Reginald stopped as Oslo held up a hand. He watched as the man dismounted and inspected the ground around the road. He heard the man curse.

"What is it," he demanded.

"We got a problem, seems our little friend isn't alone. I wasn't sure until I saw their tracks both head off the road here," he said, gesturing to a barely visible trail.

"That's not all, looks like whoever picked him up has a war mount."

Reginald stiffened at that. While not rare, nobody bought a war mount unless they expected to be in almost constant fighting. There were many other options that people could buy that were both faster and cheaper.

"Any idea what type?" he asked, not that any of them would be good to fight.

"Ravor beast," he replied, spitting to the side.

Shit, he had fought a few of the creatures in the past. Usually when attacking a well-armed caravan. The creatures were semi-intelligent and brutal.

"Anyone else?"

"No, tracks aren't deep enough for more than one rider."

"They will know we're coming long before we can sneak up on them," Reginald said.

He had to think of the best course of action here. While it was likely they could take one rider it might cost one of them their lives. So long as it wasn't his, he was willing to do that but he didn't know the terrain or if this person had friends nearby. He might get his ass chewed out by the boss but he chose the safer option.

"Follow them at a safe distance, I will send a message back to the boss."

Oslo nodded as he zipped into the swamp. The man could hide his presence and scent but he couldn't keep them active for more than a few minutes. He composed a message to the boss, bending the truth a little. If his boss thought the man had been taken from him he was more likely to send them some reinforcements. It would cost Reginald some clout in the organization but he could redeem himself when he captured a bunch of resources and dungeons.

It took Oslo twelve hours to return to the others. He had found the spot where the man with the war mount was camping, although, he didn't see the half-elf. He waited silently in the trees, only close enough to keep the camp in view. It wasn't until the sun came up that he spotted the half-elf, he emerged from a tent that was cloaked in an invisibility enchantment.

Tents like these weren't all that uncommon, but they were more expensive than a normal tent. He was too far away to make out any details about the man with the elf. A few times he thought he saw the man talking but he never saw a sign of anyone else in the area.

He watched them leave and followed the trail on foot until he was a few hours behind. Then he got his own horse out and followed. The trail ended at a small walled town. He scanned the sentries from his hiding place and made note of everything he saw before he raced back to the others.

"So, you think, he's still in the town?" Reginald asked.

"Most likely, I didn't spot any other tracks other than theirs."

"Well, we can't take a town with the three of us. The boss got back to me and is sending four more people through."

"That's good," Oslo replied.

"No you idiot, one of the people he is sending is Duwalt."

Oslo hissed in annoyance. Duwalt was the Boss's right-hand man and executioner. If they fucked this up the man was more than capable of taking them both out.

The group headed back to the Bazaar to meet up with the others.

***

Fiona watched the three riders leave. It was possible she could have killed the scout but she wanted to see what they were up to. She was also wary because she was still recovering from the dungeon. Her health didn't return quickly when she was injured, another day and she should be at full strength.

She had first spotted the man following them when she did an aerial recon. The man was smart and kept his distance, shadowing them from beyond normal detection range. Since the man had not attacked them she chose to follow him back. That was when she overheard their conversation. They were either after Paul or the half-elf. She was betting on the latter.

She flew back to warn Paul and Martin.

***

I rubbed my temples as Fiona told us about the group following me. Since she couldn't risk alerting them to her presence she was unable to get their levels.

"What should we do?" Martin asked.

"We will probably have to confront them at some point. First I need to talk to Belarius and see what he has to say. If he is in league with these people... I'll deal with it."

"Ok, but you can't take on seven people by yourself," Martin replied.

I gave a soft chuckle, "perhaps. See if your sister wants to do something to assist."

"I'll ask," Martin replied skeptically.

I understood his uncertainty. While his sister seemed like she would do anything to protect the town, it was unlikely she would jeopardize the safety and security of the town, for one outsider.

A show of strength might drive them away but these people seemed cautious. Nothing like the Black Dragon or other factions I had run into so far. Something about being given power had changed the way most people seemed to behave, that or they finally just dropped the thin veneer of civility. It meant it would be much more difficult to exploit their overconfidence.

'I hated fighting competent people,' I groaned.

The last competent person I fought had been Obidiah, and he killed me. I couldn't dwell on the issues, I needed to figure out a solution. First, I needed to talk with Belarius.

I headed upstairs where the man was gleefully examining all of the dead Earth tech he could. I told him he could take whatever he liked apart but he got irate at that suggestion.

"Belarius, can we talk?"

"Uh-huh, sure, have I mentioned how wonderful the tech on your world was, simply fascinating."

"Focus, Belarius," I said, rubbing my temple. "We discovered some people following us, do you know anything about that?"

"Oh.... don't worry about them, I'm sure they won't bother you," he said smiling.

He tried to walk out of the room but I grabbed him by the arm. "Then you won't have any issue if I kill them?"

I could feel the man's distress.

"You should just let me leave, these aren't the kind of people you want to involve yourself with."

"It's too late for that, they know where this city is and probably won't believe us if we tell them you left. No, you are going to wait here while I confront your friends."

"They are certainly not my friends," Belarius said with a huff.

"If you're not here when I get back I will treat you as I treat them," I said, leaving the room.

I couldn't leave Fiona here to watch the man but if he ran I doubt he would get far. Martin would be more than happy to help me track the man down.

Martin figured we had another eight hours before the people arrived. I wish I would have had more time to work on my tattooing but that simply wasn't the case.

I sat on a log about a mile from the city. While there were multiple ways to get to Arman from Biloxi, I expected this group to come the same way from before. I was proven right when I spotted a group of horses coming down the dirt road.

"Well, you ready?" I asked Fiona and Martin.

His sister had adamantly denied any assistance. Martin and she had gotten into a heated argument over it but she didn't budge. I was starting to think Martin was getting fed up with her recalcitrant attitude.

I think stubbornness ran in their family as I was unable to convince Martin to remain in the city.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," Martin replied.

"Trust in your friends," Fiona whispered into my ear.

I cast my buffs on us as the riders got closer. They came to a stop about a hundred feet away and got off their horses.

I watched as three of the men approached, I kept my eyes on all of them though. I looked at Martin to see how he was doing, he was rolling some dice around in his hand with a relaxed look on his face.

"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Martin asked.

"That's the one," a wiry looking man nodded in my direction.

So, this was the scout. I used Identify on the three.

Reginald | Heliolite | Level 14

Oslo | Pathfinder | Level 14

Zal | Brute | Level 16

The other four were too far away to identify, I would have to trust Fiona to warn us if we should escape.

"You can return the property you stole from us." the man demanded.

The Pathfinder and Brute didn't worry me too much but I wasn't sure about the Heliolite. I knew the base word stood for sun or light. If he was a light-based mage he could be dangerous.

"If by property you mean the half-elf I assume?"

"Yes, he is our property."

Just the thought of ownership over someone else made my blood boil. Just because they didn't slap a collar on him didn't make it any better.

"Well... that's where we have a problem. You see, he paid me to keep him safe," I said, producing my staff, "and I don't abide by people owning others. So, how bout you get back on your horses and head back to your own world."

The man looked at me with a smirk. "That's a nice staff, I think I'll hang it up as a trophy when I pull it from your cold dead hands."

Before they could react I activated Shroud. I had discussed this possibility with Martin during our wait. He said it was fine, he had skills that didn't rely on him being able to see.

I activated my talisman, I couldn't even recall how many uses I had left on the thing so I would have to use it sparingly. I could see the big guy stumbling around but the other two hadn't moved. I could see the Heliolite casting something. He started to glow as the mist started to evaporate in a small area around him. It didn't give me much time to work. I checked the other four who were also caught in the mist. They also hadn't moved.

I activated fire and earth on my staff, then my wings and Blink Step. I picked this area because it was clear of trees. I burst through the mist and soared into the air at a ridiculous speed. I checked on my targets below and Martin.

Martin had a prismatic barrier surrounding him and a little green imp that was running through the mist like it didn't exist.

I looked at the three next and saw the mage looking directly at me. I saw him point and I flapped one wing. I almost avoided a bright beam of light that speared from the man's finger. I grit my teeth at the pain as my leg went numb. I cast Rejuvenate as I continued my ascent. The man tried to fire a few more beams at me but I was able to dodge them. After twelve seconds I flipped over and dived straight at the man.

I flapped the wings as fast as I could to add speed to my descent. The man was now frantically trying to fire finger lasers at me as I rocketed towards him. He couldn't run as his aura spell was only slowly pushing back the mist and if he moved too quickly he would be lost.

The little imps, there were now five, were keeping the scout occupied. The big guy was howling in rage and swinging a mace in the mist.

Another laser hit my shoulder and activated my shield. It drained seventy points from the shield as the man turned to run. I activated my wings again and powered straight at him, activating Area of Denial.

The man turned and screamed as he burst with bright light. The spell blinded me as I slammed into the poor man at faster than terminal velocity. I liked to call this move the poor man's ballistic missile. My staff tip, sheared through some part of the man because I felt a tiny bit of resistance before I slammed into him with my shield.

My impact left a crater in the ground and the displaced air flung the mist away in a ten-foot radius.

I had to sit there as I was still blinded for another five seconds. I heard another scream coming from the direction the scout was last seen and when my sight came back I turned to look.

Ten imps were tearing the man apart. I turned back to look around me. The only thing left of the mage was an arm and part of his shoulder. The rest was splattered about, giving the mist a pink tinge in the area.

I decided to leave the giant to Martin as I walked towards the other four. The lead man had his eyes fixed on me with a big smile. He started clapping.

"Thank you for the show and for saving me some work. These three were dead no matter what happened today."

My steps halted as my mind seemed to lurch.

'Wait where you are, we will deal with you after the fog clears.'

My mind felt like molasses as it was attacked by the man's spell. I managed another step forward and it felt like I was walking through thick mud. It was enough to get the man into Identify range.

Frederick Duwalt | Psion | Level 18

I heard the man hiss to his cohorts. "He has a strong will, get in there and deal with him before he overwhelms my ability."

I watched the three pull out weapons and they dismounted and ran into the fog towards me. I struggled against the man's ability as the three continued to close. They came unerringly toward me. That would only be possible if they had items that let them see through the mists. Fiona waited until the men were within ten feet of me before she struck.

She stabbed the Psion through the back and he let out a scream of pain. Immediately I felt the power dissipate around my mind as I blurred into motion.

My first target was the fool that turned his head at the scream. I fed mana into my staff and activated Flurry, driving through his guard. He was quick but I only needed to brush against his skin one time for my blinding pain enchantment to activate.

He dropped his swords and screamed as the ability took hold. It was only amplified by the fact that he now had molten rock burning him in three spots. I bashed him upside the head as I spun to meet the next guy.

The man attacked me with vigor, trying to break through my blocks. The other man was also running up to attack as well. Both men blurred and became five as they came at me. I jumped back, taking three hits to my shield before I stomped on the ground.

Seismic Strike rippled out from me, fire-spewing from the cracks and burning away the false images as the real men stumbled. My staff shrunk as I activated the rune. I released it causing the staff to shoot forward as I activated Stunning Gust. A large spike of molten rock rocketed off my staff and straight through one of the men's skulls.

'I will never forget the smell of cooking brain matter,' I thought as I gagged.

The last man was getting to his feet as I cast Earth Fist, breaking his kneecap. He went down screaming. I saw him glowing blue as the knee popped back into place. I couldn't let him keep healing. I rushed in and attacked.

The man was a capable fighter, blocking my strikes and returning ones of his own. I managed to get Identify off while we battled.

Collin | Mimicrist | Level 13

So he could mimic attacks. That explained why he was so quick to counter my fighting style and why he could use that mirror ability. I let the man slap my staff away like I was running out of steam and he took the bait, slashing forward with his sword.

My shield took most of the blow as his sword cut across my torso. I latched onto his wrist and pulled him close as I activated Calcifying Strike. The man smashed my face with his forehead, causing my vision to go dizzy but I held onto his weapon arm with one hand. With my other hand, I changed my staff into the mace and smashed it across his face.

He screamed as all the active effects landed on his unprotected face. I kicked him away, causing him to stumble backward. He tried in vain to wipe the molten rock from his head. I released my shrink rune with both hands firmly on my staff as it shot forward, piercing through his throat.

The man kept activating his damn healing aura as I stacked more and more damage upon him. His face was a ruin and the calcification had steadily crept up his arm, unable to be healed by his ability. I lifted my staff over my head and slammed it down with all my strength. I heard the crunch of his skull as the man's body went rigid. Blood leaked from his ears as he collapsed to the road like a marionette with his strings cut.

I quickly checked on Fiona and Martin.

Fiona was still battling the Psion. He must have some way to blunt her attacks if she was having this much trouble. Martin now had twenty-five of the green imps attacking the large man with the mace.

The man just kept bellowing and slapping the things off of him. Each time he killed one, two more popped up. 'Well, that explains their numbers.'

I rushed to help Fiona.

'Stop!' the voice shouted in my head, causing me to freeze momentarily.

Fiona used the opportunity to strike out at the man again, fading back before he could retaliate. I slowly closed the distance as the man struggled to contend with both of us at once. Each time he froze me, Fiona attacked. As soon as he was forced to focus on her I got a few steps closer. I activated my Aura and the world turned red. I saw the man's eyes go wide and he tried to freeze me again but this time it failed and I Blink Stepped toward him, activating Flurry.

He was forced to defend himself as a telekinetic shield snapped up. Each blow of my staff slammed into the shield causing it to ring louder and louder. The man was bleeding from his nose as he held his hands out to keep the barrier active. 'Oh how quickly they forget,' I thought, as Fiona materialized in the space between his shield and the man's body. Her sword punched through his gut and into his heart. The man stumbled back, clutching at his chest before falling over dead.

I dropped my aura and quickly cast heals on myself. It was still odd to me that Fiona's weapons left no visible mark. I still recall the feeling of her sword cutting into me and the cold. I looked toward Martin to see how his imps were doing.

There was a literal mountain of them now, climbing and biting the giant of a man. His angry roars of protest were getting weaker as he slumped to his knees, the imps jumping all over him to get a piece for themselves. It was a slow agonizing process to watch but finally, the man fell to the ground. A few minutes later the mist cleared. Martin was still safe and unharmed in his dome. I did see a few scorch marks on the ground near him, from when the light mage had tried to attack him.

We looted what remained of the bodies, tossing the remains into the swamp before we headed back to town. Martin said the gators would enjoy a nice snack.

A bird that had been watching the entire fight flew off.