The farther we walk into the shop, the more uneasy I feel. The itching feeling on the back of my neck is so bad that I want to rub it constantly. Shiva seems to be tense as well, but I don't know if that's because of what I said or not.

The enchanter finally comes to a stop and sits down behind a crowded workbench. It gives me my first chance to get a good look at him. What I first thought was a dirty blanket wrapped around him turns out to be a leather robe of some kind. It's torn and frayed on the edges with multiple large stains and burn marks covering it. His mass of greasy brown hair is shoved under a misshapen woolen hat.

His eyes peer up at me from where he is seated. One eye a bright green while the other is covered in a thick layer of cataracts. His thick almost sausage like fingers are fiddling with the tools on his bench. For a long moment, no one says anything. Finally, he breaks the silence with the same angry tone from the door.

"You need a flask to replicate a liquid, that much I know. Does it need to be an exact match, or is some variation acceptable?" Shiva turns her head to look at me.

"It needs to be exact. My need doesn't leave a lot of room for variation without damaging my equipment." He nods his head slowly as he digs in the pile of junk at his feet.

"Need a sample." He holds out a clear glass beaker as he continues to rummage below the bench. Shiva slips the pack off her shoulders and pulls out the gas can. She pours a small amount into the beaker, causing the enchanter to pause as he looks at it.

"That good?" Shiva shakes the can to check how much is left. By my guess, there should still be well over a gallon inside.

"Don't know yet, depends on how complicated it is." He lifts the beaker above his head and stares at it closely with his good eye.

"Boss, he just lied to you!" I do my best not to let my surprise show on my face at Sarge's words.

You sure about that?

"Yeah, I'm not sure how I know, but I know. He just lied to you." I try and keep my face neutral as I examine what the man is doing.

Tell me if he lies again. I feel Sarge shift in my shadow and I, somehow, get the feeling he is nodding.

"It's volatile, means more money because of the risk involved." The enchanter looks up at me almost as if he is asking if that's ok. I nod slowly as I let my eyes scan the rest of the shop. He lets out a grunt as he goes back to work. He takes a sample of the gas with an eyedropper and drops it on a metal plate. A fine white powder is dumped on top of it and lets off a small plume of purple smoke.

"Hmmmmm." He ignores Shiva and I as he picks up the beaker again. As he lifts it to his face to take a sniff, I get a bad feeling about what's next.

Tell me he isn't about to…. Yup he just took a swig. The enchanter starts to hack and gag violently as the gas touches his lips.

"Yeah I wouldn't drink that if I was you." He shoots me an angry glare as he gets control of his coughing again.

"I'm not drinking it! Certain liquids have components you can't identify with traditional means. Skilled enchanters can detect them through other means."

"Lie." I'm getting good at keeping a poker face, or at least I think I am. The enchanter goes back to his work, muttering the whole time.

He pulls a decent sized metal flask from the shelf behind him. He then sets it on the bench in front of him as he digs out a set of tools from a drawer. Without saying anything to us, he starts to carve lines into the flask. The tool in his hand lets out a slight humming noise as he does. With each pass of the tool, small shavings of metal come away from the flask. After a few minutes, he pauses to examine his work. He seems to be satisfied as he turns to look at me.

"You have a preference on the inlay?" I shrug as I answer.

"What's the difference?" The enchanter lets out a loud sigh like he is annoyed by the question.

"On a job like this, none really." Sarge shifts in my shadow again.

"Another lie." The enchanter continues speaking as Sarge is telling me about his lying.

"Platinum is the best conductor, but on a job like this, you can get by with silver. Hell, even copper would work. It's not like you will be losing any longevity on a liquid like this."

"He's lying, boss. Not about platinum being best. Everything else was a lie." Shiva even looks confused at the enchanter's words, convincing me even more that he is lying.

"Well for shits and giggles, let's go with platinum." He looks annoyed and lets out a loud sigh.

"Ok, it's your coin. What about stones, you have a preference?" He eyes me again as he asks his question. Right as I'm about to turn to Shiva, I see his eyes flick to a mostly empty corner of the shop.

Why did he look over there? I pretend to be thinking as I turn slightly to check the corner. As far as I can tell, there is nothing there, not even any junk. The fact that it is bare is bugging me, but I'm not sure why.

"Tell you what, let's go for the best there too. Since I'm already paying for platinum conductors." He rolls his eyes as he starts to dig into the bench again and comes out with a small leather bag. While he is doing that, I pull Shiva back to lean against my chest. When she gives me a confused look, I rest my chin on the top of her head.

It's the only space in the shop that's clear. Sarge, what is in that corner I can't see. I'm hoping Sarge can see more than I can. The empty spot is really bothering me. Every time I turn away from it, my neck itches more.

"Something is off here. I don't think we are alone." My voice is so low I can barely hear it. Shiva stiffens against me for a second before relaxing. Her head starts to move ever so slightly as she scans the room.

On top of the workbench, the enchanter is pouring a powder into the groves he had carved into the flask. When he seems satisfied, he starts to set small gemlike stones where the lines connect. After the last stone is placed, he leans back to examine his work. He reaches into the bench again, and comes out with a strange bottle half filled with liquid. The metal tip on top of the bottle has a strange twisted pattern to it. He twists the tip several times before holding it up to an oil lamp beside him.

"You might want to look away at this part, could hurt your eyes." The tip of the bottle burst into a small blue flame. With no hesitation, he starts to trace over the lines on the flask with the torch in his hand. I blink and turn my head to avoid the bright burst of light. A smell that reminds me of a fresh weld starts to fill the space of the shop. I use the moment to try and check in with Sarge.

Anything, Sarge? Sarge feels uncomfortable through the mana bridge between us as he responds.

"There's nothing there, boss." I have to struggle not to let out a sigh of annoyance. I had really been expecting Sarge to find something there.

Damn, maybe I am getting too paranoid. I start to turn back to the enchanter when Sarge stops me.

"No, boss. I mean I can't smell or feel anything there. Even if it's empty, it should smell like that weird flower scent. It doesn't. There is a hole in the scent of the room. Something is there, but I don't know what. Whatever it is, it's bothering me a lot." I can feel Sarge's hackles rising beside me. It's triggering his fight or flight response, and Sarge doesn't run.

"There, now we fill it with your liquid." The enchanter holds out the flask towards us. Shiva pulls away from me and pours the gas into the flask from the can. The enchanter grunts and caps the flask. He stands up and takes the flask to another workbench. This one has a strange set of runes carved into it and inlaid with a blueish stone.

He places the flask carefully into the center of the runes. With a loud grunt, he places both his hands onto the bench. I see sweat start to bead on his forehead as the runes start to glow. After a second, the glow gets brighter and a low whistling sound starts. Shiva leans back into me as she tucks the gas can back into the bag.

"Anything?" I almost miss Shiva's question because of the whistling noise.

"Sarge says there is a corner of this shop that doesn't have a scent at all. Every time I turn my back to it, I feel like someone is staring straight at me. I don't know what it is, but I fucking hate it." Shiva shifts in my arms to face me. I'm confused when she pulls me in for a kiss. As her lips leave mine, she starts to kiss her way around my neck. When her lips are almost to my ear, she starts to speak quickly.

"That's not good, Jim! There are schools that train assassins here. One of the things they teach them is how to completely erase their presence from an area with mana. He shouldn't be able to afford an assassin like that. Whoever it is, I doubt they work for him." I nuzzle my face into her hair, pushing my lips as close to her ears as I can.

"Could they be here to kill him?" Shiva shakes her head slightly.

"No, he's not important enough to hire an assassin of that caliber. Almost all of the ones that are good, work for the kingdom! It's a fucking set up! Someone betrayed us. It's the only answer. The only question is, if it was him or not!" The enchanter is sitting back down at his workbench as I wrap my arms around Shiva. He gives us a disgusted look before turning back to the flask.

"I'll find out. You just be ready to follow my lead." Shiva nods her head slightly before dropping her face to my chest. A loud cough makes her turn back around to face the enchanter.

"It's time for you to test the quality." He holds the flask out to me as he glares at Shiva.

I'd kill you just for that fucker.

"Want me to do it, boss?" I have to bite back a chuckle at Sarge's antics.

No, just be ready if I need backup and make sure you tell me if he lies. I take the flask from his hand and stare at it. It's about the size of a quart canteen and surprisingly light. The inlay of platinum seems to glow slightly in the light of the shop.

"So how do I test this?" He lets out a loud sigh at my question and points to a barrel at the end of the workbench.

"Open it, channel a little mana through it, and turn it upside down over that. If you can fill the barrel, it works. If you can't, then I'll have to start over." I twist off the lid and start to channel my mana through the flask.

Before I can turn it over, gas starts to spill out of the top. I quickly turn it over and pour it into the barrel. A part of me winces at the loss of gas into the barrel. I can't imagine just pouring out that much gas in my old world. In less than a minute, the barrel is halfway full of gas. The fumes are starting to make my eyes water when the enchanter speaks again.

"That's good, it's obviously working. So hand it here and I'll finish up." He caps the barrel and there is a quiet sucking sound. The smell of gas slowly fades away and the room is left smelling vaguely of flowers.

When I hand him the flask, he starts to slip a leather pouch over it. He pulls a set of leather strings tight and ties them off. The flask gets dumped into a shallow container beside the bench. Then set inside a wooden box on the very corner of the desk. He pokes the flask for a second, letting out a grunt before turning back to me.

"Now, payment. Since this is a rush order and I had to cancel another customer, the price will reflect that."

"He's lying about canceling a customer. I'm pretty sure he is going to raise the price." I click my tongue and motion to Shiva.

"No problem, how much are we talking?" Shiva reaches into the bag and pulls out one of the coin purses. I see the enchanter's eyes light up as he catches sight of the bulging bag. He licks his lips slowly as he stares at the bag and then me. A grin splits his face as he starts to speak.

"Volatile liquid, rush order, platinum conductor, and top tier stones, it's not going to be cheap. Fair market price is two platinum coins because of the other factors." He pauses and his eyes go up and down my body like he is sizing me up. "Two platinum and twenty gold. That's non-negotiable."

"He's lying again. I'm sure he is gouging you, boss." I crack a grin as I hear Shiva literally choke at the enchanter's price.

It's fine, Sarge. Just pay attention to my next question for him. If he lies, be ready to move. Has the empty spot moved at all?

"Still in the same spot. I don't like it, boss.

"That's fine. Shiva, pay the man." The enchanter starts to smile broadly at my words. I hear Shiva grumbling as she starts to open the pouch. "Just one question, though." The enchanter raises his eyebrow as he pulls the flask out of the box.

"Oh, and what's that?" He slides the flask to the edge of the workbench as Shiva starts to stack coins on the bench.

"Who else is in this room besides us three?" The enchanter looks shocked and I know he is about to lie before he speaks. My hand wraps around the pistol grip of my AR. The muscles in my legs stiffen as I prepare to move.

"No one. There is just us here." I'm moving before Sarge speaks. The itching on my neck is getting so strong that I want to rip the skin off.

"Lie!" The barrel of my AR is coming up as a knife flies at my chest. I don't bother trying to dodge it as I trust my armor to catch it. A tingling starts over my skin which tells me Alexis has expanded her dungeon as I pull the trigger. I fire into the corner as the knife disappears in mid air.

"Shit!" My shot apparently missed as a figure scrambled away from the corner. I snap my rifle to my shoulder as I track the moving figure. My first shot may have missed, but my second is right on target. The bullet strikes the man in the small of his back, causing him to tumble over a loaded table.

"Shiva, don't let him move! Sarge, seek!" I feel Sarge slip out of my shadow, charging in between the shelves and tables. A quick glance over my shoulder tells me Shiva has the enchanter pinned to his chair. His eyes are wide and I can see fear filling his face.

"Jim, the knife was poisoned! A nasty one, I don't think Thea could have saved you if she was here!" Alexis's voice is full of worry as she speaks. I take a split second to try and calm her as I stalk towards the downed man.

"It didn't get me, thanks to you. Let me take care of this, and I'll thank you properly." Sarge is standing over the downed man by the time I get there. His lips are pulled back into a snarl, but he doesn't seem worried.

"I think he's dead boss, but I'm not sure. He is still hard to read." I flip the man over with my boot, keeping my rifle trained on him. His eyes are open wide and there is a thin trail of blood coming from his mouth. I want to check his pulse to be sure, but I can't figure out a way to do so safely. If he is faking, he could use the chance to stick me with another knife. Alexis's warning about the poison is still ringing in my ears.

"Jim?" Shiva's voice pulls me back from my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I look down at the man on the ground. Before I turn away, I fire two shots into his face. His body jerks with the first shot, then twitches at my second. If he wasn't dead before, he is now. I feel a wave of worry from Thea through the bridge.

"Jim, take the ring on his left hand. It has a magical signature, and I want to examine it." I feel the tingling disappear from my skin as Alexis withdraws her area of influence. I kneel down and strip the ring from the man's finger. The ring gets slipped into my pocket for later as I stand.

"Sarge, let Thea know what happened. Tell them to wrap it up and head for the truck. Don't wait on us, and we will meet them there." I start to make my way back through the shop to where Shiva has the enchanter pinned to his chair

"I told them, boss. They are making their way out of the city now. She says to be careful." Shiva is scanning the rest of the room for any other threats.

"Now, I have a few questions, and I want the truth every time. Do you understand me?" The enchanter nods his head, his eyes wide as he stares at Sarge stalking towards him.

"Jim?" Shiva looks worried, but I try to calm her down with a small smile.

"First off, is there anyone else in here?" The enchanter shakes his head quickly at my question.

"No, no, I swear no one else is here!" Sarge and I step around the bench from opposite sides. Sarge has his lips pulled back in an angry snarl.

"Just like there was no one here before I shot the guy, huh?" His eyes go wide as he realizes I know he lied to me.

"I swear there is no one else here!" His voice takes on a high pitch out of fear.

"He's telling the truth, boss."

I know, but I want him afraid. So don't be scared to really make him nervous. I hear Sarge's laughter in my head as he stalks closer to the enchanter. He nudges Shiva out of the way and gets almost nose to nose with the enchanter. His low snarl seems to echo in the enclosed space and I smell an acrid scent rise off him. When I glance down, I see a trail of yellowish liquid pooling under him.

"Now, since we understand each other. Is there anything else you need to do to my flask, or is it done?" He glances around the room, his eyes going from Shiva to Sarge then me.

"It's almost done. There is just one more step!" Shiva picks up the flask and turns it over in her hands looking confused.

"He's lying." I nod at Sarge as I step around behind the enchanter. Before he can react, I grab his wrist and slam it down on the workbench in front of us. When he starts to struggle, I slam my other fist down on the back of his hand. It forces him to spread his hand out.

"I don't like being lied to." I spread my left hand over his, keeping his fingers spread as I pin his hand to the bench. "So here's the new rules. When you lie, you lose parts. Do you understand?" He starts to try and pull his hand free, his eyes wide in fear. I slam my elbow into him, forcing his bulk onto the workbench. Shiva moves in and pins his other arm behind him, holding him down.

"Please, please no!" I shush him gently as I pull the Bowie knife free of its sheath. He tries to pull free of Shiva and my grip, but we slam him back onto the table. Shiva uses her free hand to turn his head to look at his pinned hand. Sarge has walked around the bench to watch him closely from across it.

"Now, now, rules are rules. How are you going to know I'm serious if I don't follow through?" I push down the urge to puke as I spread his little finger away from the rest. This isn't what I want to do, but I need him to understand completely not to lie to me. The blade of the bowie passes through his finger with next to no resistance. It reminds me of cutting a piece of celery with a chef's knife. The enchanter screams as his finger slides away from his hand.

"Let him up, Shiva. I think he knows I'm serious now." He falls back into his seat, clutching his hand to his chest. Blood is flowing freely from his clasped hand and I look around for the bottle he had earlier. When I pick it up and press the metal tip to the lamp, it bursts into flames again. He fights me for a split second before I slam my elbow into his face as I pry his hand free.

"Shut up! We need to stop that bleeding." The smell of cooking meat causes my stomach to lurch as the enchanter screams. After the wound is sealed, I twist the tip on the bottle and shut off the flame. The bottle makes a dull think as I set it on the workbench. I turn to face him as I sit beside it on the bench, picking up his severed finger.

"Hell of a knife ain't it. I barely felt it when I cut through bone." I hold his severed finger up beside the blade of the Bowie. The clean cut barely left any blood on the blade when it severed his finger. I pull my face into a smirk, even though I don't feel it, as I wipe the flat of the blade clean on his robe.

"Now, let's start again, shall we? My name is Jim, and I have a few questions. What is your name?" He tries to move away from me, but I hook his chair to keep him from moving.

"My name's Dravan." Sarge moves back around the bench, circling Dravan's chair slowly growling the whole time.

"Truth." When Dravan's foot moves, Sarge snaps at it, causing him to pull it back quickly.

"See, now isn't it nice to tell the truth. I must apologize before we get too much farther along." His eyes flick to his severed finger in my hand. I toss it away into the shop behind me. "Not for the finger. You earned that one. I'm talking about how I stopped the bleeding. I usually have a healer with me. She would have healed you up no trouble. Then if you lied again, I could just cut off the same finger." I feel my stomach roll at my casual tone.

My friends and I had talked in my old world. How far would you go to protect the ones you love. It was easy to say what all you would do sitting in a truck at a light. Or over burgers in a local bar with a few beers. How if someone was a threat to us or ours we would do anything.

It doesn't feel the same right now, not even close. You can't picture the scent of burning flesh and screams in those moments. How the blood's scent seems to hang in the air. Or the feeling of bile pushes up in the back of your throat. I push all that aside and focus on one thought. This is for Thea, for Shiva, and it's time to prove how far I would go.

"Who all knew we were coming?" Dravan's eyes go wide as he stares at me. He opens his mouth, but I cut him off before he speaks. "Remember, no lying."

"I don't know how many people know. I just passed the information along the way I was supposed to." When I look down at Sarge, he nods his head once.

"Passed it along to who?" Dravan leans to the side to look at the body behind me. "Him?" I motion over my shoulder with my thumb. Dravan nods his head quickly.

"Who does he work for?" Shiva leans against the workbench beside me and crosses her arms as she asks her question.

"They call themselves the Unseen. They are the King's secret police, and I just do like I'm told. They said they would kill me if I didn't."

"Lie, not about who they are, but about them saying they would kill him." I click my tongue which makes Dravan flinch.

"What did I say about lying?" His eyes go wide and he tries to scramble away. Shiva moves in time with me to grab him and pin him back to the workbench. When I try and separate his fingers he clenches his hand shut. I slam his hand to the surface of the bench, but he doesn't unclench his hand.

"Spread your fingers or I'll take it at the wrist! Do you understand me!?" He starts to cry and sob at my angry yell, begging me to stop.

"Please no! Please, I'm sorry! Please, please,please don't! I promise I won't lie again, just please don't!" I set the edge of the Bowie down on his wrist, a trickle of blood wells up along the line of the blade. His eyes go wide and I feel my stomach lurch again.

"OPEN YOUR FUCKING HAND OR I WILL CUT IT OFF AT THE GOD DAMNED WRIST. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" Dravan sobs as he opens his hand, keeping his fingers close together. I pray his index finger away from the others and place the edge of the blade onto it.

"Have to keep balance right?" The blade makes a small clicking noise as it hits the top of the workbench. Again, there was almost no resistance from his finger. I taste bile in my mouth as I seal his second finger with the torch bottle. I wipe the blade clean on his robe as I lean back on the workbench.

"Now, what had the plan been for me and my group before we figured out you betrayed us?" Dravan looks around the room wildly as if he is looking for someone about to jump out at him.

"I was just following instructions. I was supposed to send you along out of Dolus. Along the west road out of Shevel. The Knight's Brigade is supposed to take it from there." I feel my back stiffen at his words. It's one thing to know that someone is following you, it's another to realize that they are ahead of you.

"Where are they supposed to catch us at?" Please, please, whatever God claimed me. Don't let them be at my truck right now.

"I'm not sure." Dravan clutches his hand to his chest as he speaks and I'm moving before Sarge speaks.

"Lie again." Dravan fights Shiva and I, even harder this time. It doesn't stop what happens to his finger. The bile seems to rise a little higher in my throat as I seal his knuckle with the flames again. A part of me wants to pull away from what I am doing, but I know I can't stop. Thea and Shiva are in danger because of this and I have to know.

"You really are a slow learner aren't you. How many times have I told you not to lie to me? It has to be at least three by now." I plaster an evil grin on my face as I toss his severed finger into his lap. He flinches away from it and seems to shrink in on himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." His voice is coming out in a strangled sob as he starts to rock in his seat. My hand cups his chin and I force him to look me in the eyes.

"Next time you lie, I'm going to take the rest of your fingers at once." His eyes go wide and he clutches his wounded hand to his chest tightly.

"Just out of curiosity, how many fingers can you lose before you can't work?" He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. "I'm just kidding. I dont give a fuck. Now, where are the Knight's Brigade supposed to intercept us at?" Sarge comes up behind Dravan and growls low as he starts to speak.

"They are waiting at the border! The road narrows down just wide enough for a single wagon to move through. They plan on capturing you there! That's all I know I swear!" I tilt my head to look at Sarge who nods slowly.

"How many are supposed to be there?" My mind is racing as I try to come up with a plan. Depending on how many there are, I might be able to slip through with the truck. Or possibly even fight our way past if we had to.

"There are supposed to be fifty some knights. Plus, the garrison stationed there, another twenty. You will never fight your way through. They have been building barricades since they got the word you were coming this way. They will catch you, even if you run, they will catch you!" Dravan starts to laugh almost maniacally as he continues to speak.

"How did they learn we were coming here?" Shiva's voice is low and full of anger as she leans in close to Dravan. Dravan turns his head to face her, a smile splitting his face.

"Because I told them. Then they scooped up that traitor of an adventure and learned everything else. It was two days later when I got my instructions. Since then, I have been waiting on you, waiting to serve the kingdom like any loyal subject would." Shiva stiffens at Dravan's mention of an adventure.

"What adventurer?" The scent of fear, sweat and blood fills my nose as I lean in close. Fear flashes in his eyes as a low growl comes from both Sarge's and my throat.

"One we had been watching for a while. Some guild leader named Grizz. Why do you care?" Dravan yells as Sarge bites down on his leg, shredding the muscle. I have to grab Shiva as she tries to launch herself at Dravan. I sit Shiva down on the bench and motion for her to stay.

"What happened to Grizz? This time it's not fingers on the line. Tell me now or I'll kill you right here." Dravan is leaned forward, holding his leg when he looks up at me.

"The Unseen took him. As long as he has been gone, he is dead by now. Please, I'm telling you everything I know. Don't let your dog bite me again." Shiva gasps loudly when Davan says Grizz is dead by now. I can hear her starting to cry quietly behind me. I don't have time to think about that. I need to focus on the job infront of me.

"So you sold Grizz out to the Unseen? Does his death mean nothing to you?" I can feel myself getting angry. I didn't know Grizz long, but he seemed like a good man. A man who stepped in when there was a need and tried to help. Dravan looks up at me, anger starting to show on his face.

"He meant less than nothing! He was just another traitor! You should give up now, you fool! You can never hope to win against Dolus! When the King finally catches you, he will make you pay for what you have done! You will serve him loyalty as a slave on the battlefield! Your fucking whores will be sold off to pay for the inconvenience you caused the king! You have no hope for escape, even if you aren't caught here, you will be! Even now…." His jaw slams shut so fast his teeth click.

"Even now, what?" I shove him back into his chair, leaning in close. He shakes his head violently back and forth gritting his teeth together. I take my Bowie knife and bring it infront of his face where he can see it clearly. Without saying another word, I run the edge down his face and drag the tip just past his good eye.

"Try and hold out. I will peel you apart by inches. I'll start with that one good eye you have. You may be able to work missing fingers, but can you work if you are blind?" I see his anger melt into fear, but he keeps his mouth clamped shut. A sigh escapes my lips as I reposition my blade. The tip of my Bowie slides into his cataract covered eye. Dravan screams as the eye pops under the sharp tip of the blade.

"That's your one warning. Next time you are blind. After that, I'll take an ear, then your fingers two at a time. If you still won't talk, I'll castrate you. I'll skin you alive." As I pull the tip of the blade from his ruined eye socket, I run the edge down his cheek. The blood is starting to cover his lower face, but I can see the fear in his eye still.

"The king is moving men to intercept you! Even if you don't go to the border, there is nowhere for you to go! The army is matching east south and north! You are trapped, you should just give up now!" I lean back on the workbench, my mind racing with what he said.

"Boss, he isn't lying. There really is an army coming after us. Or at least he believes there is." Sarge's words hit me like a train. I was hoping that he was bluffing, that our situation wouldn't be that bad. Dravan seems to take my silent thought as an opening. He starts to talk in a low soothing tone.

"Just give up now and it won't be so bad. Fight for Dolus for a few years and you can live like a king. All the women you could want, gold castles. They can all be yours, just fight for Dolus instead of against us." His voice is getting on my nerves and making my hand twitch. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shiva watching me closely. I realize that to her it looks like I am listening to Dravan's words.

"Your elf and cat, you can keep them too. Any woman you want can be yours. With what I heard about you, the war would be short. You could retire and spend your days fucking your way to an early grave. Just come with me and you won't have to run again." He starts to stand and I push him back down with my left hand. He looks at me confused as my grip tightens on the knife in my right.

"Shut up, I'm tired of listening to your shit!" The blade slides into Dravan's chest so easily for a second I think I missed. If it wasn't for the thump of the guard hitting his chest, I wouldn't have known the blade was all the way inside him. His eyes go wide as I give the grip a violent twist, shredding his lungs and heart.

"What?" The light fades from his eyes and his body slips out of the chair. I pull my blade free, wiping it on his robe a final time.

"Jim, what do we do?" I turn to Shiva as I sheath the Bowie knife. I can see she is still scared. And her eyes are rimmed in red where she has been crying.

"We get to the truck. We hook back up with the rest of our people. Then we make a plan, if we have to we fight our way free. Or we run and run hard. Now quick, gather up anything useful in here. I'll handle this mess." I pick up the flask from the ground where it fell. As I look around the room, a plan forms in my head.

"Shiva, put out any open flames in here. The fumes off gas is highly flammable, and there is about to be a lot. After that, look for a back door. We aren't going to want to leave out the front." Shiva nods and starts to blow out the lamp by the workbench. She continues to blow out every oil lamp, but leaves several alone. At my curious look, she explains.

"These are mana lights. There is no flame in them." I nod my head in understanding and soon the room is dim, but not dark. The mana lights give me just enough light to make my way around the room.

"Sarge, go into Shiva's shadow. I don't want you getting this on you."

"You got it, boss." He disappears into Shiva's shadow as I start to channel my mana into the flask. A steady stream of gas starts pouring from the mouth of it onto the floor. Soon, the room is filled with the smell of gas as I walk around soaking every surface.

"Alexis, I need a timer on a match. Can you do that for me?" I feel my mana tug at me as she starts to draw more into her core.

"How long of a timer do you need?" I tilt my head as I try and think.

"Shiva, how far are we from the city gate?" Shiva pauses her scavenging to look at me.

"From here, maybe ten minutes." I nod to her as I soak down a table filled with leather goods.

"Fifteen minutes, Alexis. Shiva, how's the backdoor looking!?" She waves at me as she comes through a narrow door I didn't see before.

"He had it hidden, but it's here. How much longer are you going to be?" I pause as I look around the room. There are puddles of gas everywhere and it's getting hard to breath.

"Not long. I'm going to soak the backroom too, and anywhere else I can. When this lites, it's going to make a hell of a boom. The fire is going to be wild so we need to get out of the city before then. Sarge, is Thea clear of the city already?"

"They just cleared the city gates. Headed to the truck now, boss." I pause at Dravan's body for a second. Then soak it down with a long pour of gasoline. Shiva and I slip into the back room as I trail gas behind me.

The back door is a simple affair, a heavy metal door with a big bar across it. A bed sits beside the door, more of a cot than a bed. It gets soaked in gas too as a chest appears beside me on the ground. I take an extra minute to make the puddle of gas as big as possible before cutting the flow of mana. When the flask stops pouring gas, I hand it to Shiva who stows it in the void bag.

"You have a fifteen minute timer. Just turn the knob all the way to the right." I smile as I look down in the chest. It looks like a simple wooden box with a knob on top. I trust Alexis, so I know it will work. I set the box in the deepest pool of gas just as I start to cough.

"Fuck, let's get out of here!" Shiva nods her head as she opens the door. With a quick turn of the nob, I follow her out as the door slams shut behind me.

"Is it supposed to shut like that?" Shiva smiles as she takes off down the alley at a jog. I fall into step beside her as we head towards the wall of the city.

"It was enchanted to shut when someone passed through it. The door locked behind you. So when the fire starts, they will have to knock the door down before they can put it out."

"Let's try and be out of Shevel before then. I'm willing to bet they will shut the gates down soon after the fire." Shiva nods and we pick up the pace of our jog. The city passes quickly and the gates are just ahead.

"Alexis, how much longer do we have?" Shiva looks at me confused, but I wave her off.

"Five minutes before the fire starts. You should have plenty of time." I wince at her words, hoping she didn't just jinx us.

"Five minutes, so let's get out of here." Shiva nods as we weave through the crowd. We are almost through the gate when I feel a hand come down on my shoulder.

Fuck, what now? As I turn, I see a familiar face.

"Hey Rook, what seems to be the problem now?" Rook is smiling broadly as he looks at me. I don't see Vance so I'm curious as to what this is about.

"Nothing much. I saw you running and thought maybe something was wrong. You aren't in any trouble are you?" I shake my head, forcing myself to smile. I try and pull out my good old boy routine. Hell, it's gotten me out of tickets before.

"Nah, no trouble. The rest of my party left earlier is all. I'm headed to catch up with them, then we are heading to the dungeon south of town. We heard it was a pretty decent place to gain some quick coin." In my head, my inner voice is screaming about the countdown. I know it has to be close to going off now.

"Yeah, I heard it was a decent spot. If it was just a little closer, I'd try and head down on my day off. It's just too far to go there and back in one day, you know." I nod my head in agreement silently, praying for the timer not to run out yet.

"Not meaning to be rude, but we need to hurry if we are going to catch up with our party." Rook smiles as he lets go of my shoulder.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up. Vance told me that I should try and get to know people in my area. So I'm off to try and get to know the people in my district." He is raising his hand in a wave when a loud boom echoes through the air.

"What the hell was that!?" He turns and stares at a tall cloud of black smoke rising into the air.

"Looks like a fire, and a damn big one." I start to edge away from Rook, trying to get closer to the gate.

"I think you are right. I have to go see if anyone needs my help." He turns to face me and I see that he is worried. "I'll see you around, Silas. I have to go." Before I can respond, he is slipping through the crowd, yelling for people to move.

"Come on, let's go before they seal the gates." Shiva pushes me roughly, almost making me stumble. It seems the crowd has the same idea as us. Almost everyone is pushing to get outside the city in one big rush. We just barely clear the gates when the sound of an alarm echoes inside the city.

"The fuck is that?" Shiva shoves me along as she answers.

"It's the alarm to seal the gates. Since it's a fire, anyone who can use water magic is called into service to fight it. We are lucky we got out when we did." I nod in agreement when a voice causes me to stop.

"I don't know if luck is what I would call it." I turn my head slowly to look at the man who seemed to appear out of nowhere beside me.

"Azeghial, what brings you here? Visiting or something?" The last time I saw Azeghial was on the ethereal plane. When I had to choose between saving my friends and having a chance to go home. Somehow, I don't think he is here visiting. When he gives me a wide smile, I'm sure that he is here on business.

Why the fuck is he here now? Before he can open his mouth, I feel a tremor of fear through the bridge between Thea and me. Almost immediately after, Sarge starts to yell in my head.

"Boss, Thea is in trouble! We have to hurry!" I'm about to push past Azeghial when he places his hand on my shoulder.

"You have time to save your elf wife. If you don't listen to me, it won't matter. I have a message from you, one that can help you stay alive if you listen. Of course, the choice is yours." He takes his hand off my shoulder and motions to the road.

"What's the message?" Hold on Thea, I'll be there as quick as I can! Azeghial smiles as he turns and starts to walk along the road away from the city.

"Walk with me, I'll tell you along the way."