A young woman lays in a bed. Her face is swollen, her eye blackened, and her golden hair is a mess. She looks up at him with eyes filled with tears and sobs.

"Such a look is unsuitable for the lovely daughter of a wealthy merchant." Garvan says with a warm smile.

Lina lays her hand over her heart, sighing contently. "Garvan, oh great friend. I'm so glad to see you."

She rises and hugs him. He embraces her tightly, his hands stroking her hair.

"I'm glad to see you too, Lina. Are you weeping for Omar?"

She sobs a little more and speaks with a shaky voice, "Yes, today is his birthday. I miss him so much..."

"So do I." Garvan lets out a sigh, pauses for some moment and then quickly changes the topic to lighten the dark mood. "How are things at the candle factory?"

"They are good, but I'm sure you could see that if you passed the factory. No, what brings you to see me. Is there something wrong? You seem troubled."

"Yes, I am troubled. I'm being chased for killing the Shadow Soldiers of the empire."

"Chased? By the kingdom's law?"

Garvan explains the werewolf situation to her.

"Oh, my....I told you before, Garv. Your curiosity will someday lead you to doom! You shouldn’t have experimented with witchcrafts."

"Yes, but I should be safe here with you, right?", Garvan asks.

"Why would the guards bother you? You are a good man."

"Because I'm wanted for killing people? I don't know...I've done nothing like this before!"

Lina sits down on her bed, hugs her knees to her chest and rocks back and forth with her eyes closed. She sighs and looks back at him as she continues speaking. "Have you gone insane? Of course you haven't. You have killed no one before.You are innocent."

"I did kill those bandits before."

"Those were not men. Those were monsters! You are a hero."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course. Why would you be wanted for murder? You aren't a bad person."

"I'm baffled. I feel like I am...But I'm not. I don't think I am. They say I killed people and chopped their heads off. I know I didn't. At least, not consciously."

"Oh my dear sweet friend, you have done no such thing intentionally. You were unconscious when magic took over you."

"That's not an excuse to kill people! You don't go around killing people in such a beastly state!"

She takes his hand and squeezes it, never letting it go. "Listen to me. You have done none of these things intentionally, but this is not the time to debate it. Leave the city immediately. You can't stay here. My brother is an extremely lawful person. They are going to find you and kill you, or worse! You'll be put on a chopping block for sure. Chances are they will execute you right away if they catch you."

He says "But... the world outside of this city walls is unknown to me.."

She says, "There is nothing to be afraid of. I know you are not a bad person. You have done nothing wrong. You must face your fear, for good or ill."

Garvan freezes in uncertainty as his mind jumps back and forth between decisions.

"Listen," she says, grabbing his shoulders, "You have always been in your comfort zone, working with your alchemical projects, happy and sound. But it's about time you take a risk and get out of that comfort zone. Get out, travel, see the world. You know you want to. Nae. You ought to!"

"But..."

"No buts, now is the time for you to take the risk and do something."

"I suppose..."

Her eyes narrow. "Then take the risk and leave this city. Cross the gate and embrace the unknown. You will not only be safer but also face the new adventure ."

He looks at her with an eyebrow raised. "How do you know I won't be scared?"

She shrugs as she skips towards the door. "Because you are going to be scared. I'd be scared. But you must do it, anyway. That's the whole point of leaving your comfort zone. Remember that beyond the fear lies the victory. After you win, the fear will slowly fade and everything else will come back as well." Lina swiftly locks the door.

He smiles a bit. "Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

Outside, there's a ruckus. Guards are most likely on the way to find out what's going on. They're most likely speaking with Lina's brother Henry at this time. They'll soon come here to look for information and search.

She turns to him. "Well, the choice is obvious. Staying here or setting out on your first adventure!"

"How do I get out of here?" he asks with surprise.

"The window," she gestures, "But you'd need a lot of luck to get outside without being seen." Lina smiles at him. "I might have something in mind for you. A blunderbuss, to be precise."

It's a smooth-bored, muzzle-loading short gun with a big caliber.

"A good luck charm can be made by attaching the barrel to your stuffed leather duster." She adds.

"By gods, this looks expensive!"

"Needn't you worry. You'd be able to take on greater prey without being weighed down, and it would easily scare wolves and bandits away. Kindly, take it. You're going to need every bit of fortune you can muster out there. Garv, best of luck." She briskly puts some gold coins in his pocket.

He thanks her, but she waves away his gratefulness. "My job was only to provide a gift. You're the one who's going to have to make it out of here alive."

He nods. He needs to make his way out of here fast, as the guards are already banging on the door.

Lina helps him with getting the blunderbuss, and a few other supplies strapped on him. Soon, he's ready to go. He stands by the window, looking down.

"I'll be back as quick as I can. Try not to get into too much trouble," he says, smiling at Lina.

She returns the smile, but her eyes show worry. "I'll be fine. You get out there, and be careful."

Best to follow Lina's advice.

He nods before he jumps. He falls down, quickly spiraling downwards. Out of the shop, and down the street he goes.

He glances around, spotting an arboretum sign not too far away from his original landing spot.

He rushes over and spotting an old tree with low enough branches to climb on. As he runs over, he hears the sounds of marching soldiers down below. He waits till the advancing troops have passed.

He jumps down, landing lightly on his feet. Rubbing his palms into his eyes, he tries to get rid of any tears that could impair his night vision, and begins walking off to the side.

He walks with haste and stealth, sticking to the darkest nooks and crannies in the alleyways. A few angry shouts and cries from some of the less disciplined soldiers do come from time to time. He pays them no attention, focusing more on his surroundings.

His nose picks up the foul smell of the city's sewerage, and he quickens his pace.

He eventually stops in an alley to rest and gather his thoughts.

Lina's advice is sound and motivating, but his thoughts are pulled to the home; he is attempting to avoid leaving his beloved city.

At home, he has expensive and rare books on the mystical and arcane. His spell books and most of his gold are there. People only know about his lab, but few know where he lives, as he had always kept his squalid little loft a secret for fear of someone stealing his books.

'If I am lucky, the city guard will not know where I sleep... I may as well have a look.'

He makes the trek across town to his neighborhood. Rather than immediately creeping into the alley and climbing up the crumbling wall to the roof access of his loft as he normally does, he decides instead to first walk around the block. As he passes the alley entrance, he sees the flash of metal.

A guard!

He turns away and keeps walking, his head bent low to allow his hood to shield him. Across the street he slips into another alley and then climbs up a wall he scaled many times as a boy. Carefully, he peeks over the rooftop, down at his apartment and down the alley accessing it.

There are two guards walking aside a man in a long gray robe.

'That is Pobian the Seer!'

Seers like Pobian are adept at using their crystal balls to scry (spy) upon beings. Garvan knows that the city authority often employs seers to track down fugitives.

'Fugitives like me', he thinks.

In Pobian's hand, there is something... Garvan's prized spell-book! Even from this distance, the red leather binding is unmistakable.

One of the guards carries a sack filled with something. More of his possessions, no doubt.

'I have a home no longer', he realizes.

It is depressing that they found his valuables so quickly, considering the pains he took to disguise the secret compartment under the floorboards. Worse than losing his things is the thought of why they went through the trouble to find them and haul them off.

'Pobian will use my book to scry upon me!'

Scrying spells, spells that allow one to spy on another from a distance, usually require a possession of the owner. The more dear the possession, the easier it is to track down the person the item belongs to.

Pobian is hardly the most powerful seer in the city. He is a B rank seer; nevertheless, he certainly will have no problem finding Garvan if he uses his red book, given the countless hours he has spent studying it!

One guard turns back down the alley toward his loft (they have brought a ladder to access it). The other guard, who he now recognizes as McConnel of Hivemoor from the Outer Circle, remains with Pobian, who is strolling down the street while inspecting Garvan's book.

Garvan knows neither of the men well; however, he is fairly certain that Pobian knows only divination spells, nothing that would harm him directly. McConnell, on the other hand, is a disciplined and skilled A rank soldier.

Despite McConnell, he decides he must get that book back. If he doesn't, he'll be caught soon, anyway.

McConnell remains close to his charge and appears vigilant. They are nearing Dove Row Square, a busy intersection of the city.

Garvan scrambles off the roof and hurries after them.