“I’m heading out to the smokehouse!” she yelled as she heard a heavy wooden door slam shut behind her. She turned around and saw Wade, the burly, pale-skinned innkeeper eyeing her questioningly as he set down a bucket next to the edge of the counter.

“Lilly, you know the evening shift’s ending soon, right?” he asked, beginning to mop the hardwood floor.

“I won’t be long. I just need to grab a bit of cured meat since we’re almost out.”

“Alright,” said Wade, raising his head to look at her with a slight look of worry. “Just be careful and try to stay out of sight… it’ll be dark soon.”

She sighed and smiled at the brown-haired man whose personality clashed so violently with his rowdy, unkempt appearance. “Don’t worry, I’ll just take the alley next to the gate and be back before the shift’s over. You just focus on those floors.”

Wade shook his head and went about cleaning the dining hall as Lilly turned around, passing the bustling kitchen and exiting through the inn’s backdoor. She squinted the moment she stepped foot outside, shielding her eyes from the light of the orange-dyed sky above. A low rumble rippled through the air, causing her to look up towards Harkon’s mining compound, located just above on the plateau overlooking the town. “Right,” she whispered, facing away from the high walls surrounding the mines and breaking into a light jog along the stone-paved alley.

Weaving through the shadows of the town’s wooden houses, she kept an eye out for any patrols that might be in the area. As she came to the slightly wider street connecting Harkon’s trade district to its back gate, she stopped. She could see a few other players walking towards the gate as they then came face to face with a small group of dwarven guards. Scanning the street again, Lilly hurried walked across the street, facing straight ahead as she heard a scream.

She ducked behind a wall and leaned her head. All of the players, except one, were already lying on the ground, groaning. Having already encircled the last player, the dwarven patrol quickly brought him down to his knees by bashing him repeatedly with their shields. But as she wanted to leave, her gaze met that of a guard, who took a couple of steps towards her.

“Hey you!”

‘Shit…’

She ducked back behind the wall and ran. But in her haste, she almost darted past the smokehouse as she then spun around and patted herself down looking for the key. “Fuck,” she whispered,” where’s…”

Realization dawned on her as she immediately opened her inventory. She glanced back towards the street, her hands rushing to open the large padlock on the door. And as she saw a long shadow looming over the alley’s entrance, the lock in her hand clicked. She bolted inside the smokehouse's adjoining room and swung the latch just above the doorknob.

Panting, she slid down to the floor, propping the wooden door with her back as her legs pushed against the tall stacks of logs surrounding her. Lilly twisted her head to the side so she could look up at the narrow window above the door, footsteps outside drawing nearer. ‘Come on… Just walk away! I don’t want to spend a single fucking night inside one of your crummy cells…'

Only after a few minutes had passed did she dare move, the old wooden floor creaking underneath her leather boots. She peered through a thin gap in the door, but failed to see anyone. A tiny sigh of relief escaped her lips, followed by a startled gasp as the entire structure creaked and groaned, straining under another one of the mine’s rumbles. ‘Crap, I have to get going!’

A minute later, she slowly opened the door and peeked around. The coast still clear, she hurried back to the inn. But as she crossed the street, having not been spotted by anyone, she stopped the moment she heard shuffling and whispered voices coming from another part of the alley. Doubling back, she tiptoed next to the edge of a building and pressed her shoulder against the wall.

At the other end of the narrow path, she saw five people gathered together. In front of them, a purple-haired woman brought a finger to her lips. In single file, a young man wearing a simple chainmail tunic trailing her, followed by a tall, female taur, a slender blonde woman and, closing up the rear, a brown-haired lycan. As the group began to walk away, Lilly found herself taking a step after them.

‘What the hell am I doing… I should just go back…’

Her eyes zipped past the time displayed in the upper left-hand corner of her HUD. And as every last bit of common sense she had screamed at her to just mind her own business, she finally left. A moment later, Lilly grinned as she rounded the corner. She then began trailing the five, all while masterfully ignoring any sort of pesky ideas such as ‘playing it safe.’

****

Placing his Link Sphere back into his inventory, Drake stopped pacing and headed back to the other three, who awaited him quietly next to an old well to the side of the alley.

“So?” Bane asked, “what did Arthur say?”

“For one, to avoid telling people that we’re here on Guild business, unless we absolutely need to invoke some level of authority.”

“Reasonable,” said Vala as she kept an eye out on their surroundings. “Until we find out what happened to those two adepts, it’d be best to not advertise ourselves. But how would people even know you’re with the Guild?”

“The ring,” said Kim, her gaze falling on the gemmed band around Drake’s index finger. She then grabbed his hand and raised it. “Try channeling a bit of your mana into it.”

Drake raised his brow, nonetheless listening to the purple-haired woman.

You have activated Stranger’s Guise.

“No, too much,” Kim sighed. “All you need is a constant trickle.”

Nodding and trying again, Drake directed as little mana into his ring as he could. And when nothing happened, he carefully upped the amount until he saw fiery, blue letters appear all around it. But the moment he shifted his concentration, trying to read the text, the letters’ light died out.

“That’s it,” smiled the purple-haired woman. “The only rings capable of this are those issued by the Guild, which automatically makes you either a member or a murderer,” she grinned. “Though they require a pretty specific amount of mana to light up like that, so the fact that you can actually do it is impressive. It should also serve as sufficient proof to any official that you are who you say you are.”

“It does require a bit of concentration,” said Drake as a tiny bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. “Okay… Arthur also told me that we should try to find foreman Pike, the guy that sent them the formal request in the first place. To see if his story about the healer being a Conclave member checks out.”

“You do that,” said Kim as she started walking down the alley.

“Uhm, are you leaving?” Mia asked, her voice barely audible over the distant rumbling coming from the mountains.

“Yup! I’ve got my own things to take care of. But once you’re done here, tell Arthur to get in touch with me. I'll take you back to Bord if you need me to do that.”

“Alright,” said Vala, waving her off. Once Kim was safely out of earshot, the taur woman turned to them and sighed. “Man, people like her really get under my skin…”

“How so? She seemed nice enough,” said Bane as he then followed Drake through the alley.

“Reminds me of every slimy informant I ever had the displeasure of dealing with,” Vala groaned. “Smug attitude. Always probing others while rarely giving any straight answers of their own. And never there when you need them…” Seeing Drake turn back to glance at her, his brow raised, she grinned. “What?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “I just didn’t peg you as the law enforcement type.”

“Oh?” the taur exclaimed. “I assumed Bane had told you at least that much.”

“Seriously?” Bane sighed, the disappointment evident in his voice. “Do you really think that little of me? I haven’t told him anything, because it isn’t my place to share stuff like that.”

“Now, aren’t you a noble knight?” Vala chuckled, baiting another exasperated sigh out of the lycan as Mia laughed as well.

“Don’t be mean,” said the blonde, young woman. “Bane’s been a perfect gentleman until now, and Drake also strikes me as a nice person. And while we’re on the subject of sharing,” said Mia, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, “if you see me stumbling around, it’s because I’m still a bit new to the whole concept of… moving around.” Her voice trembled as she forced the final two words out and, after a brief pause, she continued, a renewed sense of determination present in her tone. “Outside of Prism… I’m paralyzed from the neck down.”

Drake stopped. ‘What am I even supposed to do with that bit of information…?’ He mouthed a noiseless sigh before turning around to face the others. However, he didn’t really know what he wanted to say, and having the two women stare at him expectantly made it all the harder for him to organize even a single coherent thought inside his mind. As he stood there, the prolonged silence making the sinking feeling in his stomach worse, his eyes finally met Bane’s. And seeing the warm, gentle smile of his only friend, he finally managed to calm himself down enough to speak.

“I’m sorry,” said Drake, pinning his gaze on the ground between them. “I’m not sure what Bane’s told you about me, but I’m not exactly great when it comes to social interactions. So… I don’t really know how to react to that, Mia. I only know that I didn’t want to leave what you said unacknowledged… Both of you seem like really cool people, so I really hope you’ll forgive me if… whenever I stumble over my own words. I just–”

A pair of slender arms suddenly embraced Drake, causing him to jolt upright.

“I’m sorry,” smiled Mia, “but you just looked like you really needed a hug.”

Truly speechless, he could only blink at the blonde woman as he felt his cheeks warming up. He then snapped out of it the moment he felt a firm hand gripping his shoulder. Vala simply smiled at him, releasing his shoulder as Bane snickered at him.

“Oh, man,” the lycan wheezed, “if you could’ve seen the look on your face!”

“Right,” he grumbled, staring daggers at his friend. “Though I bet it couldn’t have been worse than your—”

Bane’s wolf ears shot up as he immediately spun around and brought his hand up, signaling Drake to can it. “I think I heard something…”

The very next moment, Vala dashed past them, her heavy sabatons hammering rapidly against the alley’s weathered stone tiles. Drake kicked off after her. He then saw someone’s head ducking back behind the wall of a dilapidated wooden house. With the taur already charging at full speed towards the figure, he turned right at the building’s corner.

“Zeph, you with me?”

“I’m here boss!” his spirit replied, still sounding a bit drowsy. “Oh, we’re trying to chase someone down!”

You have activated Tempest.

A gust of air spiraled out from Drake as he instantly felt his body growing lighter and a strong backwind spurring him forward. He blew past the house’s corner, jumping over a couple of crates and veering left. He then rushed along the back of the house, nearly crashing into a fleeing woman as he barely had time to sidestep her.

The woman, however, found herself almost slamming face first into the pavement. She groaned and turned around, just as Vala stopped next to her.

“How’d you…” the taur asked, staring at Drake as her words trailed off. She then took a look at the brown-haired female player at their feet, who seemed almost as confused as her. She wore a plain, white apron over her starting gear, with faded stains still visible here and there. As for weapons, the woman at least appeared to be unarmed.

Glossing over Vala’s unfinished question, Drake reached out to the woman and helped her up. “Would you mind explaining why you were following us?”

“Following you?!” she repeated, a small air of indignation present in her tone. “I was just minding my own business when–”

Vala grinned. “Is that why you ran away? Because you were minding your business?”

“I… I only ran because you charged towards me like… like a raging bull!” she protested. However, seeing Vala all but roll her eyes made the brown-haired woman sigh. “You’re not buying a single word I’m saying, are you?”

“Nope,” the taur smiled. “But please, do go on!”

“Fine,” the woman pouted as she then cranked up the speed of her explanation. “The name’s Lilly. And I’m sorry for creeping around you like that but… you guys are seriously the most interesting thing I’ve come across in this town for the past three days!”

“Wait, what?” Drake asked, slightly struggling to keep up with the woman.

Shaking her head, Lilly grabbed them both by the wrist and began to drag them after her with a nonchalance that gave both him and Vala pause. “Come on,” she said, “let’s get back to your friends. We’ll talk more once we’re not out in the open. The last thing we need is for a dwarven patrol to spot us!”

“Take it easy there,” said Vala as she pulled herself free of the woman’s grasp. “And where would you even suggest that we go?”

“I happen to know the perfect spot!” she grinned.

****

Looking around the lamp-lit interior of the inn, it was clear to Drake that the owner cared deeply for it. The smooth lacquer of every bench and table shone with a welcoming warmth, an atmosphere made all the more inviting by the crackling coming from the massive, stone fireplace. However, he could’ve definitely done without the burly innkeeper’s heavy stare.

“Alright, everyone, drink up!” cheered Lilly as she brought and set five mugs on the table where Drake and the others sat. “Now, don’t be shy, the drinks are on the house!”

“And coming straight out of your pay,” said the frowning innkeeper.

“Come on, Wade!” Lilly groaned. “Where did your usual, kindhearted spirit wander off to?”

“It got lost along the way, together with your common sense,” the burly man scoffed, turning around and going through a door behind the counter. And given the strong smell of food wafting towards them, that had to be the kitchen.

“Please excuse Wade,” said Lilly as she grabbed a mug and sat down next to Mia and Vala. “He’s normally a sweetheart, but the recent troubles with some of the Strangers has absolutely everyone on edge…”

“Ah, don’t sweat it,” said Bane, taking a swig. “Man, this is so good!”

Bringing the mug close to his lips, Drake sniffed the dark, orange liquid, before sipping a bit of it. His eyes grew wide as he felt his body warming up, despite the spicy, fruity drink being colder than the surrounding temperature.

“It’s been years since I last tasted spiced wine,” smiled Vala, holding the mug with both hands.

Across from him, Drake saw that Mia seemed just as perplexed as him. Turning his eyes back towards the amber drink, he took another sip.

“So, what do you think?” Bane asked, looking straight at him. “You’ve never had alcohol before, right?”

“It’s nice,” said Drake, “much more… aromatic than I would’ve expected.”

Lilly’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, is this actually the first time you’ve alcohol? No joke?”

“It’s not something that’s readily available,” Drake answered. “At least not outside of VR. Which is why it was pretty much impossible for me to try it until Prism made it possible for me to full-dive.”

“I’ve… never really tried it either,” said Mia. “It tastes nice, but it does feel… weird.”

“Huh, I see,” Lilly mumbled as she glanced over at Vala and then back to Drake. “Well, in any case, I have a proposition that I’d like you guys to consider. I want you to let me tag along on whatever quest it is that you guys are doing. And when you leave Harkon, I want you to take me with you!”

“I see,” said Vala, setting down her mug. “And why should we do that? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the drink. But that’s not exactly a good enough reason for us to take on someone that’s almost a complete stranger.”

Smiling, Lilly downed the rest of her mug. “Oh, I agree. Though you wouldn’t just be adding a pretty face to your party! I’ve been here for three days already, I know the layout of most of the town, and enough of how things are run. Plus, I’m also handy with a bow!” she exclaimed, materializing a simple bow and a quiver out of her inventory.

“Okay,” said Vala, “but you haven’t really told us why you want to come with us.”

Hearing this, Lilly seemed genuinely surprised as she placed the mug down. “Didn’t I already tell you? I said you guys were the most interesting thing to have happened to me since I logged into Prism. Ever since I set foot inside Harkon, the dwarfs have been trying to round up every last Stranger in order to kick them out. I got lucky that I stumbled into Wade’s inn and, kind, big lug that he is, he decided to take me in so that I could help around the inn. Clean the tables, fetch the ale from the cellars, sweep the porch… And since then, the only things to break this endless string of chores have been you guys and a short hunting trip that Wade took me on.”

As Drake and the others conferred through furtive glances, Bane stretched his limbs and sighed. “Normally, I would’ve agreed in a heartbeat,” said the lycan. “But we literally just got backstabbed by a mage in the most… chilling of ways.”

Upon hearing Bane’s terrible pun, even Drake couldn’t help but roll his eyes, and he wasn’t the only one.

“Right,” said Vala, her tone laden with resignation. “That’s pretty much it. We appreciate the offer but—”

“How about I take her along?” asked Drake, causing the others to jerk their heads towards him.

“I really don’t see how that changes anything,” said Bane.

“Think of it this way,” said Drake, running his finger along the tiny drops of condensation on the mug. “We don’t know how much ground we’ll need to cover and chances are that we’ll have to split up, sooner or later. And since the three of you are already used to working as a team, I don’t really see a reason to change that dynamic for the time being. Which leaves us as the second team,” he said, pointing first at Lilly and then himself.

Zeph’s voice echoed inside his head. “You sure that’s wise, partner?”

“Not like we have a choice,” Drake answered. “But unlike the others, I at least have you there to keep an eye on her at all times.” Sensing his spirit’s approval, he looked back at the others.

“Fine,” agreed Vala. “But we’ll need to be careful–”

The inn’s door slammed open, quelling the discussion as a rowdy group of men swarmed in, half of the spacious hall’s table seats getting filled in an instant. With the crowd getting more and more restless by the minute, Lilly got up and sighed.

“I’ve got to go help Wade out with the orders,” she said, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes. “Don’t you dare ditch me in the meantime!”

“That kind of depends on you,” said Bane. “We’ve already been here for quite a while and no one even bothered to come and get our order. The service here is appalling.” Scoffing in the most exaggerated manner possible, the lycan could barely stop himself from giggling as Vala jammed her elbow into his side, shutting him up.

“Please excuse Bane,” sighed Vala. “He somehow still thinks that his jokes are actually funny.”

“Getting them actually requires a sense of humor,” the lycan huffed as Lilly smiled and left. “But seriously, why’d you do that?”

“A couple of people were already eyeing us,” said Vala, scanning the nearby tables. “And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re the only half-beasts in here. So, standing out even more would only cause us problems down the line…”

“Might as well get a room,” said Drake as he got up, gesturing for the others to do the same. “That should at least make it easier to talk.”

“You mean two, right?” Bane asked.

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to be sleeping in there,” replied Vala.

They made their way to the bar’s counter as Wade eyed them warily. But despite his earlier demeanor, the innkeeper had no issues renting them a room. However, just as he slid the key towards them, a shriek echoed throughout the hall, causing them all to spin in the direction of the sound.

Two dwarven guards stood next to the inn’s entrance, each of them holding Lilly by an arm as they dragged her out, kicking and screaming. The entire hall was dead silent for a moment before everyone slowly got back to whatever they were doing, as if nothing had happened.

Feeling a hand grab his wrist, Drake jerked and turned around, only to see Wade’s pale face, beads of sweat glistening in the flickering candle light.

“Please,” said the innkeeper, his eyes wide with worry, “help her…”