We walked in silence, the sweat sticking to my spine as I swelter under the sun. The heat is oppressive, and my thoughts turn to the deed ahead.

My mind focuses on an imagined future.

My shoulders stiffen as a dozen ways to kill her flash by each more nauseating than the last.

In the end, her limp body lies lifeless.

I stand alone; a killer.

We enter back into the main streets.

The hustle and bustle of the crowd thrum with life as I walk apart no longer trying to slow my pace for the Child.

I make my way towards The Regretful Goblin.

I walk into the inn as the sun starts to descend. I see no faces and my eyes glaze over as I look down.

My head bowing; humble as the dust.

I pass in broad daylight as another guest, I am a paying customer recognised yet invisible in my deadly purpose. Grecis is not here, I slip past the counter and sneak by the slaves creeping down below.

The smell hits my nose before I reach the bottom step. The taste of a cheap blade, the taste of blood flowing from an open wound; Iron. The stench of human flesh mixes with the kitchen’s meats, hiding it in plain sight.

I open the door.

The first sight is a female naked body with her legs hacked off. I look away to a male naked body with brutal gouging in his belly whose internal organs seem to have been ripped out.

I vomit.

"First time seeing a dead body." Asks Grecis.

I wipe the sick from my mouth.

"No." I glare at her. "Why do this?"

"A wife should support her husband. I’ve tripled our profits by exploring a new market for our goods.”

"Goods? People you mean." I clear my throat; it has suddenly become dry.

"What’s the difference?" she asks with sincerity.

"It never occurred to me that such wanton brutality could occur outside of the battlefield." I grimace. "Is the money the nobles pay you worth it? Does submitting to a patriarch ease your doubt? A monster you who slaughters your slaves. Who sees nought but profit in flesh."

"The poor scum aren’t worth a lick of consideration. I take no pleasure but I have a service to provide. You serve up rabbits for the belly, me I serve a delicacy for the loins and the belly." She pauses "Well sometimes I do take pleasure in the gutting, I focus on making the best cuts. It is important to take pride…"

She cuts off as the mana bolt strikes killing her instantly.

I drop to my knees and sob. The fear and hatred. The overwhelming sense of despair. As my chest weighs heavier than a mountain.

Why?

No. The question is how she came to be?

I need to get up, I can’t stay here. So many bodies to bury. So many lives were ruined and lost. She didn’t even recognise them as like her. She didn’t see our similarities. All she saw was flesh, coin and stigma.

By the philosophers, I don’t know if I was just. Forgive me, I couldn’t listen to another word.

"It’s done." Says Jerrick placing a hand on my shoulder. "It is okay." He claims and hugs me from behind. "It is over now."

I cry some more into his arms and we stay like this for a while. When I am ready I rub my eyes and stand up he lets go of the hug.

"She should have a record of her clients somewhere." I say to him.

"I will look for it." He hesitates. "You look like you could use some fresh air. How about you wait outside. I will have a look around and be up in a few. How does that sound?"

I pause, trying to think but the sorrow and despair cloud my thoughts.

I manage.

"Okay. I will wait outside."

"I promise I will be up as soon as I find it."

I climb the stairs, each step my legs feel stiff as stone.

The smell of smoke and burning bodies reaches my nose.

Smells like bacon.

I vomit again.

Jerrick appears coughing. Then he vomits as I had done.

He wipes his mouth and says. "That was worse than I thought it was going to be. I never thought about the smell."

"I had a friend who never ate pork again after the burning of Alasis, the smell of bacon alone would cause her to puke her guts out." I reply with a half-smile as we push our way out of the inn.

Smoke starts to billow out and a panic grips the guest of the inn as we all try to barrel out of the burning building.

Jerrick and I mix among the crowd.

"Give it a few and the smoke will fade as the fire cools off." Jerrick says with a smile and a sure tone.

We wait outside as the smoke dies down.