when the scratchy ¡®Oy!¡¯ almost made me pee myself. The jump scare was the stuff of legends. I staggered a couple of steps, nearly fell over, and gripped my chest as I tried to catch my breath. ¡°Stop right there.¡± I froze with my back to him. I wasn¡¯t about to move, and acting scared wasn¡¯t hard. Any girl would be scared right now. ¡°Hands where I can see them.¡± I raised my hands even with my shoulders, spirit fingers wiggling. He sounded like a pirate from the movies. ¡°Aye then,¡± he said, much calmer. ¡°Step on back here an¡¯ turn ¡®round.¡± I turned around. And yes, the voice fit the man. He was a pirate. A Long John Silver-style pirate. I mean, he had both legs, of course, but yeah, he was all sea dog. He had a chest-length beard that any dwarf would envy, braids with beads woven in. He wore the outfit, a long coat with a laced white shirt underneath a vest, long leather boots with folded-over cuffs at the top that flared outward, and a gods damn pirate hat. A bandolier across his chest held knives and blades of different kinds. He had a wicked-looking cutlass in his right hand. It looked old but well-maintained. However, the outfit looked clean, expensive, and in the same colors as the Empress¡¯ dress. ¡°Uh,¡± I said meekly. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°An¡¯ why¡¯d ye be comin¡¯ out o¡¯ that door jus¡¯ now, eh?¡± ¡°Because, sir,¡± I said. ¡°The man that passed through here a few minutes ago asked me to. ¡°Did he now?¡± ¡°He did. Offered me a fair amount to join him for a little bit. Did you ask him his business for being down there?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a guest,¡± the pirate man said. ¡°Yer the help. Why didn¡¯t ye go down together?¡± ¡°I imagine his lady would not appreciate what he gave me gold to do, sir.¡± He gave me a long, penetrating look up and down. I kept my hands out. And imagined him running his strong pirate hands all over me. The blushing fired up on cue. I kept my eyes up, looked at the ceiling, did everything on the planet to avoid eye contact, and looked like I really had no idea what the big deal was. ¡°To be honest, sir,¡± I said after an awkward few moments of him just staring at me. ¡°You are making me a little scared.¡± Full-on sheepish mode activated. ¡°Well,¡± he scratched his bearded chin and winked at me. ¡°Ye¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ to fear from me. So long as ye¡¯ve no intention o¡¯ causin¡¯ harm to yer betters.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, sir.¡± ¡°Maybe deactivate that Face in the Crowd spell.¡± He said with a sly grin. ¡°I imagine yer a whole lot prettier wi¡¯out it.¡± I froze, keeping the dumb look on my face, which was now easier to maintain since I felt like an idiot. An imperial guard could, of course, do a forced appraisal of me. ¡°Um¡­¡± I deactivated the spell. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± ¡°Aye, it be clear, lass, ye¡¯re a sight fairer without all that cursed magic blockin¡¯ yer natural charm.¡± He looked at me with a new, appraising look. ¡°And what be yer name, little elf?¡± ¡°Regan,¡± I said and paused. He raised his eyebrow at me. Not the time to fuck around. ¡°Summer, sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve a sworn duty tae perform, little Regan Summer. Don¡¯t go makin¡¯ it difficult for me tae keep ma word. Whatever business ye have wi¡¯ the big fella down below, stays below. Do we have an understandin¡¯?¡± With eyes locked with mine, he slid the cutlass back into the sheath. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He was scary, but I figured if he were to do something, it would have happened already. It was more like he wanted to have a little fun messing with me. ¡°An¡¯ after yer appointment, I¡¯d better no¡¯ be seein¡¯ ye tryin¡¯ tae enter through this ¡®ere door again. I hope I don¡¯t have tae be so crude as tae explain what¡¯ll happen should ye try.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, sir.¡± I kept my eyes on him since he was seeing right through me. ¡°That¡¯s all very well.¡± He smiled, his posture eased, and all business seemed to be concluded. ¡°I bid ye a good evenin¡¯, an¡¯ the best o¡¯ luck wi¡¯ yer endeavors.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Nay,¡± he raised his finger at me with a wink. ¡°That be Captain, Captain Wardell Brooks o¡¯ her Imperial Highness¡¯ Personal Guard.¡± ¡°Thank you, Captain Brooks.¡± I gave him a little curtsy. He stepped back into the shadow behind the door. ¡°Aye, then, be on yer way, little elf.¡± I turned and hustled around the corner, getting about five yards before giving myself a second to catch my breath. I was confident beyond all reason that Brooks saw right through me. Which meant that the empress¡¯ people would be on alert. That may not be as bad a thing as I thought. I would have told him everything if there was time, but I was already way behind schedule. I switched to my new armor and boots, keeping the unlocked bracelet on my wrist, tucked under my sleeve, just in case. I fired off messages to the party, reminding them to stay out of sight, that I would be handling this, and to watch for the empress¡¯ finest. Like the rest of the utilitarian corridors of the palace, this area was dark, dreary, and more like a dungeon than an opulent home. I activated stealth and moved down the spiral stairs to the hall with the larder. My map showed that the area had a decentsized intersection in front of the door with plenty of space to play. I summoned my rapier and a couple of daggers, tucking one into my belt. I slipped into the hall, and there, Titus stood less than ten yards away. He had ditched his formal wear for a loose-fitted red shirt, black tights, and knee-high boots. He was beautiful, even now, after I have grown to hate him. Hair, muscles, posture, a song from my old life entered my head: ¡­Yeah yeah, but he¡¯s drop dead gorgeous¡­Yeah yeah. Drop dead¡­ I threw my dagger at him with full strength, aiming for his bare throat. The skill allowed me to throw the weapon at level five, my dagger skill. Sneak Attack would triple the damage, and One and Done could activate, ending this fight before it even started. Not so much, however. With a flash of steel, I could barely see, he deflected the flying blade with his rapier. He had managed to pull it out of his storage, equip it, and use it to block it faster than I believed possible. Oh shit, oh fuck. ¡°Well,¡± he said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Regan Summer.¡± ¡°Captain Cuck.¡± He glared at me. No trace of any of his old charming self. ¡°You are going to pay for every insult.¡± He stepped out from the door, his rapier up. He pulled a small buckler out of inventory and equipped it to his left arm.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You can save yourself a lot of trouble and just let me in there.¡± ¡°You think you have a chance?¡± he sneered. ¡°The ritual is almost over; I just came down in case you or any of your weakling friends tried something.¡± My stomach leaped into my throat. The needle moved from zero to near catastrophe in just a few minutes. I got ready to activate Sword Dance. I kept my face as blank as I could. ¡°So, you got promoted from lap dog to guard dog? Good for you.¡± I lined my body perpendicular to his, my rapier high, ready for the first attack. ¡°Still a bitch, though.¡± ¡°Why do you even try?¡± He stepped toward me, his sword and shield down, daring me to attack. ¡°I¡¯m as close to a fucking god as you could ever hope to face. You think you¡¯re so special that you will even last a second against me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all kinds of stupid, I guess.¡± He lunged at me with explosive force, his sword raised high, and his shield arm coiled like a viper, ready to strike. I retreated a step, keeping my rapier poised between us like a lifeline. If he closed the gap too fast, my rapier would be worthless, and I¡¯d have little chance of slipping a dagger past that damn shield. Yet, for all his ferocity, he left himself wide open. It was a glaring vulnerability that practically begged for a decisive strike. I raised my dagger, and rather than step into the obvious ploy, I twisted to the side. I swung my rapier at his left thigh to try to land a hit. He parried the attack and gave me a lovely little backhand with the shield that sent me rolling across the room. I tightened the grip on my weapons and tucked in as best I could to keep from getting too messed up. Surprisingly, the boots gripped the floor like super sneakers, and I almost tipped over from the awkward momentum. I shook the stars away and readied my stance. A mild concussion debuff lit up, but it was only going to last about ten seconds or so. He was on me again before I could recover from the hit, slashing his blade across my breastplate; luckily, the armor took it. I was rolling backward, my weird boots keeping me from losing my footing. I brought my dagger around, catching his sword arm with a nasty slash. He grunted with the pain and then growled at me. He rewarded me with a kick to the ribs. Again, the armor did its thing, but it was like getting kicked by a horse. I stepped back, downing a healing potion before he managed to launch at me again, and the jostled bones in my side started to slide back to where they belonged. He glowed with magic, and the wound on his arm closed immediately. He grinned. ¡°All your little cuts don¡¯t mean a thing.¡± He was right. He had years to build up his healing spell, which worked almost instantly. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me, but I will enjoy taking you apart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m...¡± I gasped, catching my breath and trying to keep the pain of shifting ribs under control. ¡°...Thinking maybe I¡¯m still not yours to kill.¡± He kicked at me again, his face twisted with anger. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡± He stood back, his breath getting heavy. ¡°You said I wouldn¡¯t last a second against you. You¡¯re either a liar, or you¡¯re just stupid.¡± He came at me again, and I launched into Sword Dance because, hells, why not? I entered the rhythm of the fight, and bands of motion appeared in front of me as I moved. I spun under his attack as he kicked at my chest and brought my dagger up, catching him in a stab just under the rib cage and penetrating about an inch deep. I slipped it out and pushed back against his leg, giving myself enough space to attack with the rapier. Like before, he glowed, healing before I even moved on to the next attack. I continued the dance, moving gracefully around his hulking form. My rapier found a home in the back of his right shoulder and then again on the back of his left calf. From there, I came back around, ducking under his left arm and driving my dagger up into it. He cried in pain this time. He whacked me on the back of my coat with the hilt of his sword. Luckily, it absorbed the impact, but I was knocked forward, losing contact with him. He then landed a kick between my shoulders as I staggered. The force of his blow sent me airborne when I hit the wall, and some serious crunching reminded me of my arena fight with Daisy the Pit Queen. The blood stopped pouring from the cuts on him before I was even able to get my feet under me. Debuffs about connective tissues in my arms being paralyzed and all that sinister stuff started rolling down my vision as my left arm went numb. My rapier clattered against the floor somewhere midflight, and I held onto my dagger as best I could. I used the same strategy from the last time I was thrown into a wall. I started running to keep my distance from Titus, using my precious minor healing spell and a health potion. It would have been okay, too, if he hadn¡¯t thrown his stupid shield Captain America style, clocking me on the back of the head. I was getting my ass kicked. Blood gushed from the cut on my scalp as the thing ricocheted off and banged against the wall. I spun, spraying blood around. Thank the gods, the healing potion was still active, and the cut quickly knitted itself. I summoned another dagger, and I dove at him, slashing at his throat. His rapier was right up there, and I managed to get my hand away before losing a few fingers. ¡°Whoa,¡± I steadied my breath, backing away while he encroached. I summoned another dagger. I crouched as we circled, ready to move. ¡°I met a lot of losers in my day, dudes who make female avatars just so they can watch their asses while they run, but you¡¯re the saddest mother fucker I ever met.¡± ¡°Keep talking.¡± He snarled at me and gritted his teeth. ¡°Little insect.¡± ¡°Why so mean?¡± I smiled. ¡°You¡¯re the big, strong one; the least you can do is be nice. It¡¯s not like I can beat you.¡± ¡°Gods damn right, you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°All I have to do is keep your dumb ass occupied.¡± I glanced over his right shoulder and winked. There wasn¡¯t anyone back there, but the lughead had no idea. ¡°You think I¡¯m here alone? ¡°What?¡± he turned his head. Using all of my acrobatic skills, I jumped into a somersault in the air, revving up momentum. I planted both daggers solidly over each collarbone. I hung on to them like handles on a rollercoaster. Titus roared, bringing his knee up right below my sternum and knocking me into the air. I kept my grip on the daggers, and they tore out chunks of his chest, blood spraying to the ceiling. I landed hard on my back and rolled to the side, dodging the inevitable stomps to follow. His healing negated the attack, but he was losing his temper. He wanted so much to do something real to me. I found my rapier somehow and ditched a dagger to grab it and stood up. ¡°Wow!¡± I coughed. I bent over, my arm resting on my upper abs, where he landed the kick. ¡°That really hurt.¡± I could tell no lies. ¡°Are you done toying with me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Are you just gonna man the fuck up and gods damn kill me already!¡± I roared. ¡°You pathetic piece of shit!¡± ¡°I will fucking kill you!¡± ¡°Really? Because I don¡¯t think your mistress wants you to.¡± I moaned as a new wave of pain flashed through my abdomen; some shit was bleeding in there. ¡°And everyone knows what a pussy you are.¡± We were circling now. His eyes were wide, his fury building. ¡°Does she even let you touch her?¡± I smiled. ¡°I mean, she likes dudes too. She even told me that. Said she couldn¡¯t wait to share me with one.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°She likes you simping. A muscle-bound bitch that will just sit in the corner and lick up her table scraps.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± ¡°Maybe if you had a little self-respect¡­¡± He roared and jumped, his dagger coming down. He was so unbalanced that I was able to dodge. We circled, and the pain in my gut was getting worse. My health was dipping below the fifty percent level. My arms were starting to get heavy. I wasn¡¯t going to last much longer. I needed it to end soon. ¡°Have you ever wondered,¡± I grunted, standing up as straight as possible. ¡°Why she doesn¡¯t want you to kill me?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t care if I kill you or not.¡± He growled, his sword up, ready to strike. Almost there, big boy. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I coughed, the blood starting to get into my lungs. ¡°She likes to fuck me more than you.¡± ¡°Bitch!¡± ¡°You see, I fight back. Even with all her mind control shit, I still stand up to her. She fucking loves it. Makes her all wet.¡± I gave him my best sing-song, mean girl¡¯s voice. ¡°You will never be more than her limp little fawner. Fucking pathetic.¡± He let out a bestial roar and charged at me; his rapier pointed right at the middle of my chest. I tried to move away, but there was no getting out from in front of that train. There was a crack as the blade penetrated my sternum, missing my heart, hopefully, but running me straight through. At least, that is what I thought happened since the pain was pretty much all I could focus on at that exact moment. Red leaked into my vision as I looked up at Titus. Tears were streaming from my eyes as my breathing became labored. The diaphragm was probably ruptured, and I may be down by a lung, and I was pretty sure the electrical shocks I was feeling in my arms and legs were the death throws of my voluntary nervous system. He gripped me hard with his left hand. His fingers dug into my shoulder, holding me up. I couldn¡¯t move. He looked into my eyes and twisted the blade, sending new waves of agony through my body that I never even imagined possible. My health was dipping lower and lower. It was down, under ten percent, and sinking at a good pace. I think I had less than a minute. ¡°Why¡­¡± I cried weakly. My voice was barely audible. The blood pumping in my ears didn¡¯t help. ¡°Why Titus.¡± I could feel cold. A chill was gripping my body as the blood seeped around my insides in places it shouldn¡¯t. I coughed, making pain ripple around me in different directions. ¡°I¡­¡± I croaked the rest out in my broken breath. ¡°I love you.¡± His eyes went wide at the revelation. After all he had done to me and my friends, I loved him. I somehow managed to see past the beast to see the man within. He softened his gaze, letting go of the sword. I raised my left hand and gripped him by the wrist, pulling his hand to my cheek, my fading eyes locked with his. With what little strength I had left, I stroked his beautiful, strong arm. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he said, his eyes welling with tears, reflecting emotion he never thought he could have. It was the love he wanted, the companionship he desperately needed, I someone who could see through the mask he wore and didn¡¯t turn from him. ¡°I..¡± he started. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± He was so close to saying it. Oh, and I was pulling for him. I really wanted him to. But I couldn¡¯t hold out long enough for him to get there, no matter how hilarious it would have been. Click. Pickpocket level increased Pickpocket now level 4 +1 to Dexterity +1 to Charisma ¡°Yeah,¡± I choked on the blood in my lungs, my breath starting to get a little too hard to catch. ¡°You¡¯re fucking sorry, all right.¡± Titus pulled his arm out of my weakened grasp and stared wide-eyed at the locked magic-suppressing bracelet around his wrist. ¡°Gods!¡± Leoleth exclaimed as she shoved a dagger through the back of his throat. ¡°You¡¯re both insufferable!¡± The blade jutted out of his Adam¡¯s apple as she buried the thing to the hilt. Titus tried to speak, cry out, or something; I had no idea and didn¡¯t give a shit. His mouth just kept opening and closing as bubbles of blood oozed out of his neck like an over-foaming soda bottle. ¡°No more heals, big guy,¡± I whispered since there wasn¡¯t much air left to push the words out. My girl left that blade in him and pulled out two more. She started stabbing him in the neck over and over with each one, blood spraying until she hit the carotid, and he erupted like Old Faithful, mostly on me. For Titus Sybo, that was pretty much it. He kept his eyes on me, both of us dying and looking at each other, him in surprise and pain. Me, trying to say fuck you, you rapist asshole with mine. ¡°Shit!¡± she barked as his body started to fall on top of me and my shish-kabob body. We were past the point of pain, just a chill that ran through me as I looked up at the dim hallway around me; the few sources of light seemed blinding. I felt like my body just splashed down into a swimming pool full of ice water. I imagined the Unnamed God, looking down at me: So, uh, this is gonna be a bit weird¡­ Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shut up and kiss me. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shut up and kiss me. ¡°AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± The scream tore through the air, raw and ragged, rising in pitch as the pain surged. Well, pain was back, no question. Leoleth used Death¡¯s Door to heal me, but I had to be below five percent for her to do it. Titus was just stupid enough to have his guard down if I was close to dying. And getting close to dying seems to be one of my specialties. Leoleth was standing over me, her foot on my left shoulder, holding Titus¡¯s sword with two hands, and yanking on it has hard as she could. In my twisted little head, I imagined all the knights trying to pull out the Sword in the Stone. Only it was just the frost elf, and the stone was my chest. ¡°Pull the fucking thing out!¡± I cried through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± she grunted as she yanked. ¡°It¡¯s all wedged in your spine or something!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± and yes, the VP was dropping but what could I do? My gods damn body was healing around the thing. After a few more agonizing yanks, the sword burst forth from my chest, spraying the hall with fountains of blood. It felt like a red-hot poker was being stored in my chest cavity. Leoleth fell backward on her butt while I rolled on to my side. I downed another health potion, holding off the fatal decline in my VP. The pain subsided for the moment, but mother lover that was a rough one. ¡°Nice,¡± I croaked before coughing up the last of the blood in my lungs. I looked over at Titus, all dead and shit. She managed to put the invisibility cloak she stole from Faedan to good use. Titus never saw her coming. His naked body lied in a pool of blood. ¡°You looted him?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Leoleth sat up, Titus¡¯ rapier held proudly in her hands. ¡°I got full credit for killing the bastard. I leveled up too.¡± Group Chat: Regan: Titus is down. The rest of the Red Hooks are gonna be on us in two seconds. Jinx: We¡¯re in position down the hall. Regan: Another thing: the Empress¡¯ personal guard are going to be alerted to trouble as soon as those assholes head this way. Jinx: This is turning into an interesting night. ¡°Is the door locked?¡± I asked Leoleth. ¡°Dose a grim worm squirm in the sun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I said irritably as I got up on to my hands and knees, standing was not quite in the offering yet. ¡°That would be yes.¡± She offered me her hand. I took it and got to my feet. I didn¡¯t waste time as I staggered to the door of the larder and collapsed in front of it. Before I started working on the lock, I cast Eyes of Death. Gazing through the veil of darkness at the room ahead, I saw nothing. No trace of any life. I looked around the hall I was in and saw the ghostly shadows of everything up and down, including Leoleth. But there was a patch in the larder where there was no trace. There should have been something. ¡°Well, that sucks.¡± There was never nothing. I would always see bugs and mice and other little critters everywhere I looked. ¡°What does it mean if I don¡¯t see anything?¡± ¡°Magic shield.¡± She pulled out a control rod and started working on a ritual. Drawing circles of light in the air as she chanted quietly. ¡°No time for that. We¡¯ll just have to try and hit them with obsidian and hope it works.¡± I had the dagger, my Black Rain spell and a half dozen arrow heads. I pulled the black blade out of storage, and gripped it in my teeth. I went and went to work on the lock. Click. My personal record was two seconds, I beat it by a half that. Boots echoed in the hall as the Red Hooks came barreling in the room. ¡°You!¡± Scar Head, the leader guy barked at me. I spun around to see only ten of the Red Hooks, I guessed clearing the entire table at one time would be a little too suspicious. The others were arrayed around him, in a half circle with me and Leoleth in the center. I summoned a rapier and held it with my obsidian dagger as the circle started to close on us. I could feel a crackle of energy as Leoleth readied a spell. Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Scar Head and the two to his right went down with arrows in their heads. Jinx, Eric and Kev came running in from the hall from the left. Jinx let lose a chain of lightening that jumped from one of the Red Hooks to the next, until three lay on the ground twitching. Eric engaged one and Kev, the last two. ¡°Go,¡± Leoleth hissed, putting a magical barrier up between us and the fight. I pulled the handle and rolled into the larder, leaving the chaos behind me outside. But then again, I was now in the middle of a whole new kind of chaos. The room was lit with alternating red and blue lights. Reminding me of a crime scene with police cars parked around it. It was a good size, about two dozen feet across and deep and ceiling around twelve feet. The ritual was taking place behind a blue magic barrier being maintained by a mage with a large glowing staff inside the circle. Next to him, were the five priests and priestesses, each with a staff topped off with a power crystal. Eumenia stood clad in black and crimson robes at the head of the hexagon of people, her hands raised as she and the others chanted. I couldn¡¯t hear the words because of the magical energy. The charge was so built up, it crackled and sparked, sounding like someone dumped five sacks of marbles into a Vitamix and cranked the dial to eleven. Heather was in the middle of the circle. They had stripped her down to nothing. She was bound to the floor in iron shackles on at the wrists and ankles and had a massive iron collar around her neck. Her face was twisted in a silent scream, tears running down her face. She was in pain. I could tell, and lots of it. I could see cracks of energy erupting from her skin, following the lines of her major nerves like lightning bolts across the body. It was getting close to finish. I¡¯d seen it before in the summoning at the keep. Soon her body would erupt, and the demon would feed on her soul as he slipped into her skin. I hazarded a glance at the hallway outside. Through the shimmering blue shield, I could see that the rest of the Red Hooks were on the scene, and my boys and Gem had fully engaged them. Gem had stashed her bow, and now was brandishing two long, mean looking curved knives that she used to cut her way around the room in a display that reminded me of a sword dance, but I don¡¯t think she used any formal martial skill just kick ass girl power. I needed to get into the circle and free her, but I could also just stop the thing by killing one of the priests. Ah hells. I gripped the obsidian dagger in my left hand and held tight to Silent Passage in the right. I took a dive at the shield, bring in the black glass covered dagger down with all my might, while aiming the magical murder blade at the back of the nearest priest. And, Well, Shit. As per the rules of Murder World, nothing shakes down the way you want it to. The blade did its thing, breaking the magical barrier and leaving a gap for my attack. I swung the blade down as hard as I could. The damn thing shattered in my hand as I did, and poof the barrier restored itself.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Right before it did, I managed poke Silent Passage into the skin of the bastard creep with his hands on the glowing magical power staff. However, the Silent Passage went flying somewhere. I was giving a good and nasty shock of magical power that felt like a kick in the chest from an angry yellow clad pit queen I¡¯d rather not name. I hit the floor hard enough to ring the bell in my head, but I was back up in half a second, ready for round two. The red glow from inside the shield had stopped. The priests and priestesses all looked at the one I poked as he barked at them, point at his throat. That was the one-minute silence debuff, complements of Silent Passage. You need all five, plus the cleric to make the ritual work, hopefully this set them back by more than a minute. I was running low on ideas though. I guess using a power crystal to run a barrier made it much more difficult to penetrate. I needed to think of something that would allow me to punch through. I had a few more hits that I could take to buy myself some time. I just needed to find Silent Passage, though. I started checking the corners, ignoring the panic and mayhem inside the ritual area as the Granvulites worked to get their collective shit together. There was a flicker of blue light, followed by the sound of a flash and crackle. Leoleth was down. ¡°OOOH!¡± she howled, more rage than pain. She had a small knife sticking out of her right shoulder. Four of the Red Hooks, clad in officer¡¯s dress armor came charging in, bowling over the frost elf and ignoring her. The focus was on securing the room. I don¡¯t even think they noticed me yet. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, pulling my rapier out and Sick Stick. ¡°Hells No.¡± I activated Sword Dance and went to work. Of the four, two had broad swords, one had a cutlass, and one had a mace. A broad sword in and enclosed combat space? Not the smarts of the group, but whatever. I watched the long ribbons of movement from those two and could easily plot my movement to evade. The other two were gonna be the challenge. I focused on Cutlass first. She swung her blade fast, swishing and slashing, pushing into my space as much as she could. I kept dancing back, keeping the walls in my periphery and her compatriots always in front of me. While the dagger was good at parrying the lighter blades, the hard swing of the cutlass would knock it around. Mace jumped up, swinging at my temple with all the gusto of a four-year old at a t-ball game. I danced under his swing, thrusting my shoulder into Cutlass¡¯ chest. I turned and gave Sick Stick a throw, landing its twisty blade it into his armpit with a satisfying thwump. He doubled over, the Tilt a Hurl debuff doing its thing. I followed up with a full strength thrust into his left chest. I thanked Titus quietly for encouraging me to choose this blade. Even light as a rapier was, Level twenty-plus Strength did, indeed, punch through just about any kind of armor, and his breast plate never stood a chance, neither did his heart. I kicked him off my blade and leaned back, right under Cutlass¡¯ swing as she managed to get back on the attack. I rolled on the ground, right around her, and gave her a kick forward, into the two Broadswords as they charged at me. I summoned up another dagger. The flicker of blue lights in the room from the magical shield started dancing with a new, reactivated red light. The ritual was back on. I glanced to my side and saw the attack on Heather was back under full sway, the cracks in her flesh getting larger, their tendrils spreading around her naked body. ¡°Oh gods!¡± I did my own charge this time. The dance guiding me under the clunky swings as I shoved my dagger into the belly of Cutlass and the rapier through the left thigh of one of the Broadswords. I released my weapons and grabbed the cutlass out of the Red Hook as she went down in agonizing pain. I spun it round, swinging it with everything I had on her bare, exposed neck. Her head rolled on to the floor, the blood gushing out like a fire hydrant. I stepped back from the spray after taking a full blast on my chest. Achievement unlocked, beheading. My blade was up and ready to face down the last two of those sick bastards. Broadsword number one was still down, healing his leg, but also trying to pull the blade out, not easy, that I knew from experience. Number two was ready to move again, his blade up and in the ready position. He took a step forward, but an old, but well maintained, cutlass burst through his chest with enough force to knock his breast plate completely off. ¡°Ye best be droppin¡¯ that blade, little Regan Summer.¡± Captain Brooks marched up, shoving the dead broad swordsman to the ground. He leveled his gaze on me, his eyes piercing as sharp as his blade. ¡°Lest you be lying next to this one here.¡± I released my grip on my sword, letting it clatter to the floor. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, breaking away from the gaze of the pirate captain and looking at Heather. Her body was almost completely engulfed in the energy of the ritual. She was out of time. We were down to just a few seconds. I needed just a little more time. But there just weren¡¯t any to spare. ¡°Got some savin¡¯ to do.¡± I activated Time Dilation, spun on my heal, and took two massive running steps towards the blue magical barrier that kept me from saving my friend. On the third step, I leapt with all the strength in my body, propelling myself like a torpedo for the space right above her, my hands in front of me like Super Girl flying above National City. I snapped off Time Dilation and activated Black Rain. I couldn¡¯t do them at the same time. Microseconds ahead of me, the burst of magically summoned obsidian bullets flew into the shimmering blue light, shattering it for an instant. That was all I needed. I passed through the space where the barrier used to be, flew over Heather¡¯s thrashing body and bounced off the reinstated barrier on the far side. My stomach lurched as I entered the magical field fueled by the ritual and five gods damned power crystals. Everything shifted in my vision as I shook my head, trying to get the static out. I jumped at Eumenia, but again was repulsed by another barrier, this time generated by the ritual. It would make sense the thing would have something in place to keep the demon constrained. She looked at me, her lips moving, saying a chant that I couldn¡¯t hear through the sound of crackling magic and the cries of my dear friend. The bitch was smiling, and I swear she fucking winked at me. She was clad in the black and red robes as the others, but for some reason, she was wearing her magistrate badge. What the hells was that all about? I slid next to Heather, she was fading. But at least I made it. I only had to move her out of the center of the circle to end the ritual. I gripped the shackle on her left wrist and summoned up a lock pick. Um, Shit. I couldn¡¯t access my storage. All my EP was drained by the ritual. I had added like twenty of the things all over my body when I was in the wench uniform, but when I switched to the armor, I didn¡¯t think to move any over. The ones I used to open the door were stashed away too. And storage was locked off due to the magic drain. My heart stopped, and all time slowed, just like time dilation. All I needed was a lock pick. I could free her from these piece of shit locks in, like, three seconds. I reached into my hair, pulling at it. A hair pin! Yes, I must have a hair pin. I yanked and ripped at the stupid curls. There was nothing there. ¡°Hi.¡± Heather was looking at me. Her beep blue eyes were blood shot and puffy from the crying and pain, but when she looked at me, she was suddenly calm. The noise of the ritual was roaring, but for some reason, in the center, it was like being in the eye of a hurricane. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I whispered. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She said, smiling at me. ¡°I knew you¡¯d come.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can save you.¡± I held back the onslaught of tears that were about to come. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°The Goddess blessed me by bringing us together. You saved me enough for one lifetime. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± We had seconds. My heart dropped into my stomach as the realization hit me. It was agonizing, but there was a way. I reached to my belt, my boot, the small of my back. I needed something, anything. A dagger to the heart would do it, but I didn¡¯t have anything on me. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid.¡± I muttered, looking at her face. She kept a calm and peaceful look on her face, despite the pain she was experiencing. Her limbs and chest were starting to shift, to expand like air was being pumped into her. It was almost over. She closed her eyes like she was going to sleep. I could see she was I dived into my sheet, looking for anything, anything that I could use. I couldn¡¯t access skills that would work. I had no EP for magical spells. She had a fucking collar that kept me from wrapping my hands around her neck even. ¡°How do I save you!¡± I bellowed. She opened her eyes and looked at me, a smile of realization seemed to come across her face. ¡°Shut up and kiss me.¡± She whispered. I cradled her head in my hands and placed my lips on hers. I activated Kiss of Death. I felt like I was falling, twisting and turning in the air as the world whizzed by. I could feel Heathers gentle breath against my lips, even as I fell. One breath. That¡¯s all I got. There was a flash of white light, and everything stopped. The ritual, the chanting, the crackling of energy, and the sounds of combat outside the room I didn¡¯t even realize were there. Everything. I could smell her hair and her skin, and swear, could hear the chime of her laugh echoing in the back of my head. The words appeared black, on the white background: Kiss of Death The gift of death from the Unnamed God. Delivered with compassion. Non-Combat only. Activation time: Instant. Range: Lip to Lip Contact. Cost: 0 EP. Cool Down: One Day. Heather¡¯s body was limp, her head was tilted awkwardly, and her eyes stared lifelessly past me. The world exploded.