In just a few hours I came to the end of the open roads and into the dreaded woods of miscreants Flynn told me about. Not even ten minutes in, I came across a young woman, crying softly. “Mister,” she wheezed, her ankle bloody and mangled, “please, help me.”

I went to her aid immediately. “What happened?”

“A wolf. It, attacked me. Please, help me get back, to my father’s cabin,” her eyes watered.

“What were you doing out here?” I asked, picking her up off the ground and gliding in the direction she pointed.

“I was picking herbs for my sick father. I’m really glad you came along,” she smiled weakly and touched me on the cheek.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

To an idiot, sure.

We came to a dead end of sorts, with just two exits. I dropped her on the ground, “You can come out now, guys. Rob me, if you can!” I yelled to the environs.

A dart of sorts zoomed through the air, hitting my ice wall, so were a plethora of other projectiles, probably coated in poison.

“You’re a smart kid, but we’ve encountered others like you,” a thin cutthroat showed his face, clothed in camouflage, “you’ll run out of juice soon enough!” He said, licking his lips. I was so tempted to tout about Division, it was the perfect goddamn time, but that wouldn’t look too cool. A bunch of them surrounded me, at least ten brigands, plus there were others far off with crossbows.

“Try me,” I said, lowering my stance and clenching my fists. They charged in together, assuming I was going to go close combat with them, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Kor’zha, who I had summoned from the moment I left Aquan, was travelling beneath the earth. He made a ring of soft sand, causing them all to fall in–up to their chests. Chain Lightning, despite its perfect use-case in this scenario, was a little too powerful for humans and could possibly cause death, so I settled for a combination of Frost Trap to make sure they stayed put and Fire Blast to light them a fire for a while. Fire Blast was weak and would only cause small burns, it was good for distraction whilst Kor’zha dealt them a similar fate.

It happened so fast, the trickster girl only just realised this was the moment she should run.

“Well, for starters, wolves hunt in packs, they’re rarely alone. You can’t start off with a sob-story and show affectionate behaviour like touching my cheek, rookie mistake. And come on, no one’s going to live in forests notorious for its bandit activity.”

She trembled, probably having difficulty finding the strength to stand. I stooped near her, “Relax,” and brushed her hair past an ear gently, “I didn’t kill those guys so I won’t kill you,” then grabbed her by the chin, “you know a fellow called Richard Munroe, right? I want you to deliver a mess–” I stopped, then realised that idea would be a dumbass one. There was no way any form of message would reach Gassity before I did. “You know what, sweetie, I’m taking you with me. I want you to take me right to him.”

“Why the hell would I do that?!”

“Hey, buddy, I’m trying to make this a one-kill mission. It’d be nice if it could stay that way.”

“Munroe’s gang is our only source of income. If he dies, we’re basically dead too!”

“Aww,” I tilted my head in sympathetic way, “don’t say that. You’re okay-ish at illusion magic, I’m sure you could work as a clown somewhere.”

“Man, that was rude.”

But it was a cool comeback, right? Admit it.

She folded her arms and looked away, exhaling and pouting like an angry wife. Maybe I should just leave her behind in the ground, I began thinking. It’s obvious she was new to this with her amateur acting, but her stubborn ways made me feel like leaving her here to suffer.

“Well, have it your way,” I said, and had Kor’zha pull her into a hole like the others.

“W-what are you doing? You’re just gonna leave me here?!” Both Donna’s and my lips curled upwards in anticipation of that very moment. Without even turning around, I told her I won’t carry someone who’s useless to me, and casted Levitate this time.

The little one foot of altitude I gained when I casted that spell must’ve really set into her mind that this was actually happening. “Wait! Alright, I’ll show you where he is! Just get me out of this!”

After I rescued our rowdy damsel in distress and carried her away like a princess, I couldn’t bear to tell her Kor’zha’s trap would automatically push her allies back out after five or so minutes. But her expression would’ve been pretty comical. Pretty soon, we reached Gassity, a city of steam, industrialism and a kaleidoscopic wonderment of breweries. It was like a paradise to a young man, a naïve one at least. The bad economy, criminal activity, corruption, and homelessness made Aquan’s southern district’s issues look like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. “Does the police know you?”

“Huh? No, why?” she asked suspiciously, already fidgeting to get out of my arms.

“Sorry, you can’t run away now,” I winked at her. “Tell me, what do you think of the police force in this city?” I set her down and pulled a hood over my head.

“A waste of time,” she replied right off the bat.

“How so?”

“They only tackle small time crime, stuff even the businesses being robbed can handle themselves. But, it’s not really their fault. The government themselves are really corrupted, and only properly funds the police if they want something done.”

“So, the police get scraps?”

“Scraps would be nice, they get less than that. Honestly, they mostly survive out of the goodness of Gassity’s citizens. No one wants to be a cop anymore, and those who are still there are just old men past their prime.”

Well, that’s a bummer. I’d plan to get them involved in the whole fiasco, but it figures the face of justice would be unable to help in a city such as this. At this point I just leaned upon a nearby wall and thought about things. My original plan was to go in guns blazing, which, I was still of the mind to do. But with the help of Bad Ankle, I could zero-in on exactly where he’s known to be. The only issue is, could I trust her to do that? Because she’s come this far doesn’t mean she’d stay loyal to me when she so easily betrayed her old comrades. She seems new to the bad guy act, right?

“Mhm”

That must mean something recently happened to put her in that position.

“Stop, just stop! You’re not making enough money to mind someone! Are you crazy? What would Dawn think?”

Eh, you’re right. So, what could I tell her to make sure she leads me in the correct direction?

“Most you can do is get her a job, or something. She’ll have to take care of herself.”

Yeah, you’re right, I don’t want that responsibility.

I sighed, not particularly sure what to do. “Hey, Bad Ankle, what do you want?”

“Who the hell are you calling Bad Ankle, kid?”

“Answer me.”

“What, I want? To get the hell out of here, out of Gassity. Take me with you, please?”

The hell’s she saying?

“Tryin’ to play you for a sucker. You’d think she learned.”

“So, you saw your way out with me. Funny. And when you leave, what are you going to do?”

“Work for a tailor. I’m good with clothes.”

“And your family?”

“Dead.”

“Tell you what, Bad Ankle, you lead me to Richard Munroe. I take you to Aquan, but you’re on your own after that.”

I could almost see the sparkle in her eyes. “You got played, son.”

Eh, that’s fine. If I don’t get what I want I’ll just leave her where she is. It’ll work out.

“Deal,” she said, and we shook on it. She took me to an intricate maze of tunnels underground. I could’ve sworn it was the sewer, but the smell I expected wasn’t there at all. The deeper in we got, the more bandits I’d see peering daggers at me. They didn’t ask any questions though, so I knew they were told to stand down. Eventually, we came to a spherical room, with two arching staircases to the left and right walls, meeting a platform at the top.

A man sat on a chair, scribbling something onto paper. There was a cloaked individual to the side of him and about three grunts, one of which looked like a spell-hand.

“Are you Munroe?” I asked.

“Ah, I’d recognise that disgusting voice anywhere! Flynn, it’s so good to hear from you!” he turned around in his seat and stood up before he even properly looked at me. “Ah,” he stopped his advancement, “it seems I mistook you for an old friend of mine, boy. How very, uncanny,” he stressed, pretty much figuring out I’m Flynn’s son by now. He sat down again, “So, he sent you here in his stead? My, my, I know he’s a thief but cowardice of this magnitude is quite eh, embarrassing, won’t you say, um…”

“Eric,” I said, pointing one palm towards him, “Eric Archibald.” The two guards rushed to kill my line of sight and the spell-hand already began casting an illusion spell and a sleep spell, but I already put Dispel into motion and cancelled that effect. From just raising my hand, I could get a grasp of the power structure in his personal guard. Two close combatants, one brawny and one agile, a mage who might probably be a seasoned rank one Initiate in the order. The cloaked person off to the side didn’t do a thing, there was no reaction. I could tell right away it was a powerful mage, one I reckoned was about as strong as a councilman. Only then would they know I never planned to cast any offensive spells. That person then, was my main concern.

Suddenly, the person walked forth–a man by his movements–and simply rested his hand on the combat-readied arms of the grunts and mage. “Your name,” he said, “you are the Eric Archibald of Aquan, member of the Order of Mages and friend of May Pendulum?”

“Huh? How do you know that, buddy?” I asked.

He pulled his hood down, his butter-smooth voice revealing his true strength, “I am an Apostle. She has spoken of you,” he told me.

Would you look at that?

“An Apostle, in the underbelly of this city? Why?”

Don’t know, but there’s no way I’m beating an Apostle. I’ll need the spirit lords, Purist, Timedial, the whole works. I can’t belie–

The Apostle suddenly turned to Munroe, “My apologies, but this is something I cannot partake of. Please excuse me,” he said. We were all gaping in amazement.

“Dude, wait, at least tell me your name,” I stopped him before he passed me by. He came close, and whispered “Sven” into my ear, then made his way down the stairs.

Wow, Emily just indirectly saved my ass by blabbering.

“Well,” I put a fist to my palm, “back to business, right?”

The agile guardsman stepped in with his daggers, but was stopped by a force, which pitched him into the wall at a frightening speed shortly after, totally knocking him out. That was the first Divergence, if you didn’t realise. The mage casted a fireball, but I just stepped aside, placed a Frost Trap on his feet and summoned the hell that was Flame Strike. Whilst the magic circle took its obligatory few seconds to start up, the brute rushed in and swung his mighty axe, which was avoided easily when I stepped forward, going beneath his strike area and hugging him then casting Discharge and stunning him out of action. I casted Flame Strike again, this time for the axeman. Munroe decamped, foregoing the stairs in favour of jumping down, but I caught him with Arc Lightning mid-air, making his body tense up and stiffen. He fell rather disgracefully onto the ground. I floated down next to him.

“What will you do?” Donna inquired. I inhaled, whilst the screams of the brute and mage permeated my ears. “Eric, you’re not really thinking of–”

Killing him? Yeah, I am. This is the guy who held a grudge and moved on that grudge some thirty years after. He won’t give up.

“Don’t do it,” she said, a rather serious tone spilling from her lips, “as your master, as your friend, I’m telling you to stand down.”

The light of Arc Lightning reflected on the room as I thought things over. I stopped channelling the spell, “A voice in my head told me to spare you,” I said, walking off, “you can plan something stupid again but that voice won’t be there to save you another time.” I left quietly after. Donna, thanks.

“Yeah.”

“Bad Ankle, gather your things, we’re leaving.”

I glided back to Aquan with her on my back and her belongings on her back, arriving at sundown. I gave her enough coin to stay at an inn for a month then went home. The pleasing aroma of dinner wafted about, and I joined in quietly. Flynn had a weird look about him, which was understandable. Mom didn’t even bat an eye, as dad probably told her I’d be at the Order. All he did was nod at me, to which I nodded back. That was enough to understand what went down.

For the next few weeks, my brain fizzled, drowning in research on bringing the dead back to life. But every written word just seemed like superstitious nonsense that wasn’t proved or even had an evident basis or educated hypothesis. They were just random fantasies stitched together in scientific words. I went for a walk, after days of staying inside the stuffy classroom and library. “Back against the wall, huh, smartass?”

“…” I replied a literally thoughtless response. You’d learn the art of thinking absolutely nothing by force if you had someone who could see every little thought you ever conjured up. I dined in the fine taste of whiskey that morning. Don’t judge me. Donna was right, my back was against the wall and it was getting frustrating. No one knew anything substantial when I asked around the older heads of the Order. The ‘great’ library a normal person had to wait twenty years to gain access to didn’t have a speck of decent information.

Pyro saw me on his way to class on a bench outside, “Man,” he chuckled, “you look like shit.”

“I feel like shit, dude.”

“Well cheer up, Dawn’s coming,” he pointed in her direction.

She pecked me on the lips and sat next to me, “Morning. Here’s a fact. Did you know, normal people don’t drink alcohol early in the morning?” she said, taking my flask away. I’ve never met a more loving and merciless person. Her resemblance to the man of the house was growing by the day.

Volt laughed under his breath, “I’ve never seen you this disgruntled,” he turned away a little, “it’s actually kind of hilarious!” I was so out of it–not drunk or anything–that I hadn’t even notice Kira behind him.

“Oh, Kira. So, Violet…” I looked at Volt and he looked away.

“Dude!” Pyro got excited all of a sudden, “You’re not gonna believe this! Violet was cool with it! This guy has two girlfriends! Can you believe that shit?! I still can’t. Which girl shares her man?! This guy is a natural-born lady-killer,” he elbowed his brother.

“What?! No way!” I said, finding it equally hard to believe, “Two girlfriends, wow! Two, two,” I repeated, suddenly having a moment of a small revelation, “two!” Maybe there’s more than one way to bring you back? I mean, you need a body, so then what do I do? Dig up your corpse? Or do you get a brand-new body? Is that even possible with my level of power? Do I need your corpse for the best compatibility or something? Is there even such a concept of compatibility or can I just fit you in any human body? Where the hell am I even getting an empty human body without doing some illegal, creepy shit in a cemetery? Wait, I don’t need to wait that long, we could just use someone’s body at the morgue. Ah, no way their family is just gonna give me the body. Goddamit Donna this is impossible, what do we do?

“Hell, you’re asking me?! You literally have someone with the power of life and death ready to help you! Ask her, numbskull! And besides, I don’t want to look like someone else other than myself! And you better make me sexier than I was before!”

Huh? Well would you listen to this cheeky bastard? You should be thankful I’m even thinking of attempting such heresy!

“Hey, if I’m coming back, I might as well look better and be super healthy, right?”

Well, you have a point. But, but how?!

We got so heated in conversation that I nor Donna noticed Emily in the fray, speaking with them like it was just another day.