The trip to the inn the others were staying at took quite a while considering we kept to the smaller streets and alleys. I also had to take care to not been seen now that my face and hair were exposed even after I had tried covering myself back up with what I still had.

"The inn is on the next street over." Medic said eventually and came to a stop.

"Coming here was a bad choice," I said. "Since they found me by following you won't that mean they will know where you are staying?"

Meric nodded. "Perhaps, but Pali would not have found us if we had gone to your place."

I looked around the street. A few people were going about their business, one or two glancing at us curiously, but I saw nothing unusual. I had been expecting soldiers to be running around in force, looking for the ones who had killed their comrades, but it had been quiet.

Maybe the Major that had been following Medic and Pali had told no one what he was doing? It would make sense if he was after my bounty, but would he have been able to have taken that many soldiers with him and not be noticed by anyone?

That still left the soldiers that had run. All it would have taken was one returning to base and whoever was in charge would have sent out search parties. I figured all the soldiers that had run had gone into hiding as they would be put to death if anyone found out they had fled.

"Dario." Medic said, breaking my thoughts.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Will you look around the inn and see if you can spot anything out of the ordinary?" Medic asked him.

Dorito's face grew scared for a moment, but he nodded and walked off.

A few minutes later he returned.

"I think it is safe." He said. "I even went to our room and did not see anyone."

Medic looked at me for a moment then turned and started walking towards the direction of the inn.

Just as Dorito had said, no one stopped us or attacked us.

"This is most strange." Medic said as she looked around.

"If Pali is not back soon I am leaving," I said.

Dorito gave me another angry look.

"I agree." Medic said. "Staying here is too much of a risk to take."

We entered the inn and made our way to their room cautiously.

Medic opened the door a crack and peered inside.

"It is safe." She said and entered.

Dorito and I followed her inside.

Medic immediately placed Caldren on the bed while I lay Ferret on the floor.

"How is he?" Dorito asked Medic.

"His bleeding stopped a while ago, but he will most likely get an infection if we do not remove the arrow and dress the wound properly."

"Can you do it?"

"I would prefer an experienced healer but I can if Pali cannot find one soon."

Dorito looked at me accusingly again and Medic looked as if she wanted to interrogate me when she was not tending to Caldren but neither spoke to me.

"You made it safely!" Pali said excitedly when he returned with a healer in tow.

Pali gave me a curious look when he saw I had covered myself back up.

I hadn't wanted the healer to get a good look at me so I had borrowed some of Ferra's unused clothing. Dorito and Medic hadn't looked comfortable with me rummaging through her belongings, but aside from a bit of whimpering from Dorito, I received no complaints.

"I assume that is the boy over there?" The healer, a middle-aged man that looked more well off than the norm, said.

"Yes," Pali replied.

The healer nodded and headed for Caldren.

"I was worried there would have been trouble when you arrived," Pali said, motioning for everyone to join him on the side of the room opposite of the healer.

"I think we should go to my inn as soon as the healer is done," I said as soon as everyone had seated. "I will tell you everything when we get there."

"I am sure you have a big adventure to tell," Pali said.

"She better." Dorito huffed.

"While we wait, I have some good news Salis," Pali said, ignoring Dorito.

Good news? I wonder what kind of news they would think I considered good.

"Good news?" I asked.

"Helnion has been found and is back home with her family!"

So they had taken Helnion back to Flaern. I hadn't been sure what Usui, or whoever had come after that mess, would have done with her but it appeared they had let her go home.

"I have only heard secondhand, but she had her own little adventure after they separated her from you," Pali said.

Pali told me everything that had happened to Helnion. From what he told me I was almost certain that one of the Deity had used her to get their stolen items back and judging from the skills the women had I was also certain she was a servant, most likely one under Melche considering none of the others I had seen had used magic.

"Do you have any questions?" Pali asked.

"Not really," I replied.

"I guess we can rest while we wait for the healer to work on Calren," Pali said, sounding a little disappointed.

"I have finished." The healer said a few minutes later.

The man had worked fast, and I guessed half an hour at most had passed by.

"The wound was not terrible, but he has lost much blood and will need rest for a few weeks." The healer continued.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Pali said and pulled out his coin pouch.

The healer chuckled softly. "I am used to it. Many afflictions will not wait for a trained healer if we do not make haste."

Pali handed the healer several silver coins.

"If you do not need anything else…" The healer said, glancing towards Ferra.

"No, it is too late for the other," Pali replied, his voice full of sorrow.

"I am sure your story is interesting, but I know better than to stick my nose into things." The healer said before bowing and leaving the room.

"We should leave now." Medic said. "I believe Salis has offered to let us stay with her."

"Yes, that sounds good," Pali replied as he stood up.

"I will carry Calren." Medic said and headed for the bed.

I wanted to leave this place quickly, so I wasted no time and picked up Ferra while the others collected their belongings.

"Lead the way," Pali said and opened the door.

It was not long until I found myself back in my room at my inn. The trip here had been quiet and uneventful.

"So this is where you have been staying," Pali said, laying his possessions on the floor.

"How come we did not get a place this nice?" Dorito asked.

Everyone ignored Dorito's comment.

"Now that we are here." Medic said, placing Caldren on my bed. "Can we get some answers from you Salis?"

Medic looked at me and then Ferret.

"Yes, I would like to hear why you killed Ferra." Dorito looked livid.

"Yes, Salis. I too want to know what happened and why." Pali said as he looked between me and Ferra.

I looked at all three of them. I owed them an explanation after what happened.

"I'll start from the beginning," I said after a moment.

Medic and Pali nodded in approval. I ignored Dorito.

I started my story at the point when I got back from Flae. It was when I got to the point Usui came in that I was interrupted for the first time.

"You mean to tell us you met Usui?" Pali asked.

I could tell from the look on his face he was unsure whether to believe me.

"She is making it up!" Dorito said.

"Quit Dario!" Medic slapped him lightly on the arm.

"I guess it would make sense that Usui would have an interest in Salis. She is unique, both physically and mentally." Pali said with a shrug.

"He tried to get me to join his harem," I said in disgust.

Pali laughed. "I do not think he knew what he was getting into when he asked you that!"

I waited for Pali to stop laughing and then continued my story. This time I made it to when I left with the Servant before I was stopped.

"So this is where you were separated from Helnion?" Pali asked.

I nodded. "You'll have to ask her if you want to know what happened to her after this."

"Does no one else find Salis joining the bad group wrong?" Dorito said, cutting off Medic just before she was going to speak. "That girl Perrinu would not have died and Helnion would not have gotten hurt if Salis had not done that."

"True," Pali said after a moment. "But if she had not, it sounds like they would have gotten attacked anyway and all three of them just might still be on Korron."

"If she was there in the first place!" Dorito spat back.

Medic stood up and punched Dorito in the back of the head. Sending him sprawling on the floor.

Pali looked shocked. I was too.

"You will not utter another word!" Medic yelled, her face filled with anger and her voice seething. "I am tired of your constant pessimism and need to argue with others!"

Pali looked like he wanted to say something but I could tell that he wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

Dorito picked himself up from the floor and sat back on the stool he had been on. He looked shocked and scared but said nothing.

"If you would continue," Medic said when Dorito was seated.

I did so, still surprised at the scene I had just witnessed, except now I wanted to laugh thanks to the stupid look Dorito now had on his face.

This time I finally got to tell them about everything I had learned about the servant, except the things about making Terrans, and what he had planned with the Berserkers. I also told them it was likely that he had done nearly the same thing he had done to them to me except, I was not insane.

"So he dropped you off in a canyon filled with people that wanted to kill you?" Pali asked as soon as I finished. "Why would he do such a thing if you were a part of his experiment?"

"I think he wanted to force me to kill them, to use this ability he gave me on them," I replied. "I'm still uncertain what killing them with the ability does to me, but the more I kill the stronger I feel. I know my wounds heal faster now and I think I am faster and stronger too."

"I think so." Medic replied. "I saw you fight. I have never seen anyone move that quickly or hit as hard as you did. No normal person would have been able to take on that many enemies at once and come out without a single wound. I also saw how easily you broke their swords with your own. All but the strongest men with the most fine crystal forged swords can break an iron sword with such ease."

"I saw you too, Salis," Pali said. "Your fighting and the ease at which you carried Ferra were astounding."

"If Salis was so strong why did she not push Ferra away from her. It should have been easy." Dorito said.

Medic and Pali looked at me.

"I don't know…" I answered honestly. "Even though I wanted to push her away from me, I couldn't. It was like we had become connected."

"Connected?" Pali replied. "I wonder if a bond is made between you and your victim that cannot be broken…"

"That makes sense." Medic said, although it didn't sound like I entirely convinced her.

"It is true." A familiar voice said.

Everyone immediately turned to look to see who had talked.

Sitting in the window was the older brother of the two boys that Servant had picked up.

"Gyael!" Pali said in surprise.

I was surprised. Why would Pali know him? Unless…

"I was curious where you went after you showed us where to find Salis. I hoped the soldiers had done nothing to you. I also wanted to thank you." Pali continued.

So it was the older brother that helped them find me. I had been wondering how they had done it.

"I was only doing what Master told me to do." Big Brother said and then turned to me. "It is time to play Little Big Sister Salis."

So it had finally come to this. I would fight the brothers now.

"I don't want to play with you," I said, knowing they would probably ignore me.

"First, my little brother wants to talk to you." Big Brother said and tossed a communication crystal to Pali. "Since she cannot use magic, you will have to power it for her."

Pali looked from the crystal and then to me. "What does he mean you cannot use magic?"

My neck had been completely covered up to this point, even after the Little Brother had taken my disguise, and I had not told them about it during my story.

I pulled the cloth wrapped around my neck away, revealing the crystal collar.

"A magic sealing collar?" Medic said and got up to look at it.

"How come you did not tell us about this earlier?" Pali asked.

"Could you have removed it if I had told you?" I replied with a slight shrug.

Medic and Pali looked at each other.

"I am afraid not," Pali said. "Calren is the best magic user with us and I am fairly certain he has not been taught how to remove a collar like that."

I had thought as much.

"My brother is waiting." Big Brother said, his voice sounded bored.

Pali looked at the boy then to the crystal. The crystal soon lit up.

"Now hold it so she can talk." Big Brother commanded.

Pali did so.

As soon as Pali held the crystal in front of me, Little Brother's face came into view.

"Hello, Little Big Sister Salis." He said, smiling like we were old friends.

I said nothing.

My silence didn't seem to affect Little Brother, and he continued speaking as if I had.

"Master wanted me to show you some people before you played with my brother." Little Brother moved aside so I could see what was behind him.

What I saw was some place I had never expected to see again. It was my home in Porra-Kel and my Calorin family was all there.

"Salis! It really is you!" Mama Eliz said excitedly.

"Yes, we were extremely worried when Instructor Pali told us you had disappeared." Papa Garen added.

"Say hi to your big sister Salis." Mama Eliz said to the children that were sitting around the table in the background.

They all waved towards the crystal and shouted hellos at me.

"I hope you come back home soon. It has been so long since we have seen you and we never have been able to thank you for the money you sent to us." Mama Eliz continued after the children had finished.

Little Brother stopped my adoptive parents and focused the crystal back to himself.

"Master said for every minute you do not beat big brother I would get to "eat" once." Little Brother said and grinned.

The way he said eat set off alarm bells in my head. He had told me he would kill one of my family members for every minute it took for me to defeat Big Brother.

"I am not sure what is going on, but I do not see why you would be against playing with someone Salis. I know how easily you get bored." Pali said.

Since Pali could not know the true significance of Little Brother's words, I told him.

I pulled out my sword and pointed to it. "Play," I said and entered a combat stance. I then pointed to Ferra and said, "Eat."

"By playing, he means fighting you and eating is using that ability?" Medic asked.

Pali look at me and Big Brother confused. "You want to fight Salis and will kill her family if she does not?" He asked Big Brother after a moment.

Big Brother nodded. "Master wants to see which one of us is stronger."

"Can I speak to this master of yours? What he is doing is wrong. I cannot allow this to happen." Pali began to panic yell.

Big Brother shook his head. "Maybe later." He said before turning back to me. "Loranthin is probably getting hungry."

"Yes, hurry big brother." I heard Little Brother say from the still active crystal.

"Start counting now, Loranthin." Big Brother said.

I immediately heard Little brother start counting.

"Come on Little Big Sister Salis!" Big Brother said, standing up from his spot on the window. "Unless you want Loranthin to have a full meal."

Big Brother jumped out the window and into the street.

"Do you think they will go through with it?" Pali asked before I moved to follow Big Brother.

"Their master is the Servant that gave me this stupid ability and he gave it to them too," I said as I headed to the window.

I jumped out of the window to words of shock and dismay by Pali, Medic and Dorito.