&&&&& ASTRAL SPACE &&&&&

James and Onyx stepped into astral space. He was pleased to see that she could also manifest in this space. Now for the following test: James activated Astral Anchor. For him, nothing changed, but he knew he was now in the Astral Space that corresponded with his room at Ferdinand's. Looking to his left, Onyx was right there beside him, tail just a wagging. With a smile, James opened Astral Door and stepped into his room.

&&&&& Real SPACE &&&&&

James and Onyx stepped into his bedroom. It was near dusk, and a little light came in through the window, casting the room in deep shadows. James was a little surprised to see someone in the room that was neither Jones nor Veronika riffling through his nightstand. Normally, James would not attack someone just because they were in his room, but the man was wrapped entirely in black and was wielding a handheld crossbow.

The man spun around when the Astral Door opened and bathed the room in the bright light of Astral Space. The sight must have startled him as he paused, staring at the doorway. The would-be thief was brought out of his shock when Onyx started barking at him. Not wasting more time, he fired a crossbow bolt at James and rushed for the shuttered window. James spun and dropped down to one knee simultaneously as he brought the shield up to cover his body and head. The crossbow bolt caused a ringing noise as it punched through the shield and bounced off James' newly cleaned armour. Onyx continued to bark as she gave chase to the man fleeing the room.

Spinning back up, James saw the man crash through the window, followed by Onyx. Sprinting to the window, James saw the man tumble and roll to his feet, and Onyx stumbled as she tried to regain her feet. His room door burst open, and James turned in time to see Jones and another guard enter his room.

"A man dressed in black. Fled through the window. My dog is chasing him. Go!" With that, James turned and leaped out the window as well.

Somewhere in the back of James' mind, he knew he was on the house's second floor, but after seeing the man and Onyx leap through the window, that part of his mind decided it was not that big of an issue. It was wrong. Trying to turn the fall into a roll failed, and James landed poorly. It took several seconds, two uses of his Power Heal Self III and a Potion of Healing before he was back on his feet. By this time, he could hear Onyx barking in the distance but couldn't see her.

"We do have stairs, you know?" Jones said with a grin as he ran up to James.

"They made it look easy," James complained, trying to find Onyx or the fleeing man in the tree line or fields.

"They probably have some Skill that allows them to defenestrate without getting hurt," Jones explained.

James looked at Jones, "What?"

Jones pointed off into the distance, "There!"

James saw Onyx barking at the base of a tree. Suddenly, she yelped and fell to the ground. James used Shadow Step and stepped into the shadow of a nearby tree just as the man in black dropped down from the tree and landed beside Onyx. Taking his dagger, he stabbed the dog in the chest and then moved on. He didn't even look at Onyx when he killed her but was watching Jones charge in his direction from more than a hundred meters away. James drew his Glick Sword and took another Shadow Step to get behind the man as he turned to flee. The man never noticed James until it was too late, and James had used the sword to hamstring him. The blade cut down on the leg but met resistance from the fabric the man was wearing. It didn't stop the sword completely, but James figured he should have cut both legs instead of one.

The man was obviously highly trained as he didn't cry out or panic. Instead, he spun around and slashed at James with his Dagger. James activated Dodge and stepped aside while Jabbing at the man's legs with his Glrick Sword. James had the advantage of reach but didn't want to give the man any chance to escape. Activating Shield Bash, James stepped forward and slammed his shield into the man. He hoped he would knock him to the ground, but the man only took a step back. James Jabbed his sword into the man's legs once more before the Stun expired. James made a note of the fact that the Stun did not last the full three seconds. This time, the man's legs buckled, and he fell to the ground on his knees.

Although the Shield Bash had not reset, James tried to smash the shield into the man's face anyway. The man Dodged and spun on his knee, sweeping James' feet from under him. As James fell to the ground, the man jumped on top of him with the dagger poised to slash his throat.

James activated Shadow Step and appeared just above the man but facing downward. The man fell to the ground as James disappeared, and then James landed on top of him when he reappeared. James used the cops of his bracers to slam his elbow into the back of the man's neck, but to James' surprise, the man spun in place and rolled James off. Scrambling to his feet, the man tried to bolt for the woods when Jones slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. Jones is a big man in heavy armour. The man crumpled to the ground and had the wind knocked out of him as Jones landed on top of him. Using this advantage, Jones slammed his fist into the man's face several times before the man stopped moving.

James looked around for Onyx and got a bit frantic when he couldn't find her body.

"Easy, James. Onyx should be somewhere on your person. She is a Figurine, remember. You can resummon her tomorrow." Rocko said in a calm voice.

James looked over at Rocko, who was sitting at the base of the tree. Even when he was told this, it was still a few seconds before the information sank in. Onyx was a Figurine, not a natural dog. Not a real dog. Getting up off the ground, he walked over to Jones, who had just pulled the man's mask off.

"Do you know him?" James asked Jones.

"Yes," Jones said gravely. "I know all the low-life, scum-sucking half breeds that like to skulk around your room."

"A 'no' would have sufficed," James said, a little hurt.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Jones said. He grabbed the man by his ankle and dragged him to the house. By this time, several other guards had finally shown up.

"I think that is his wounded leg," James shouted at Jones' retreating back. "Not that I think you care," James finished more quietly.

"Oh, he probably does. Just not the way you would think," Rocko said with a chuckle.

The house was a hive of activity. Veronika was away for the evening, visiting a friend who was having a baby. Ferdinand had been in his office when the alarm sounded and was moved to a more secure location by his guards. James found out that there were a dozen active guards in the house at any given time. With the fuss, the inactive guards that stayed at the guardhouse came out to help.

James and Ferdinand had retired to his office and had two guards posted in the room and four guards posted outside the room. Two at each exit. It was a couple of hours before Ferdinand was given the first report.

Jones stood at attention before Ferdinand at his desk, "A complete search of the house has been completed, and we found a set of workman's clothes abandoned in a closet not far from Master James' room, Sir."

"How did he get in the house?" Ferdinand asked.

"From what we discerned, he posed as a workman that Lady Veronika had repairmen in the house yesterday to work on the parlour, Sir."

Ferdinand frowned, "The one that caught fire a month ago? I thought that was fixed already."

Jones shook his head, "Yes, Sir. But she was not satisfied with the colour of the wallpaper and had some men come in and change it, Sir."

"Were they not escorted in and out of the house?"

Jones frowned, "Yes, Sir. One of the new men hired a couple of months ago was responsible for their escort."

Ferdinand tapped the table, "Where is he now?"

Jones shook his head, "No idea, Sir. He was off today, and one of the other boys said he had gone into town to meet a girl. I have a couple of the men searching for him, and I have put out the word that he is to be brought in, Sir."

"Any thoughts on who our friend is?" Ferdinand asked. James was amused because it was the same question he asked.

"No, Sir. I can tell he is not a local, but that is all. He is in the basement awaiting your pleasure."

Ferdinand nodded again, "What did you find on his person?"

Jones pointed to a bag of items he had brought in earlier and set on the floor, "The standard kit of a professional assassin. His armour is Enchanted, as is his crossbow. He had several bolts which were poisoned. The other items will need to be Analyzed for verification."

Ferdinand frowned, "Did you search James' room?"

Jones nodded and gave James a quick look, "Yes, Sir. Nothing seemed to be out of place. James doesn't have much in his room, and nothing was left behind."

Ferdinand continued to tap the desk. James thought it might be a nervous tick or a habit to annoy other people, "Very well. Continue the search outside. Go a mile in each direction. Three miles in the direction the man fled, and it's opposite."

Jones nodded, did a proper about-face, and marched out of the room.

Ferdinand got up from the desk and hobbled over to one of the chairs by the fireplace. "What have you brought into my home, James?"

James froze for a moment, but when he saw the playful grin on Ferdinand's face, he let out a sigh, "No idea. I wasn't expecting anyone. Could he be a Champion?"

Ferdinand shook his head, "I doubt it. He went down too easily, from what I hear. Speaking of which, do you have a dog now? Veronica won't like that, I am afraid."

"Why not?"

"They make her face puffy, her nose runny, and her skin itchy," Ferdinand said with a sympathetic smile.

"She's allergic," James asked.

Ferdinand shrugged, "Not sure what that word is, but she likes dogs but can't be around them."

James smiled, "Not sure if Onyx counts as a dog as she is a Summoned creature." He looked over at Rocko for a quick answer but only got a shrug.

"Do you plan on questioning the guy I found in my room and who killed my dog?" James asked.

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said it was a Summoned creature?"

James smiled, "He doesn't know that."

Ferdinand chuckled, "Tomorrow. I need him to stew a bit. Also, we gave him some drugs, which helped addle his mind enough that we could talk to him. You interested in joining in."

James shook his head, "No thanks. Not my forte. Besides with Jones, I am sure you have enough reliable help."

Ferdinand nodded, "Only polite to offer."

"I do have a question, though. If you are in an answering mood?"

Ferdinand nodded as he reached for his glass of brandy or some such alcohol, "Go ahead."

"You mentioned searching in the direction the man was fleeing but the opposite direction. Why is that."

Ferdinand shrugged, "Some men will flee away from their allies to protect them. It stands to reason that if he did that, then they may be in the opposite direction he fled."

James nodded; he could understand that. In the field, it was common practice that if you were pursued, you were to lead the enemies away from your allies unless they were set up for an ambush. It struck James as odd that Ferdinand would have a method to counter the same tactic.

"You okay," he asked.

James nodded, "Yes. Just sorry that I brought trouble to your door."

Ferdinand shrugged, "Whoever it was, knew what they were getting into. The fact that they attacked the home of a guild master speaks volumes about their commitment and reach."

"Or they are just idiots," James countered with a smile.

"Let's hope they are foolish idiots looking to rob a wealthy merchant and not realizing the viper's nest they walked into," Ferdinand said with a mischievous gleam.

James chuckled, "I thought you said Veronika wasn't home."

Ferdinand glanced at James but realized it was said in jest. Smiling, he continued, "Don't say that to her, James. She doesn't take to being called names. Even in jest."

James nodded, unsure what that exchange was about and decided it was not worth exploring. "I am going to go. I was going to sleep here, but I think I will return to my safe house and stay there for the night."

Ferdinand nodded, "Excellent. Stop by in a couple of days, and I should have some information for you about our guest. In the meantime, stop by the warehouse tomorrow for the exchange."

James nodded and stood up. He had a glass of something in front of him that Ferdinand had given him but hadn't touched. Opening the Astral Door, he stepped through.