“Hey, wake the hell up.” A voice pulls me from my dreams, thankfully today they were peaceful.

“The fuck!?” I lash out with my fist to try and knock her away, but I don’t realize that it is Shiva.

“Have to be faster than that.” She starts to laugh as I stop swinging, blinking the sleep from my eyes.

“Why are you up so fucking early?” I know I’m bitching, but I can't help it.

“If you want us back at a decent hour, then I need to leave early. Now wake up!” Thea rolls over in the bed, luckily able to sleep through Shiva’s annoying wake up call.

“The fuck do you need to wake me up for?” I growl as I swing my legs off the bed. Shiva is silent which makes me open my eyes from where I had been rubbing them. Shiva is standing beside the bed with her eyes wide and her face turning nearly as red as her hair.

“What?” Looking around, I can't figure out what has Shiva acting like she is. My mind is still half fried from lack of sleep. Spinning around, Shiva lets out a stream of words so fast I almost miss what she says.

“Ineedthekeytotheboxinthebedofyourtruck.”

“Ok, what the fuck was that?”

“I need the key to the box in the back of your truck, where your weapons are locked up.” She is refusing to turn around. Shrugging my shoulders, I start to point to where my jeans are laying on the floor. Finally, I realize why Shiva is freaking out. Thea is still covered, but I’m completely naked.

“Fuck! Give me a second.” Quickly, I pull my jeans on and fish for the keys out of my pocket. “You can turn around now.” Shiva turns around slowly. When she realizes I am finally decent, she grabs the keys from my hand.

“We should be back soon. I figure within a couple of hours.” Shiva mumbles her face still red.

“No big hurry.” Stretching, I feel my back pop. My muscles are shaking the sleep from themselves. “I can't figure out how you are so awake right now.”

“Well, some of us didn’t spend all night having sex. So I’m not exhausted and running on next to no sleep.” Shiva walks towards the door. ‘Try not to wake everyone up with a morning romp if you can.” Shiva shuts the door, leaving me staring at the door.

“What's got her so pissed?” I ask Sarge. His response is to tilt his head and scratch behind his ear. “Oh well, not my problem.” I head for the door.

Slipping on my gun belt, I leave the room and try to move quietly on bare feet down the back stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, I slip out the backdoor and head towards the outhouse. Thea and I found it after our bath yesterday. Unlike the outhouses I had used in my world, this one uses a crude system of pipes to haul everything to a tank underground. According to Thea, the tank would be emptied, and then used by local tanners. It was a surprise to me, but it made sense in a weird sort of way.

The ammonia is a key ingredient of tanning wherever you might be. After it was extracted, the rest would be used as fertilizer. All in all, it is a solid system, even if it is a little strange. For a minute, I feel strange carrying a gun to use the bathroom, but I don't feel completely safe in this town. Better safe than sorry.

Exiting the outhouse, I work the hand pump on the side. I use the cold clear water to wash my hands and splash it on my face to chase away the last of the sleep. Nearby, I hear an early morning songbird singing away. Listening to it for a minute, it reminds me of the one Sarge killed our first morning here. I head back to our room to find Thea still asleep in the bed and Sarge laying beside her.

“Muscling in on my woman are you, boy?” He raises his head as I speak, his tail slapping against the bed.

“He’s just keeping your side warm.” Thea pushes herself up onto her elbows. The blanket falls away from her, exposing her breast to me. For a moment, I am stunned into silence. No matter how many times I have seen her like this over the last few days, the sight of her takes my breath away.

"You sure? I think he's trying to muscle in on me." I give Sarge an exaggerated tough guy look. When he sees it, he lets out a low howl then buries his head under the covers. Thea laughs at the dogs antics as he continues to twist and pull the covers on top of him. With a loud thud, he hits the ground as he rolled too far.

"Are you ok, boy?" Thea leans over the edge to peer down at him. Sarge is bound up in the covers with one leg and his head sticking out of the tangled mess. He is smiling up from his position on his back.

"He's fine. He used to do the same thing when he was a pup to get attention." I kneel down and help the overgrown pup free. Last thing I need is having to pay for a blanket because he shredded it. As soon as he is free, he bounds up bouncing across the room. Landing by the door, he drops his front with his tail high in the air wagging.

"He's very playful today." Thea smiles as she climbs off the bed. She chases Sarge around the room in an impromptu game of catch.

"Yeah." I say with a chuckle, admiring the naked elf as she chases him. "It's the first day with his harness off, so he wants to play. I trained him that work is play." I tell her as I reach down and grab Sarge in a bear hug as he darts past me. "Play is when the harness comes off." Rubbing his head, he twist his neck to lick me, making me laugh.

"Good boy, Sarge. Oh, yes, you’re a good boy, ain't ya?" Thea kneels down beside us, running her hands through his thick hair.

"He's so soft." She scratches his ears like she seen me do. Sarge’s head bounces back and forth under her hands.

"Yeah, I used to use a special shampoo for him. Me too honestly, one less thing to buy. It kept his hair soft, and made it easier to brush him out when he shed." Yeah, that's going to be fun here. I think momentarily forgetting the naked elf beside me.

"So I take it Shiva is already gone." Thea remarks, standing and moving to the pile of clothes where she dropped them last night.

"Yeah, she said they should be back in a couple of hours." I'm distracted by the sight of her ass as she bends over and picks up the bra off the floor. My handprints are still slightly visible, reminding me of the fun we had last night. She gives me a grin when she sees me looking, wiggling her ass at me.

"See something you like?" I have to fight from shoving Sarge off me to reach for her. Instead, I give her a low growl while leaning back as she stands and quickly dresses.

"Aww and I was hoping you were going to pounce on me again." She gives me a pout.

"I would, but with our luck, Shiva would walk in. I think we have tortured her enough lately." I stand up and grab Sarge's harness from the ground. He gives me a sad look, causing me to laugh.

"Don't worry boy, it's not time to load out now." Setting it on the bed, I pull my shirt and plate carrier on. Removing the holster from the harness, I attach it onto my chest just below my collar bone. I leave the magazines in the harness and clip it to the side.

"Expecting trouble?" Thea is giving me a curious look as she puts on her own belt.

"Not so much expecting trouble, just have a feeling." I shake my shoulders. I don't want her to worry, but the nagging feeling that I am being followed has gotten worse since I woke up. Strapping on my sword belt over my gun belt, I scanned the room. I make sure that we haven't left anything inside it. Seeing that all our gear seems to be accounted for, I sling my rifle over my shoulder.

"So, shall we try and find breakfast?" I ask Thea as I pull her close to me.

"Mmmm that sounds good." Looking down at her feet for a moment, she looks up at me. "Maybe a pair of shoes for me after?" Her face is smiling and vaguely hopeful.

"Yes, we can find you shoes." I tell her as I chuckle and open the door. "I just thought it was an elf thing, you never complained about it."

"It was a way to keep me from running away. Without shoes, it's hard to make it very far very fast." I pull Thea close into me and kiss the top of her head. Her ears twitch as she tries to squirm away from me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"There wasn't any way you could have known." She tries to wave it off as she pulls away from me, but I'm not going to let her hide from me. I grip her waist, stopping her and turning her to face me.

"I know now. I promise that if you ever want anything, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can to get it for you." She looks up into my eyes. Her face flips between two emotions I can't quite place.

"Anything?" Her voice is soft, almost like a child afraid to ask because they think they will get into trouble.

"Anything." I kiss her after I speak, letting her know my promise is serious and not just passing words that I will forget the next moment.

"Will… can you take me home?" Her voice is small, almost weak as she tucks her head against my chest.

"Wasn't that always the plan? I know we are going to Rathenk first, but weren't we always going to take you home?" She looks up into my eyes, and I can see the start of tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"You never said. You said you would free me, and get us both out of Dolus. Not that you would actually take me home." I wipe away the tears, kissing her gently.

"What did you think I meant?"

"I don't know." She whispers, pulling herself in tight to me. "I was worried after you freed me, you would just leave me behind."

"That’s not going to happen." I reassure her, stroking her hair as I hold her. "You are…. You are important to me. I don't want to leave you ever." She leans her head back, her eyes shining up at me.

"So you’re not going to just throw me away?"

"No. I'm not going to let you go. I plan on keeping you around as long as you will have me. I…." I trail off, not sure what to say or how to say it. I know I feel something for her, despite how little time I have known her. I just don't know what it is, or how to tell her. I have never been good expressing, or even understanding my feelings. It's one of my biggest flaws, and the cause of most of my problems in relationships.

"I'm what?" She questions me, causing panic to set in my chest. My heart beats faster, and not just because she is so close to me. Clearing my throat, I try and explain to her as best I can.

"I dont know. I'm not good at opening up to people. All I know is that you are important to me, and I don't want to lose you. I can't explain what I feel for you, but it's like nothing I have felt before. I know we haven't known each other very long. Somehow, I feel like it would hurt me more than I could stand to lose you." Letting my arms slip away from her, I run my hand through my hair. I curse myself internally for not being able to tell her what I mean.

"Ok." Thea pulls me back to her and wraps me in a hug. Her scent fills my nose again, and I feel myself relax in her arms.

"Ok?" I wrap my arms back around her. Sarge is looking up at us from the edge of the steps. "Nothing else, just ok."

"I could tell you were struggling to say what you meant. So I won't push, for now. I trust you, and I don't want to lose you either. The thought that you would leave me when we got out of Dolus has been scaring me a lot." Something in her words causes me to pause, thinking over the last few days.

"Wait, you didn't start sleeping with me so I wouldn't leave, did you?" I feel myself tensing up, afraid of what she might say. I have loved our time together and it would kill me to think she is using it to keep me close. That she might not feel anything for me, besides a means to keep her safe.

"No!" She punches me in the chest as she exclaims. I roll with the blow, not wanting her to break her hand on the plates in my vest. "I slept with you because I wanted to. Because I feel safe with you, and you make me feel alive again. I slept with you because I feel something with you that I hope you feel with me." I laugh and pull her in for another kiss.

"Good, because I feel the same way."

"You better." She punches me again and this time behind the plates, causing me to wince.

"I know it's too soon to call what I feel is love, but I do feel something for you. Not just physically, although that is a part of it " Letting out a sigh, I lean against the wall and pull her with me.

"I'm not sure what love is." I feel the words tumbling out of my mouth, and I can't stop them. I wish I could and part of me knows this is way too early to be telling her this.

"I haven't had good luck with relationships. It started out in school and I trusted someone I shouldn't. Then I just carried that damage over with me. I don't think I have ever been in love, not real love anyway. The idea of falling for someone like that terrifies me and it leaves me barely able to function." I can feel her stiffen in my arms, and I know I fucked up. Who wants to hear someone they are sleeping with say that. I start to let her go, not wanting her to feel like I am trapping her.

"Stupid!" She hits me again, not the playful punch from before. This is a hard slap across my face, causing my head to snap to the side. Looking down, I see anger across her face and I regret what I said even more.

"We all have our own issues. What are you trying to chase me away? Because that's not going to work. I told you I have feelings for you, and you admitted you felt something for me. Maybe it is love, maybe it's just need. Either way, I'm staying and I'm going to make sure you do too." She pulls my face down roughly, kissing me hard and fiercely.

"If the time comes where I'm sure of what I'm feeling, I'll tell you. Not to try and force you into saying the same to me. If you feel the same, great. If not, I'll still be here. If you ever get to where you know how you feel, tell me then. Until then, we both know what we are getting into. I won't try and push you into something you aren't ready for. I will be here for you, if you ever need to talk something through."

I swallow the lump in my throat and try to think of what to say. Thea's words are hitting me hard, making me take a look at myself. I know she is serious, and willing to wait while I figure this out.

"Ok. Fair warning, I'm not that easy to be with over time. I wont block you out, but I don't know if I will ever be ready to talk about it. I don't want to lose you. Please try and be patient with me." I smile at her and lean in for a kiss. She gives me a quick peck before punching me again.

"I'll give you time as I need some too honestly. Till then, let's just keep going like we have been. It's been working out for us so far." I laugh at her comments and pull her close before guiding is towards the stairs again. Sarge gives me a huff as we pass, seeming to be laughing at our actions.

"Sarge is right. We need breakfast." Thea laughs at my joke. When we get to the ground floor, she pulls away.

"If you will excuse me now, I need to go to the little girls room. Since someone decided to pull us down the main stairs first." She gives me a quick kiss, then disappears through the doorway to the back. Turning back to the main room, I'm surprised to see Sean behind the bar.

"Morning." Sarge wags his tail at the boy as I walk up to him and lean against the bar.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Sean continues wiping down the bar and setting dirty mugs into a bin below him.

"What little I slept. How are you doing this morning."

"Not bad, Sherri actually cleaned up more than usual. So it's an easy morning for me." Finishing filling the bin, he picks it up with a grunt and takes it through the door to the back.

"You need a hand?" There is a loud curse from the backroom, then Sean's voice yells out.

"No. Sherri just left one of the bins in the walkway. So you looking for breakfast?" Sean walks back up to the bar and steps up on a hidden step.

"You all serve breakfast? It seemed like when I woke your mom up the other day, you all weren't serving breakfast." While I'm talking to Sean, Thea slips into the room walking up beside me.

"We were here after the cook went home. Shiva was telling me it's not served long, but supposedly pretty good." She wraps her arms around my waist and kisses me on my neck. Sean nods his head and pulls a piece of slate in front of him.

"We have bread baked this morning by the general store owner’s wife. She bakes most of the bread in town and she made the one that was served last night. Also, there is steak and eggs with the usual cheese and jam since it’s morning."

"What kind of steak?" I'm wondering which cut it is. Yes it might sit heavy, but steak and eggs are a favorite at home.

"It’s minotaur. We are too far out to keep cattle. It’s fresh, I promise. It was brought in two days ago, and was less than a day old." Sean raises his hands at my shocked expression, mistaking it for anger.

"Minotaur is a common substitute for beef. It's what was in the stew last night." Thea whispers in my ear, keeping her voice down low enough so Sean can’t hear. Relaxing as she tells me that, I try and reassure Sean.

"It’s alright, son. I was just shocked to hear someone had bagged one so close by." I try and cover my shock, hopefully they aren't found close by or often. "How much for the meal?"

"Two coppers a piece. It's a little higher now because of the minotaur, but it's worth it." Sean seems worried and I realize it was him quoting the price. He looks at my as if I'm liable to hold the price against him personally. Pulling six copper coins out of the money pouch, I slide them on the bar to him.

"Three meals then. Two of them fry the eggs hard and the steaks bloody." Turning to Thea, I ask her. "How do you want yours?"

"Not bloody and scrambled, please." She gives Sean a smile as the boy carefully writes our order on the slate.

"I'll put these in now. If you take a seat, I'll bring your food out. Do you want a drink while you wait?"

"Just water for me. It's too early for me to be drinking." Turning towards Thea, she agrees with me. We take the corner table again as we wait on our food, flirting quietly. Not too long after, Sean brings out our food and leaves us to eat in peace.

The steak is good. Honestly, if he hadn't told me it wasn't beef, I wouldn't have known. Sarge growls happily as he works through his plate. In what feels like only minutes, we are finished with our meal. I'm mopping up the last of the steaks juices with the last of our bread when Shiva and Jacob walk in.

"Did you have any trouble?" My voice is low, barely reaching past the table as they walk up. Shiva sits beside me, her tail brushing against my leg. I briefly wonder why she chose the seat next to me when others are open across from me. I decide it must be to make sure we aren't overheard when she starts to whisper.

"No problems getting there and back unseen. We loaded up your weapon, and your weird looking wrench. On our way back, we noticed where someone had been on the road near the truck."

"They didn't go towards your vehicle, but one was scouting around where you turned in." Jacob keeps his voice low. Thinking about someone getting that close to the truck causes the uneasy feeling I've been having to get stronger. Unconsciously, I find myself searching the room for anyone watching me to close.

"Have you all ate yet?" I let my voice get louder so anyone listening in won't suspect what we are talking about.

"We ate earlier, the kitchen has been open for hours now." Shivas tail wraps around my ankle as she speaks.

"That's good, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." I chuckle at my joke as everyone else staring at me confused. "Don't worry about it. It's just a saying where I'm from."

"How long do you need to remove the piece from your weapon?" Jacob looks around the room cautiously as he asks. Apparently, the tracks near the truck has him worried as well.

"About a minute. I just need someone to help hold it, and someplace we won't be watched." Pushing my plate away from me, I down the last of my water.

"We can use my room. I can head out to the enchante who owes me a favor." I nod and begins to stand up. Shiva's tail starts to drag my leg back as I step around the table. I nearly trip but manage to catch myself before I fall. The hell is up with her today? Before I can ask her what she is playing at, Thea grabs her hand and drags her out of her chair.

"We will settle up on the room, then meet you at the general store." Thea pulls Shiva away, her hand darting out and grabbing the bag of coins from my waist. "See you soon." As the two approach the bar, Thea is whispering in Shiva's ear. The cat girl hisses and shakes her head every few seconds.

"What's that about?" I wave my hand towards the two, now in a quiet argument by the bar. Jacob chuckles as we start up the stairs, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't worry about it. These things have a way of working themselves out." He opens the door to his room and lets me inside before closing the door.

"So you do know what it’s about." He reaches into his bag, coming out with the armorers wrench.

"Oh I know, but it's not my place to tell. Don't bother asking me." Handing me the wrench, he pulls out my rifle. Shiva must have given him a quick lesson on it because he keeps the barrel away from both of us.

"Here, hold it like this." I show Jacob how to brace the rifle against his body. I would prefer to use a vise and bench, but this will work in a pinch. Less than a minute later, I am handing the flash suppressor to Jacob.

"This is all you needed to take off?" Jacob looks over the piece of steel and holds it to the light. "What kind of metal is this? I've never seen anything like this."

"Not one you would find around here." I stow the rifle and wrench in Jacob's bag, turning back to him. "So can your guy enchant it?" Jacob nods slowly, seemingly still in thought about it.

"I think so. Worse case scenario, he will have to use a higher quality metal in the runes. Shouldn't take too long, though. Maybe a half hour, but not much longer.” The flash suppressor disappears into one of Jacob's pockets. his hands over his pants and casts a gaze around the room.

“I guess I can settle up on my room too. That way, we won't need to come back here before we leave.” Gathering up the few belongings from the room, he stows them in his bag. “Shiva said you would want to leave before dark, and probably travel most of the night.” I nod to Jacob as we exit the room, heading down the stairs.

“Depending on how far away the dungeon is, I’d like to get as close as possible before sleeping.” I look around, realizing Thea and Shiva have already left. “Any idea where the general store is?”

“Right down the street, signs hanging above the porch.” Jacob turns towards Sean and slides him a stack of coins before turning back towards me. Seeing my confused expression, Jacob pauses. “What?”

“I can't read.” My voice comes out as a mumble. I need to get Thea to teach me and not being able to read is starting to be annoying. I used to love to read in my spare time. Not being able to read here is driving me crazy.

“I’m heading that way anyway. I’ll drop you off.” Stepping outside, I have to blink against the bright light. The main street is empty. Looking both ways, I don't see anyone outside. The feeling of being followed is back, stronger than ever. Jacob doesn't seem to notice though, so I try and play it off as my imagination. As we pass one of the wood front buildings, Jacob points to the door.

“This is your stop, might want to hurry as Thea has your money. Might not want to leave a woman alone in a store like that for long.” With a laugh, Jacob continues on down the dirt street. I can't help but think about his words as he walks away. From inside the building, I hear a shriek followed by a pair of barks. Sarge walks out of the door and collapses on the porch. He looks up at me and lets out a loud huff before closing his eyes.

“That bad, boy?” He doesn't respond, but merely rolls over to face the wall. His legs are braced against it as he relaxes. With a laugh, I push my way inside and Sarge gives me a bark. He seems to be saying good luck, making me wonder how bad it is.

“NO FUCKING WAY! THAT IS NOT HAPPENING!” Yep, that's definitely Shiva. It makes me wonder what she is yelling about now. The room is filled with shelves that carry a wide assortment of goods on them. Racks of clothes are pushed into the rear of the store, the ones in the very back shaking wildly. As I see the shaking of the clothes and hear the hushed yelps, I’m pretty sure I know where the two are.

“Can I help you?” Turning, I see an old woman sitting on a stool behind the counter and a wooden box resembling a cash register beside her. Near her right hand is a leather bound book, opened about halfway through its contents. She is wrapped up in a dark brown shawl, over a light gray dress. Her silver hair pulled back away from her deeply tanned face. Bright blue eyes peer out from her wrinkled face, seeming to look over and through me at the same time.

“Maybe, I’m looking for an elf and cat girl. I’m pretty sure that's them arguing back there.” I point towards the racks of clothes as I speak. The woman nods her head, looking me over again.

“They came in her a few minutes ago and disappeared into the racks. I haven't seen them since. Goddess knows I can hear them, though. You have your hands full with them. Must be nice to be so young and full of energy.” The woman goes back to reading her book, waving me away with her free hand. “Just pile everything up here when you are done. I’ll tally everything up.”

I make my way through the store, being careful not to knock anything off the shelves as I pass. As I get closer to the racks, the sounds of Shiva and Thea arguing gets louder. Shaking my head at the two of them, I’m about to yell out to get their attention when something hits me in the face. Pulling the offending fabric off my face, I’m surprised to see it’s Shiva’s shirt.

“DON’T JUST THROW MY CLOTHES AROUND LIKE THAT!” Shiva’s yell seems be to getting closer.

“Trust me, you will like this shirt better!” Thea is obviously trying to get her to try something new. The real question is, how did she get her shirt away from her. While I am still wondering about that, Shiva burst through the racks and slams into me. I barely have time to register the fact that she isn't wearing a bra or her shirt before we start to fall. As we crash into the ground, I wrap my hands around her to try and break her fall. Hitting the ground, I fall back as Shiva’s momentum pushes me back.

“Where did you go, you can't run away from me, you know? Oh… Silas, when did you get here?” Thea pushes her way through the racks with a stack of clothes sitting on her shoulder. I want to answer Thea, who is being extremely calm about Shiva being on top of me. She had been getting very territorial about me lately, and I figured this would set her off. Shiva starts to try and scurry away, but our limbs are tangled together, causing her to trip and fall on top of me again.

“Little help!” I yell as Shiva tries to get up again, slipping and burying my face in her chest. Last thing I need is Thea getting mad because Shiva is being clumsy.

“Oh, no you don't!” Thea picks Shiva up by the back of her neck, pulling her to her feet. “Now try this on and quit trying to show him your tits!” She shoves a shirt in the catgirl hands and taps her foot impatiently. Shiva starts to blush, turning and pulling the shirt over her head. When she turns back around, I’m surprised to see it fits her fairly well. The green fabric hugging her curves, bringing out her golden eyes and red hair. Unfortunately for me, the shirt is very low cut and shows off a lot of her chest.

“I don't like it. It’s too low cut.” Shiva is fussing with the shirt and trying to pull it down as she pulls the front up. Before I can stop myself, I end up checking out the catgirl and admiring her body in the new shirt.

“Oh shut up, you know you like it. See, even he likes seeing you in it.” Thea turns Shiva’s head to look at me, causing me to snap my head in the opposite direction. Bad enough I was looking. I don't need her pointing out I was.

“Well maybe, but it wouldn't be for everyday wear.” Shiva grabs her old shirt off me, diving back into the racks to change.

“Sounds like you two are having fun.” I take Thea’s offered hand and pull myself to my feet. Thea grins at me, shoving a small stack of clothes into my hands as she dives back inside the racks. I have to jostle the clothes to keep my rifle secured on my shoulder. I cuss as something slips out of the pile. As I kneel down to collect the fallen garment, I realize it is a pair of sheer panties.

"They carry things like this in a general store?" Thea darts back out from the racks, tossing a pair of pants onto the pile.

"Those panties are for Shiva, so don't do anything weird with them." She is gone again, leaving me holding Shiva's panties. I shove them into the center of the pile and try to forget the way they looked. I try to get the image of the red head wearing them out of my mind. I'm happy with Thea, the last thing I want to do is ruin it by thinking about someone else.

"I'll take those." Shiva grabs the pile of clothes from my hands and takes my rifle at the same time. "Thea wants you to find some more clothes too, something about you going through yours too fast." Shiva slips through the shelves and looks back over her shoulder before she gets out of sight.

"I'm going to grab rations while we are here. Don't take too long. I don't feel like waiting around all day." Taking a breath to steady myself, I push in amongst the racks. I always hated shopping for clothes. I was the person who bought fifteen shirts because the cut fit right. I would wear them until they wore completely out and buy another ten just like them.

"Hey there, lover." Thea wraps her arms around me from behind. I never even heard her walk up. "That's what I thought." With that, she is gone again. It's as if she was never there. Turning around, I find two shirts and a pair of pants in my arms. Looking around, I'm shocked when I realize there is another pair of pants and several pairs of heavy socks.

"Where the hell are you woman!?" I can't help but feel she is playing with me. She is staying out of my sight while she adds more to the pile in my hands.

"Here, this will look good on you. No, no, give me those. I know they will fit. Try this on." Thea tips the pile of clothes out of my hands, and shoves a bundle of leather into my arms.

"What?" Spinning around, I see that she is still standing there and taps her foot as she waits.

"It's a lightly armored jacket. If it's big enough, it can hide your armor. Sooooooooooo, try it on." Turning it over in my hands, I eventually find the sleeves. I pull the jacket on and I’m surprised at how well it fits over my vest. The leather is stiff and dyed a chocolate brown. The end of it hangs to my knees. The inner liner is soft, and feels almost like a cotton pillow lining.

"It looks great on you." My hands are full of elf now, her tongue slipping into my mouth. "You have to get it." Her insistence causes me to laugh quietly.

"I thought you were getting shoes?" Thea unwraps her legs from around my waist. Standing on the ground in front of me, her hands running over the jacket.

"Yeah, shoes and I will. I just wanted to get some other things first. Plus, clothes." She smiles up at me, then starts blushing when she sees me staring down at her. "I haven't been able to actually choose any clothes for the last few years. Even this meager selection got me excited." I lean down and kiss the top of her head. I tilting her head back to kiss her lips.

"It’s fine. If it makes you happy, go wild." At my words, Thea smiles and dives back through the racks. With a chuckle, I make my way back towards the front door.

"Nice jacket, young man. It should hold up well for you." The old woman looks up for a second, then goes back to her book. Shiva walks up while I wait, leaning against the counter beside the stack of goods she placed there.

"She going to be much longer?" I shake my head and look back towards where I can just see a mass of blonde hair.

"Honestly, I don't know. Just let her have her fun for now." Shiva looks at me for a second, then lets out a huff.

"If she keeps going, we will go broke just in here. We still have other places to go as well."

"Like where?" As far as I knew, this was the only real stop we needed.

"Apothecary for one. We will need potions just in case anything happens." Shiva stares at the shaking racks for a moment, then stomps back to them. There is a Yelp, followed by a scuffling sound, then Thea and Shiva come walking out. Thea looks embarrassed, holding a pile of clothes and a pair of soft looking shoes.

"I'm ready to go now. Sorry I took so long." Thea places the items on the counter, then smiles up at me. "I know I was taking too long, I just got excited."

"It’s ok." I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the top of her head. "I know you just got excited." The old woman continues to rally up the goods on the counter. She’s ignoring all of us except when she grabs the tag from the jacket I'm wearing.

"Your total is ten gold, seventeen silver." Shiva winces at the total as I merely wait on Thea to count out the coins. When the woman behind the counter is paid, she starts bagging up the goods. Part of it goes into Shiva's backpack, the rest goes into two cheap looking canvas backpacks.

"With your purchase, I threw in a pair of bags. Don't want you saying I made you carry everything loose." Just like that, she is back into her book, ignoring that we are even there. Thanking her, I throw the biggest pack onto my back and take my rifle back from Shiva. She holds onto the strap for a second longer than she should, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Which way now?" I ask as we step outside. Sarge stands and shakes himself as he wakes back up. As I look up the street, I notice a man leaning against the taverns wall. Something about him strikes me as off, but I push the feeling down since he doesn't move as we walk away.

"Apothecary, it won't take long so you can wait outside." Shiva starts down the road while Thea and I trailing behind her. She walks into a smaller building, herbs and plants hanging from the porch. Thea walks in behind her, but kissing me first.

"Just wait here. We won't be long." She smiles as she disappears inside, leaving Sarge and I to wait. I lean against the wall and feel that uneasy feeling set in again. My hand runs over the stock of my rifle as I scan the street.

The man at the tavern is joined by a woman, about the same age as him. She is carrying a recurve bow, her fingers playing over the string. The two look at me a moment then walk away and step into an alley beside the buildings. It seems weird for someone to walk down an alley when the road is so open.

"The women inside?" Jacob's voice causes me to jump. Turning to him, I smile and nod to him.

"Yeah, they said they wouldn't be long." Jacob grins, walking around me to look up the road.

"You believed them, huh?" As he steps into the street, I start to follow. "I finished my errand, so as soon as they are done we can…" Sarge's bark interrupts him, causing us to turn.

There is an older man in the street, wearing a dirty robe. His face is half covered in a wild beard with a pointed hat on his head. As Sarge continues to bark, the man starts chanting, hands waving in the air. Jacob steps in front of me as I unsling the rifle from my shoulder, dropping the bag.

"Hughk…." Jacob stiffens as the man stops chanting and falls to the ground. Before he hits the ground, I throw the rifle to my shoulder, thumbing back the hammer.

"Fuck! His friend stepped in the way! Shoot him, shoot him!" The mage is screaming as I draw a bead on him. I can see movement to my left, but I squeeze the trigger before turning. The mage's body twist, falling to the ground.

I pivot hard towards the movement on my right. I drop into a crouch and work the lever on my rifle. Sarge is running down the road, bypassing where I saw movement. I trust him and he trusts me, so I keep on the area I saw movement from. From the shadows and between buildings, an arrow flies at me. It hits me in the chest.

I fire into the shadows, working another round in and firing again as I rise. My vest caught the arrow which causes it to hang downward as I move. From the shadows, a man stumbles out in a first cloak. Sarge is barking and growling. I can hear him struggling with someone.

Turning, I see Sarge struggling with a short man. The man is holding a short dagger, cursing as Sarge is latched onto his arm. He hits Sarge with an overhand blow, making him to yell and fall back. My rifle round removes the top of his skull. He drops like a marionette with its strings cut.

My hands are working calmly, shoving new rounds into the side gate on the rifle. Ejecting the spent shell, I slide the lever back loading a new round. Topping off the tube with a new round, I make my way carefully towards the drowned man. Seeing that he is down permanently, I spit on his body.

"No one hurts my dog. Sarge! Seek!" The feeling is still strong and I'm not taking any chances right now. The two from earlier weren't here, but my gut is telling me they are involved. I feel my mana churn as I stalk the street, so I pull it to the surface. It's like a live wire under my skin, making me feel like the world is shaking.

"Jim, Jim what's going on!?" Thea runs up towards me and stops short when she sees my eyes. "Jim?" Her voice is soft now, causing me to flinch.

"Someone attacked me. There's still two more, I think." My eyes scan the buildings, seeing faces peek out of windows. "Is Jacob ok? He fell and I couldn't check on him." Thea nods to me, eyes darting around.

"He's fine. He was hit with a paralysis spell. Shiva is with him now." She reaches out and grabs my arm. "Jim, are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" Something creaked across the road. I spin and cover the building. Sean runs around the corner, diving inside.

"Jim, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for the rest of them. I told you." Sarge starts to bark from behind the building ahead of me. I run towards him, knowing that if he's barking, he found something.

"Jim!" Thea's voice almost makes me stop, but I can't now. These people hurt a friend, hit my dog,and tried to kill me. This is what my brother talked about in my dream. I have to end this now. If I don't, they can try again and I can't let that happen.

Coming around the edge of the building, an arrow buries itself in my leg. I curse and raise my rifle, firing wildly into the mass of bodies Sarge is barking at. A horse screams and falls backwards, causing a man's voice to yell out. The woman from earlier is stringing another arrow as I work my lever.

"Sable, help! I'm pinned!" The man yells and the woman flinches. Sarge darts in, barking wildly and the horses starts to run. The woman is standing unprotected for only a moment before she runs for cover. Sliding behind a tree, she yells out to the man.

"Just stay there. I'll handle this and be there to help." Sarge comes running back to me at my whistle. I don't want the woman shooting him while he is out in the open.

"Jim! You’re hurt!" Thea's words pull me back into the moment. I hadn't realized I was drifting, my focus slipping.

"He will be down before long. My poison works fast." The woman's voice is really getting on my nerves. I yank the arrow out, cursing as blood shoots out like a geyser.

"Try that when he doesn't have a healer!" Thea sticks out her tongue at the woman behind the tree. Turning towards her, I feel another arrow strike my back. Thea mumbles something, her hands glowing as she runs them over my leg. I feel my head clearing as the bleeding stops.

"Why won't you go down!?" The woman screams. I see her hands shaking as she holds her bow and arrow. Pulling the rifle snug to my shoulder, I shoot the tree she is hiding behind. She curses and sprints away from the tree long splinters sticking out of her arm and neck.

As she reaches the edge of the building, she stops. Her hands drop her bow, and she falls to the ground. For a second, I am confused, then Shiva walks around the corner.

"Sable, Sable, don't you leave me!" The man is getting loud. I can hear the fear in his voice as he yells. Thumbing more rounds into my rifle, I walk up to the man calmly. As he sees me, he tries to draw his sword at his hip. The body of the horse pins his sword to his leg where he can’t get it lose.

"Fuck you! What did you do to my sister!?" He swings at me as I step back half a step.

"I didn't do shit, but she is dead." He starts to cuss at me again. For a moment, I wonder what I should do about him. Right now, he is unable to do anything to me, but if he gets free, who knows what he would do. Knowing I don't have a choice, I raise my rifle.

"Fight me like a man you coward!" The man's words hit me hard. This isn't a fight anymore, it's an execution. My mana is still burning under my skin because I know I could shift the horse. I could let him up and let him have a fair fight.

"You ambushed me, why would I fight you fair?" I squeeze the trigger. His head snaps back, blood and brains scattered on the ground behind him.

"Jim." Thea's voice is soft and small. Turning towards her, I realize she is afraid. I spin around and search for what is scaring her.

"Jim, can you hear me?" She touches my arm, turning me around. I look at her and realize she is afraid of me.

"Thea, it's ok. I had to." I try and reason with her. I don't want her to be afraid of me.

"Jim, you need to calm down. Your mana is running loose. Can’t you feel it?" What is she talking about? Of course, I can feel it. I'm about to open my mouth when I feel a cramp inside me. Doubling over, I drop my rifle in the dirt. Thea is yelling in my ear, but I can't hear her.

The power beneath my skin wants to be used. I can feel it. I just don't know what to do with it. It’s coursing through me and my vision is shaking. My hands curl into claws, scratching at the dirt.

"You need to use it! Until you use some of it, you won't be able to channel it again!" Shiva is yelling in one ear now, Thea in the other. How am I supposed to use my mana? I can barely grasp it before it slips away. It is rushing through me, tearing through my body.

"Your hands, they want to do something, let them!" I don't know who is yelling, but I follow their instructions. My hands clasp together, nails digging in and drawing blood. I feel the power make a loop, running from one hand to the other. With a yell, I pull my hands apart spreading my arms wide.

A shimmering green field of light erupts from my hands. It’s solidifying five feet in front of me, stretching ten feet tall and almost as wide. I feel my mana levels drop, not much, but enough to let me channel it again. I feel the barrier drawing power from me. As I fight against it, I cut the flow of power off. With a pop, the light disappears, leaving nothing behind.

"The fuck was that!?" I feel myself collapse onto a knee.

"When you don't use your mana and just channel it in a fight, it can amplify itself. It can create a feedback loop." Thea runs her hand over my back as she explains.

"If you don't do something to drain off part of it, it has the possibility of turning you into a mana bomb. That's why we were yelling at you to let your mana do something." Shiva is surprisingly close as I feel her tail wrap around my leg as she strokes my hair.

Why is she stroking my hair like that? I want to tell her to stop, but it feels good so I don't.

"Jacob, is he ok?" My voice sounds hoarse to me, my head is splitting.

"He's good, already up and around. He's watching our gear right now. You need to get out of here." I force myself to my feet and lean against the wall behind us.

"Then let's go grab our gear and get the fuck out of here." Picking up my rifle off the ground, I work the lever and blow the dust off the action. Closing the lever, I feed another round into it to top it off. Shiva's hand sets on my chest and pushes me back into the wall.

"No, you need to go! Jacob and I will bring the gear, but you can't be here now." She points to the main street where a crowd is starting to gather. I can just hear people talking to each other, drowning out most of the people in the crowd. One voice is louder than the rest, yelling to send for a guard patrol.

"This ain't good." I realize I'm muttering to myself as Thea is already dragging me.

"Your keys!" Shiva pushes my keys into my hand, her fingers trace along my wrist as she pulls away. Before I can ask her why she did that, Thea is already pulling me away.

"Meet us at the truck!?" Shiva shakes her head as I ask her while being drug away.

"North of town, grove of evergreens beside the road, about two miles out. Meet us there. If we aren't there within the hour, head directly west. We will find you!" Shiva disappears between buildings. I turn around and finally face the direction we are running, just in time to catch a tree limb to the face.

"Less time staring at Shiva's ass, more time following mine. Goddess, you can't focus for shit can you?" Thea continues to berate me as we run, my head is splitting so I let her. The effort to tell her to knock it off is just not worth it. Reaching the truck surprisingly fast, I finally stop to look around.

"Where is Sarge?" I feel myself panicking. Where could he have ran off to? He always stayed close to me, it's literally what I trained him to do.

"Do you seriously not remember?" Thea cocks her head to the side, yanking open the drivers side door. "Your head is still fucked, I'm driving." I climb in the passenger side. I grab my keys and give them to Thea.

"Where is he?" I force my eyes shut, the sun is causing my head to ache worse. The light seems to hit right into my brain like a railroad spike to the head. Thea starts the truck, I feel us back up, and then start moving forward again. Thea is quiet for a while, I'm assuming she is concentrating on driving. I'm still upset about how quick she picked up driving.

"You told him to follow Shiva. Do you seriously not remember this?"

"When did I tell him that?" It seems like that is something I would remember.

"When I started dragging you away, right before Shiva tried to kiss you." My eyes fly open at that, I don't remember that happening.

"The hell you say? I think I would remember that happening!" Thea pulls the wheel hard, shifting gears as she straightens out on the road. She shakes her head vigorously, her blonde hair striking her face.

"Not with a mana burn like you had. I'm surprised you managed to run as far as you did. I'm amazed you are still awake, honestly." Her words are confusing me, it sounds like she is speaking from far away.

"The fuck is mana burn?" My head feels heavy and my eyes are fighting to stay open. It feels like I'm fighting a huge adrenaline crash. My hands shake as I try and reposition my rifle behind the seat.

"Mana burn is what happens when you don't use your mana correctly. When you just let it run free it………. And that's why you should….. HEY! Are you still with me?" Snapping awake, I turn my head to Thea. For some reason, she looks funny to me. I can't help but laugh as she stares at me.

"Fuck, you're fried." Thea turns back towards the road which makes me laugh again.

"You look sexy when you’re mad." I feel like I need to tell her that right now. That she needs to know what I am thinking right now.

"Go to sleep, it's the only thing that will help you." Thea runs her free hand over my shoulder and pushes me against the door. As my head starts to drop, I smile up at her.

"I'll sleep now, but later we are dancing." I'm starting to nod off, but I can still hear Thea laugh.

"Ok,the first chance we get, we can go dancing."

"Night, sexy." That’s the last thing I remember before I'm out, the darkness swallowing me up.

Shiva's point of view.

"Fucking ass! Can’t stay out of trouble for two fucking minutes. I'm going to kick his ass as soon as we catch up to him!" Jacob is trailing behind me as we run through the thin brush. After leaving Thea and Jim, I had collected him and our gear. I was never so happy for a void bag as there is no way we could have hauled everything without it.

"To be fair, this ones not his fault." Jacob's voice is coming out in gasps as we run. He obviously needs to spend more time running and less talking.

"Oh, it's all his fault. It's always that idiot’s fault!" I'm not letting Jacob keep me from being angry. The day had started so good, and somehow had turned to shit.

"What's that?" Jacob points to the silver tag hanging out of my clenched fist. I come to a stop and lean back against a tree. Jacob needs a break anyway as he looks like he is about to collapse.

"I took it off the woman I killed." I turn it over in my hands and look at it for the first time.

"So, you’re a grave robber now, are you?" Jacob leans over, sucking in air as I laugh dryly at him.

"It’s some kind of identity tag." Turning it over, I see the name Sable Grayknot. "Bounty hunter’s guild." I hand Jacob the tag as he straightens up. He hands me a water bottle as he looks over the tag.

"The fuck are they doing around here? Most of them stay south, closer to the border." Jacob hands me the tag back, so I tuck it into my pocket.

"Don't know, let's keep moving. I don't want to leave those two alone too long. If we take too long, they will end up fucking in the truck again." Pushing off the tree, I start making my way through the brush again. This time our pace is a little slower, not by much, but it's not a run anymore. Jacob is close on my heels, not complaining at how fast we are moving.

"I'm sure they wouldn't do that." Jacob laughs as we continue to make our way towards the meet up point.

"They did it before!" At my angry tone, he starts to laugh. The sound of it causes my tail to smack out at him angrily. Sarge hugs at my antics, trailing along behind Jacob and me.

Why did Jim send him along after us? If anyone needs the extra help, it’s him. I mean, seriously, what is a dog going to do for us that we can’t do ourselves?

"Jacob, just keep the tag between us for a while. No need to worry everyone else with it yet, ok?" I look back at Jacob, seeing him nod after a second. One less thing to worry about for now anyway.