The trip from the orc forest to the town where I met Fiona took only three hours. I was curious about the state of the town so we flew over, remaining invisible.

The barracks were easily recognizable and still stood. It seemed fewer people manned the walls, but perhaps they were just out on patrol.

I did spot a few patrols, but I was surprised to see some of them were civilian patrols. No wall had been erected so the Sulid and other creatures were still about as I had spotted a few groups of those. There were some makeshift walls, set up to block off streets but it appeared that the locals and the Royal Guard had not joined forces. From the air, it was easy to see the mark of delineation, separating the north half of the town where the old citizens lived, and the south end where the barracks resided.

Martin saw this too and chimed in. “Are these people dumb, why haven’t they come together there is no way they can survive like this forever.”

I shrugged, “There were a lot of older people in this town, stubborn and prideful.”

“Geez, still.”

“Well, maybe you can work your charm and bring the two sides together to bargain?”

Martin gave me a sidelong glance before sighing. “Maybe, we’ll see what I can do.”

I smiled, I didn’t care if these people wanted to stay separate but I was finally seeing a need for strong forces to come together, even if it just slowed evil groups like the Black Dragon or the Sons of Autumn. As long as I wasn’t the one negotiating to make it happen that was.

I really wanted to unleash the mana cannons on the Sulid patrols but I didn’t want to give us away just yet. I was also tempted to drop Ska down to deal with them but figured with the locals' current separation that was unwise. Perhaps after Martin started his peace talks.

I looked over at Fiona and noticed she looked nervous.

“You ok?”

“Huh… oh, yeah… just not sure what I’m going to say to the Commander.”

“Say whatever you want, know that we got your back.”

She nodded slightly, still staring at the barracks in the remote viewer.

I should be the one worried but I wasn’t. The Sulid we spotted didn’t seem much stronger than the last time we were here, not that I could tell much from a glance. But if that was the case, it was unlikely the Commander had managed to get to level twenty yet. We would know more once we approached the town on foot.

I circled the fortress back to the south and found an old truck stop that was mostly intact. It was perfect because there was an old dirt pile behind it that made the stone of the fortress stand out less when viewed from afar.

The fortress touched down, cracking the old and worn blacktop as it settled on the landing struts. I angled the door toward the dirt hill, making it much harder to spot.

I would be engaging the defenses this time around but they wouldn’t last forever. We had a month at most before the gems ran out of power. I hoped to be gone by then but you never knew. If I needed to I could come back and recharge the gems. It was only a dozen miles or so.

“Grab everything you need, we may not be back for a few weeks. Ska if you want to stick with the group that’s fine, otherwise you can go hunting. Just avoid the other humans if you do. I think some might be a bit jumpy, having to deal with monsters on a daily basis.

Ska rumbled in ascent. “I will go hunt, but I will catch up with you before you reach the barracks.”

Martin and I gave him a fist bump before he disappeared out the door. We still weren’t ready so he would be long gone by the time we got outside.

***

Ska raced through the sparse tree cover and ducked behind buildings as he followed the scents only his sharp nose could pick up.

Paul had pointed out the frogmen to Ska and he was eager to test their mettle in combat. It wasn’t hard for him to pick up their scent. They smelled like rotting vegetation, mixed with dead fish. The thought of fish made his stomach rumble and he realized he hadn’t eaten since this morning. He growled quietly, admonishing himself as he should have grabbed some food from the kitchen before leaving the fortress. He would have to hunt something down on the way.

He stopped behind a building, overrun with trees and brush. A strong waft of the Sulid hit him and he stuck his head out to look around the building. He spotted three of the creatures, quietly poking at something a few houses down.

Ska’s lips rippled happily as he readied himself. He burst from his cover on all fours, racing toward the three as fast as his body would take him. He had covered half the distance before one of the creatures finally noticed him and let out a croak of alarm. The other two were still scrabbling to stand when Ska used Leap to cover the remaining distance.

They tried to stab at him with their cruel spears but they were slow and uncoordinated. The first one had its head smashed in by a swipe of Ska’s powerful hand. He didn’t even need to extend his claws as the creature hit the ground hard. Ska used Redirect to change course and get the one that was now behind him, surprising the creature as it tried to backpedal and skewer Ska with its spear.

The spear did rake a line across his chest but the gauntlet activated, preventing the blow from causing any damage.

Ska swiped down at the creature's face, raking bloody furrows and taking out an eye. The creature squealed in pain as it tried to jump away. The motion only made Ska’s need for the chase grow as he easily caught up to the prey. A Debilitating Strike tore out the creature's spine and ended its life.

Ska wheeled and looked for the last one, finding it hopping away like mad. He growled in satisfaction as he gave chase.

***

Martin, Frathsar, and I made our way on foot to the city. Fiona was with us but she was conserving her limited time for her human form. The reason we didn’t use mounts was to not spook the locals and to get a lay of the land. We weren’t even hiding behind Frathsar’s illusion magic.

I had also chosen to use Obfuscate to erase my second class altogether and lower my max level to eighteen. It more closely matched up to my fellow travelers and thinking on it, nobody was going to believe I had taken a second class as a Tempusmec when I never used a sword. Hell, I still had Randy’s sword tucked away in my ring. I planned to give it to Fiona after today. A gift to signify the completion of my quest.

We encountered a few roving bands of Sulid. But they hadn’t reached level thirteen yet, making them easy to dispatch. Some tried to run or hop away but they were cut down with ranged attacks. Arcane Bolt and Earth Fist were great for this. We even encountered a small group of level five goblins. I was merciless in slaughtering them, still a little angry over the loss of my beloved sweatshirt.

I made a note to scour the area later. Where you found one goblin, there were usually more.

After the encounter with the goblins, we didn’t run into any more monsters and Ska joined back up with us. We did, however, come across a Royal Guard patrol.

Could they even be called royal guards anymore?

I decided to leave the semantics up to someone else as Frathsar hailed the group of four soldiers.

“Greetings, guardsman. To whom am I addressing?”

The guards looked confused before one responded.

“Are you from the Kingdom?”

“Indeed I am, Perhaps you remember me from last season, Frathsar, Merchant Extraordinaire?”

The guards whispered amongst themselves, while not taking their eyes off of the five of us as Fiona was in her physical form. I was surprised they didn’t recognize her, then again she hardly resembled her spit-shined uptight self of less than a year ago.

“Yeah, we remember you,” one of the men finally responded, “who are the people with you?”

The soldiers didn’t look afraid, only wary.

“Good friends and travel companions.”

“…uh-huh. And what brings you back to this out-of-the-way city?”

“Why trade my good fellow. As well as an assignment for my friends behind me.”

That seemed to add a bit of light to their tired eyes.

“Oh yeah, an assignment from who?”

I decided to speak up, “Lord Durbin of the Asharon Kingdom. The details are for your commander though.”

The four deliberated amongst themselves for a bit more before deciding on a course of action. They were more subdued than I remembered them from my last encounter. It seems the months alone in an out-of-the-way fort, essentially, took some of the spit and polish off of them as well.

“Very well, but keep your weapons stored. And refrain from using any magic.”

We complied with the reasonable demand, not that I wouldn’t open a can of whoop-ass if it came down to it.

We followed behind the group as they led us to the barracks. It was only a mile or so and we didn’t encounter any more monsters. We did pick up another patrol group that followed from the rear, sandwiching us between them. I wasn’t too worried as a quick glance showed that their levels were between fourteen and sixteen. It was a good thing I had lowered my visible level. I don’t think they would have been as casual about leading four higher leveled people into the barracks otherwise. But they had the number advantage so it made them less nervous.

The barracks finally came into sight, looking a little more worn down than the last time I had been here. It looks like they had suffered more than one attack on their walls. But the sturdy stone and thick wood doors held firm.

A horn sounded as we approached, alerting the guards within to open the gate. It seemed like there were more faces than the last time I had been here. I looked for the slaves I had sent up this way but didn’t spot any familiar faces amongst the currently assembled men. I did spot the Commander, heading our way.

‘Well, this ought to be interesting.’

“Frathsar! I hadn’t expected you back this soon, and you brought guests?” the Commander said, his eyes roving over us before they froze on me, then flicked back to Fiona, who seemed to shrink at his penetrating gaze.

“I see we have a few things to discuss… Frathsar, how about you set up your stall and see if you have anything my men would like to purchase. Afterward, we can discuss your remaining wares.”

I could tell by the Commander’s tone this wasn’t a suggestion for Frathsar, but an order. I rolled my eyes, earing a glare and a frown from the Commander.

“Follow me, we appear to have a lot to discuss.”

“Ska, how about you keep Frathsar company.”

Ska nodded, happy to not sit through a boring meeting.

We entered what looked like a small conference room. The table in the center was old and looked like it fit with the style, but the modern-looking leather chairs did not.

“Please, sit.”

The three of us sat, followed by the Commander, his armor clanking against the side of the chair. I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect this meeting to go this smoothly.

“So, you actually returned… gotta admit, I had assumed you were dead or had run off with the money. But looking at my lost soldier, I see we have a story here… Spectral Companion?”

I slapped myself mentally. Of course, he would identify her. Not like she could hide her class.

Fiona let out a sigh before telling her story.

***

“So let me get this straight… you died, then were revived as a ghost, only attached to this man?” the Commander gestured towards me.

“Pretty much,” Fiona replied.

“And what of these Black Dragons? That was the group that that nasty mage belonged to correct?”

“She is dead, along with the entire leadership and most of their members. The rest have been scattered and shouldn’t pose any more threat than usual bandits,” I replied, cutting in.

“So why bother returning here? Your mission was a failure.”

“Two reasons. First, you deserved to know what happened to one of your soldiers and the second was because Lord Durbin gave us an assignment.”

The man grunted before snapping his fingers at me and holding out his hand, “let's see what that snake wants.”

I handed over the sealed document and the Commander produced a knife and deftly sliced the seal open. His eyes scanned over the document quickly before he tossed it to the table and leaned back in his chair, looking tired.

“Did you know what his orders were?”

“No, but from what I have heard, I have a good guess.”

He gestured to the paper and Martin picked it up as he was the closest. With each word, Martin’s face drooped. He handed it to me.

By Order of Lord Durbin, acting regent of the Asharon Kingdom and highest-ranking individual on this planet, I hereby order you to gather your forces and vacate the displaced barracks. You are to turn over the Kingdom’s seal to the man who presented you with this order.

You will march your men south to Durbinton where you will swear fealty. Failure to do so in a timely manner will result in you and your entire command being labeled traitors to the crown. Your titles and land will be forfeit and a bounty will be placed upon your heads.

By the grace of the King and the crown,

Lord Gabrielle Durbin - Royal Inquisitor

I winced at the harshness of the letter as I handed it to Fiona.

“Well, that sucks.”