“You can’t bring those monsters in here! They’ll drive away my customers!”

The inn Narissa took them to was not everything she’d led them to believe.

Cassidy looked down at Koda and Sugarbear. “Then what am I suppose to do? These are my Companions.” Alera came up behind her in support.

The man’s frown turned more contemplative. “You’re a ranger then?”

She wasn’t so sure about that question. Why should it matter? A brief hesitation but she responded. “I’m registered up North but I’ve never been to the Alipheo before.”

The man grumbled. “That don’t make no difference. If you’re a ranger you two can head to Clifton’s bar. It’s where all the ranger’s go and it even has an inn in the back. You need special permission to use it though.”

“Permission?” Since when were inns so exclusive?”

He nodded. “It’s only for rangers,” He glanced back at Alera. “...And they’re friends.”

Alera could feel Cassidy growing hostile with every word he spoke. She had to admit it sounded skeezy but everything was closing and they still didn’t have a room. She leaned forward. “Where can we find it?”

He was more than happy to work with Cassidy’s pleasant companion rather than Cassidy’s growing outrage. Plus it meant he could shoo them out the door all the more quickly.

Cassidy and Alera stepped outside onto the cobblestone to find the sun had finished setting while they were arguing inside. They’d have to hurry if they wanted to get anywhere before the city shut down as a whole. Navigating the city in the dark was different and Cassidy had to reassure Alera several times they weren’t lost, but by midnight they found the bar and the doors were still open.

The two walked in and a clamor settled over them. It slowly died as they approached the barkeeper until it was nothing more than a gentle hush. The customers weren’t shy about hiding their glances. Clearly this was a local’s only joint. But Cassidy would take any place that wouldn’t look down on her dogs. Besides, the wooden floors were freshly polished and the tables and chairs in good condition. This place was well maintained.

The barkeep had been examining them the whole walk over. His eyes had lingered appreciatively over Koda and Sugarbear before glancing over their faces and squinting at her bow. She was still using a composite. Under any expert’s eye it must look strange. She made it to the bar and glanced behind it. Glass cups, how could they afford glass? How did they risk patrons using them without breaking the glasses? She briefly remembered her time with Shakira and could see the knight shattering any number of glasses. It must cost a fortune.

Alera lingered in the back to let Cassidy do the talking, again.

Cassidy focused back on the barkeeper. The man was about half a foot shorter than Cassidy but no less imposing as he leaned forward with both arms on the bar top. Her self-confidence wavered under his gaze but she quickly killed that lack of confidence in a fit of anger. She’d been told this place was for rangers. She had every right to be here. Besides, the man clearly liked her dogs.

“I was told my Companions would find a better welcome here than at the inns.” Maybe she was a little curt, but at least straight to the point.

The man looked back down at her dogs. “That may be true but we only serve rangers here.”

Cassidy kept her voice level and asked. “Southern rangers or can the North join in too?”

Now he was looking at her, eyebrows raised. “The North? That’s a long way to travel. What brings you down here?”

She turned part way to Alera who smiled and waved. “I’m escorting a friend who wanted to see the South.”

“A friend.” He murmured scratching at his scruff before looking back at them. “That’s quite the journey to make for Tier 1’s”

Cassidy was brusque, she didn’t want a conversation. “We stayed safe.”

He quirked his mouth. “We’ll I’ll be guessing you want rooms too? For how long?”

“A week. I might extend but Alera is looking to set up shop pretty quickly.”

He nodded his head and held out his hand Alera. “Well it’s nice to meet you Alera, I’m Dowle—owner of Clifton’s bar.” Alera came forward but at the question on her face he added, “Clifton is my father-in-law. He retired.” Then he looked over at Cassidy with an outstretched palm.

She stared at it briefly as she settled her hackles and took the offered hand. “I’m Cassidy.”

He smiled again. “It’s nice to meet you both. Would you like those rooms now? Or a drink first?”

Cassidy was getting all ruffled again and she didn’t know why but Alera could feel it. The woman put a peaceable hand on Cassidy’s arm to calm her before answering sweetly, “I think a couple drinks would be lovely.” He gave a brief nod and as he turned to find them something, they eyed the room. It was fairly full despite the late night and everyone kept throwing them glances. Alera could feel Cassidy shifting uncomfortably and just decided to pull her toward a quieter section of the room.

They settled at an empty table and waited as Dowle got their glasses and a pitcher of beer. It was all the people, Cassidy realized. She had become a misanthrope in a mere couple months. They were riling her up to fight back when there was nothing there. She’d been able to sit in the shadows with the caravan, but there were no shadows here. She looked to Alera for help. The woman was used to attention.

Alera caught Cassidy’s eye and whispered. “I think it would do us some good to get to know a few people and get advice. Can you hang in there?” Cassidy was impressed. What happened to the woman who just wanted to hide in bed all day?

If Alera could handle this, she damn sure better. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She whispered back. Her dogs came up on either side and she ruffled their ears, trying to listen for their breathing, centering herself. They always helped her refocus. She’d survived bears, wolves, and bandits. She’d get over the whispering. It didn’t help that her Perception allowed her to pick up bits and pieces here and there, all about her and her dogs. No one seemed to care about Alera.

She was still trying to shake this off when a rather large woman came up to their table. Her muscles filled her out and she made the pitcher in her hand shrink just by proximity. “I heard you were new to Alipheo.” The woman’s voice was low and peaceful. “So, I thought I might be some help.” She ended with a friendly smile.

Cassidy stepped up and took over the job of being social. She invited the woman to sit down. The lady gave a winning smile and really filled out her chair. “I’m Syiva.”

Cassidy pointed back to Alera. “This is my travelling partner, Alera and I’m Cassidy.”

“The northern ranger.” Sylva smiled. “It’s nice to meet you both.” They smiled in turn.

She looked over at Cassidy’s dogs. “They’re just beautiful. Where did you find them?”

Cassidy and Alera shared a glance. They’d been trying to stay away from any attention as Initiates but that hadn’t worked so far, why hide now?

Cassidy responded as Dowle walked over. “We’re Initiates. They were my dogs back in our home world.”

The woman’s eyes widened a little at that but a pleasant smile stayed on her lips as she continued. “That’s why I’d never seen them and I thought I’d seen everything too!” She let out a little laugh. “Initiates though. Maybe that does explain why you have two Companions. Most don’t even bother with one.”

“So, I’ve heard.” Cassidy said with a nod. She could hear the whispering around them. They’d picked up on the word Initiate and it was spreading like the plague. She shifted, her seat felt like it was made of pins and needles.

Dowle was professional enough not to comment as he served their table. All he said was, “Remember to let me know when you’re ready for those rooms.” He just left the glasses and a new pitcher before heading back to his station.

Syiva ignored his intrusion. “How long are you planning on staying?” Syiva asked.

Cassidy reiterated as she reached to pour herself a glass. “Just a week. Maybe longer. Probably not.”

Syiva beat her to it and poured them their drinks. Cassidy watched the murky liquid fill her glass and Alera’s too. Syiva didn’t look up from pouring as she asked. “So, you’re not interested in the Ranger Corp. then?”

Cassidy just let out a laugh while Alera watched the back and forth.

Syiva frowned

“I’m sorry.” Cassidy interjected. “I just hate politics and I’d rather stay as far away from them as I can.”

Syiva begrudgingly nodded and put the pitcher down. “I can see how you’d think that but their really rather straight forward.”

Cassidy picked up her glass while Alera was sipping from hers. She tried to be polite. “That’s probably true, but I’m registered in the North and have some friends to visit there.” Which meant she now had to visit them or she’d feel guilty forever. Damnit. She didn’t have any plans to visit them. Not for a long while at least. Just get to the library and get out of town. And help Alera, maybe. Cassidy could afford to buy a place on one of those caravans, even if she was too low level to get hired. The only question was, north to home or east to Miloyue.

The woman steered the conversation away from that topic and gave Cassidy and Alera a fairly decent introduction to the city. Cassidy now knew the best place to get deals on arrows, where to hunt for what prey, and places to let her dogs roam. Alera learned of reputable taverns she could play at, the government building that would help her find housing, and the safest market to look for her more common household necessities.

By the time their new friend was done sharing, they’d all had enough to get drowsy and watch the room spin a bit. Syiva let out a laugh and wished them good night, while they trudged over to Dowle for their room keys. He looked sympathetic as he led them upstairs and gave them the first doors on the right. Cassidy had just enough presence of thought to check that both her dogs were inside when the door closed. She barely made it to the bed before passing out.

Cassidy woke the next morning and tried to orient herself. She could have sworn the building was made of wood, but grey stone greeted her everywhere she looked. Uncertain, she called out to her dogs. There was nothing. She grew more and more frantic as she called for them and fell off the bed. She landed in an ungainly heap right next to them. Her legs didn’t seem to be working properly and her dogs were passed out. Their breathing the only reassuring thing about this situation. She tried to check them with Animal Husbandry: First Aid but her head was so muddled she couldn’t get it right. Instead she sat up, leaning on the bed, taking big gasps of air as she tried to calm the upcoming hyperventilation. What the fuck happened last night?

She leaned back over to check on her dogs and saw blood on Sugarbear’s muzzle. This was not good. Something had gone very, very wrong.

With her Skill on the fritz, she ran her hands along her dogs, checking their bones. Nothing seemed broken. She poked through their hair here and there around vital spots. There wasn’t any bruising, but her babies were out cold.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Her eyes swam under her wave of panic.

She wasn’t there long before the door to creeped open and a young man to saw her on the floor in her undignified heap. She immediately calmed and got her breathing under control. This was just an insane situation like any other in this world. She’d work it out.

As she centered herself, he just said, “I’ll let Mellion know.” Before closing the door and rushing off by the sounds she heard. What the fuck? Mellion?

Her mind was blanking. No! Focus. Stay alert. Assess. She was on the floor. She needed to get up. Go try the door. Grabbing the bed frame, she was able to haul herself halfway up before the wobbling set in. She twisted to sit on the mattress, staring at the door. It was right there. She just needed to stand.

She pushed up with what strength she had. It was coming back, but slowly, and she still collapsed on the bed. Her gaze stuck to the dreary grey stone above her, incasing this room entirely. She felt like squiggly gelatin when compared to this room. It was really weighing on her. She had to stop focusing on it.

Closing her eyes, she felt the linen beneath her fingers, the give of the mattress under her weight. She stilled a moment. Breathing in, breathing out. She opened her eyes, staring at nothing. Breathing in, it all calmed, breathing out. Breathing in, she sat up and took a step. It was tricky, but her leg held. She took another, breathing out. And just like that she made her way to the door.

Her hand reached out to discover what she already knew. It was locked. Of course, it was locked. People don’t wake up in situation’s like this to find unlocked doors. She fought the wobbling and made it back to the mattress before collapsing, depressed.

This was bad. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. For once she couldn’t rely on her dogs to ground her. She had to do it herself and it was a battle of anxiety, but one she was winning. This world had been nothing but horrible, yet she’d made it through. She’d make it through this too. Her and her dogs.

There was a knock and she looked up to find the stone door sliding open. The young man came back with bread and a pitcher of water. He lay them down on the floor before saying, “Here. These should help you feel better. I’ll return in a bit to introduce you to Mellion.” And like that he was gone. The door shut.

More sure of herself, she made her way over to the supplies and sat beside them. The bread settled in her stomach and seemed to soak up some of the sickness she’d been feeling. The pitcher… smelled like medicine. Hesitantly, she took a few sips. Nothing.

They obviously weren’t trying to kill her. Too many chances for that had already gone by. And they’d shown some care in incapacitating her dogs without injury despite the fact that Sugarbear had managed to grab hold of one of them. This probably did exactly what the young man said, helped her get over whatever they’d drugged her with. She more than willingly down half the pitcher before stopping. She still had her dogs.

The next ten minutes was spent with her dribbling water into her dogs’ mouths and getting them to swallow instead of drown. She had marginal success when the knock came again.

It took the young man a moment to grasp the situation as he found her sitting on the floor, splashed with water and holding a pitcher to Koda’s mouth; but he managed to overcome it.

He gestured for her to come over. “If you’ll come with me, I can introduce you to Mellion. She’s offered to explain why you’re here, in the Ranger Corp.”

He was about to turn when she asked. “Ranger Corp.? Why would I be there?”

He coughed a little. “Mellion will explain.”

“Oh no.” She stood up. Fury igniting in her chest. “I want an explanation now. The Corp. is voluntary and I sure as hell didn’t volunteer.”

He just looked back at her helplessly. “Just come with me.”

She narrowed her eyes and dug in. As always, she failed to check his Tier and he just sighed before darting forward, too fast for her to respond. Everything went black.

Cassidy woke up in another stone incased room. It was as stark as any other with a plain table and chairs to either side. She guessed hers was the one closest to the door and scrambled off the floor to recover some of her dignity. No one else was here, yet. Brief rebellion welled up as she eyed the other side, obviously intended for the other party, but it seemed rather petty. Surely, she could think of better ways to act out than stealing another’s seat. So, she took the one closest to the door, just in time for Mellion to enter. The woman was small but her presence was oppressive. Steel grey hair was cut short enough, no strands could stray over her eyes and it made her appear all the more severe. The woman wasted no time going around the table and facing off against Cassidy. As the smaller woman lay her arms on the table, Cassidy could see the sleeves pull up enough to show ugly scars climbing their way up Mellion’s arm. The woman gave the impression she could move through a hurricane without breaking stride.

“I’m glad to see you’ve woken up.” Mellion said with a self-satisfied grin. Cassidy finally noticed the bandage hiding under the woman’s sleeve.

“My dogs didn’t take to you I’m guessing?” She was feeling a little smug herself.

The woman just laughed. “I hadn’t planned for them but no worries. I was kind.”

Cassidy could hear her teeth grinding against each other as she thought about her dogs passed out on the stone floor and her sitting here, impotent. “You have my thanks.” She smiled tightly. Her hands clenched under the table so tightly she was afraid she’d begun shaking. “What is this all about?” Her smile cracking into something darker.

“Do you have any guesses?” Mellion asked gently, light bouncing from her irises to make them glow. “Can you think about why we care we might care about you at all?”

“I’m a ranger.” Cassidy responded flatly. “This is the Ranger Corp.”

“Well, yes.” Mellion admit, looking down at the table and wiping it as if she saw some speck of dust. “But honestly we have plenty of those.” She looked back up at Cassidy and the girl was trying to fight against the sickening drop in her stomach. “You’re here for a more important reason. You are an Initiate. Just like your friend.”

Alera! Shit. Had they done anything to her? Was she ok at the inn? Cassidy had most of their gear. But Mellion was leaning forward now and Cassidy didn’t have time to worry about anything outside of this room and the woman in front of her.

Mellion was watching Cassidy closely, analyzing every move. Genuinely curious, she asked. “Have you ever wondered why the world brought you here, or anyone at all? Why there are Initiates?”

Cassidy’s breath caught in her throat. She could already tell. This wasn’t going to be a fun talk.